Byrne (Burgess, Anthony) - Hardcover

Burgess, Anthony

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 078670456X ISBN 13: 9780786704569

Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers Inc, 1998

Synopsis

When Anthony Burgess died in 1993 he left the complete "Byrne," a novel in epic verse. This is the first American publication. Byrne tells the astonishing story of an Irish artist who, in the early years of this century, goes rapidly to the bad, bedding and abandoning women everywhere, debasing his talents as a composer and painter, and finally ending up within Hitler's Third Reich, at which point he vanishes. After his disappearance, the story passes to his twin sons, one a doubting priest, the other suffering from a debilitating disease, who move across the troubled face of contemporary Europe before encountering their father in one final apocalyptic confrontation.

About this title

Review:

"A rumbustious memorial to one of the most unignorable literary presences of our time" Sunday Times "Dazzling... A brilliant and surprising conclusion to the career of one of the most intelligent and tireless writers of the century" -- Philip Hensher Mail on Sunday "A fine book" Independent "Byrne is full of his characteristic wit, gusto and erudition" -- David Lodge Observer "A complex dark comedy in fluently rhymed verse. Frequently hilarious and always engaging, this final book simultaneously satisfies the differing demands of prose fiction and narrative verse. Composed mostly in the same ottava rima that Byron used for "Don Juan," Byrne shows Burgess in command of his poetic medium. One might expect an author to experience new spiritual insight on his deathbed, but such a technical breakthrough is highly unusual" New York Times

About the Author:

Anthony Burgess was born in Manchester in 1917. He served in the army from 1940 to 1954 before becoming a colonial education officer. It was while he held this post that doctors told him he would die, and he decided to try to live by writing. A prolific and respected author, Burgess died in 1993.

About this edition

• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers Inc
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 078670456X
• ISBN 13: 9780786704569
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160