Barney Panofsky--Canadian expat, wily lover of women, writer, television producer, raconteur--is finally putting pen to paper so he can rebut the charges about him made in his rival's autobiography. Whether it's ranting about his bohemian misadventures during the 1950's in Paris, his tumultuous three marriages, or his successful trashy TV company, Totally Unnecessary Productions, he quickly proves that his memory may be slipping, but his bile isn't. But when he's charged with the murder of his own best friend--caught in bed with the second Mrs. Panofsky--Barney's version of things might not be enough to keep him out of trouble.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Barney Panofsky smokes too many cigars, drinks too much whiskey and is obsessed with two things: the Montreal Canadiens hockey team and his ex-wife Miriam. An acquaintance from his youthful years in Paris, Terry McIver, is about to publish his autobiography. In its pages he accuses Barney of an assortment of sins, including murder. It's time, Barney decides, to present the world with his own version of events. Barney's Version is his memoir, a rambling, digressive rant, full of revisions and factual errors (corrected in footnotes written by his son) and enough insults for everyone, particularly vegetarians and Quebec separatists.
But Barney does get around to telling his life story, a desperately funny but sad series of bungled relationships. His first wife, an artist and poet, commits suicide and becomes--à la Sylvia Plath--a feminist icon, and Barney is widely reviled for goading her toward death, if not actually murdering her. He marries the second Mrs Panofsky, whom he calls a "Jewish- Canadian Princess", as an antidote to the first; it turns out to be a horrible mistake. The third, "Miriam, my heart's desire", is quite possibly his soul mate, but Barney botches this one too. It's painful to watch him ruin everything, and even more painful to bear witness to his deteriorating memory. The mystery at the heart of Barney's story--did he or did he not kill his friend Boogie?--provides enough forward momentum to propel the reader through endless digressions, all three wives, and every one of Barney's nearly heartbreaking episodes of forgetfulness. Barney's Version, winner of Canada's 1997 Giller Prize, is Richler's 10th novel, and a dense, energetic and ultimately poignant read. -- R. Ellis
"Richler's great achievement. . . . Ebullient, manic, over the top." --Los Angeles Times
"At once falling-down funny, angry, and heartbreakingly poignant." --The Dallas Morning News "Cunningly designed for maximum suspense and beaucoup laughs. . . . Exuberant." --Time "Vintage Richler: funny, tough, and touching." --San Francisco Examiner "Richler's aim is still deadly. . . . [With] a caustic wit and Falstaffian charm." --The New York Times Book Review "A fine, funny novel. . . . Deft, irreverent, and affecting." --The New York Times"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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