Testament - Softcover

Ricci, Nino

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0385658559 ISBN 13: 9780385658553

Publisher: Anchor Canada, 2003

Synopsis

Provocative, ambitious and rich in the sights and smells of the ancient world, Testament brings a new perspective to the greatest story ever told.

From Governor General's Award-winner Nino Ricci, one of Canada's most highly acclaimed literary voices, Testament is a bold work of historical fiction. Set in a remote corner of the Roman Empire at a moment of political unrest and spiritual uncertainty, it re-tells the life of a holy man of enormous charisma who alters the course of human history. Grounded in extensive research, and written with the poetic sensibility that has earned Ricci an international reputation, Testament vividly recreates first-century Palestine in elegant but accessible prose to explore the story of the man we know as Jesus.

About this title

Review

Winner of the Trillium Award
Finalist for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
Finalist for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Canada and Caribbean)
A Booklist Choice for Top Ten Historical Novels of the Year
A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year

"Perhaps Nino Ricci's greatest achievement in Testament, his altogether remarkable fourth novel, is that he manages to make the life of Jesus new again--through vitality, freshness, emotional engagement, and compelling storytelling. It's quite an accomplishment." Vancouver Sun

"The vividness of Ricci's writing and his unusual angle make for a compelling read." The Toronto Star

"Ricci has given us a contemporary Jesus. Like a palimpsest, with each fresh image superimposed on earlier images, Ricci's Jesus testifies to the inexhaustible power of story, reminding us that enduring myths are not windows through which we view objective truths, but mirrors framing our own evanescent mortality and morality plays." The Globe and Mail

"Memorable, captivating and unsettling, the prose is impeccable." Noah Richler, National Post

"Ricci has taken an enormous risk, and the result is exhilarating.... A stunning achievement." Edmonton Journal

"A bold and brilliant premise for a novel...and Ricci doesn't disappoint." The Gazette (Montreal)

"Compelling...balances history and parable, political conflict and religious faith." Ottawa Citizen

About the Author

NINO RICCI's first novel, Lives of the Saints, won the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction, the SmithBooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award, and the F.G. Bressani Prize and was made into a motion picture starring Sophia Loren. The novel was also a long-time national bestseller, and was followed by the highly acclaimed In a Glass House and Where She Has Gone, which was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. His bestselling novel Testament won the Trillium Book Award. The Origin of Species received the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction and the Canadian Authors Association Award for Fiction. Nino Ricci has also won the Betty Trask Award for Fiction (UK), The Winnifred Holtby Prize (UK) and the 1992 Prise Contrepoint Madrineaux (France). He lives in Toronto.

About this edition

• Publisher: Anchor Canada
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0385658559
• ISBN 13: 9780385658553
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464