Bartleby & Co.
Enrique Vila-Matas
(Author)
Jonathan Dunne
(Translator)
Description
In Bartleby & Co., an enormously enjoyable novel, Enrique Vila-Matas tackles the theme of silence in literature: the writers and non-writers who, like the scrivener Bartleby of the Herman Melville story, in answer to any question or demand, replies: "I would prefer not to." Addressing such "artists of refusal" as Robert Walser, Robert Musil, Arthur Rimbaud, Marcel Duchamp, Herman Melville, and J. D. Salinger, Bartleby & Co. could be described as a meditation: a walking tour through the annals of literature. Written as a series of footnotes (a non-work itself), Bartleby embarks on such questions as why do we write, why do we exist? The answer lies in the novel itself: told from the point of view of a hermetic hunchback who has no luck with women, and is himself unable to write, Bartleby is utterly engaging, a work of profound and philosophical beauty.
Product Details
Price
$16.95
$15.76
Publisher
New Directions Publishing Corporation
Publish Date
April 01, 2007
Pages
178
Dimensions
5.28 X 0.54 X 7.99 inches | 0.5 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9780811216982
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Enrique Vila-Matas was born in Barcelona in 1948. His novels have been translated into eleven languages and honored by many prestigious literary awards including the Prix Medicis Etranger. Author of Bartleby & Co., Montano s Malady, and Never Any End to Paris, he has received Europe s most prestigious awards and been translated into twenty-seven languages.
Admittedly, Jonathan has done things arseways most of his life, from completing a BA in Literature in his thirties to fitting teeth brackets (30's, porcelain). During this general confusion, Jonathan has had various short stories published. Jonathan suffers from photophobia though has a tendency towards fireworks. Originally from Limerick, Ireland, he now lives the reclusive life in Toledo, Spain, as a bearded hermit, with his wife and three daughters. He is known to be found in the local cemetery at the weekend during daylight hours, though for goodness sake, don't sneak up on him.
Reviews
"Modern Spain's best writer among a growing sect of fanatics scattered around the world: from Estocolmo to Veracruz, from Paris to Cabo Verde, from Lisbon to Prague, from Varsovia to Buenos Aires."
