"Henry's second novel, written, like his first, under a pen name, had done well. " Yann Martel's astonishing new novel begins with a successful writer attempting to publish his latest book, made up of a novel and an essay. Henry plans for it to be a "flip book" that the reader can start at either end, reading the novel or the essay first, because both pieces are equally concerned with representations of the Holocaust. His aim is to give the most horrifying of tragedies "a new choice of stories," in order that it be ...
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"Henry's second novel, written, like his first, under a pen name, had done well. " Yann Martel's astonishing new novel begins with a successful writer attempting to publish his latest book, made up of a novel and an essay. Henry plans for it to be a "flip book" that the reader can start at either end, reading the novel or the essay first, because both pieces are equally concerned with representations of the Holocaust. His aim is to give the most horrifying of tragedies "a new choice of stories," in order that it be remembered anew and in more than one way. But no one is sympathetic to his provocative idea. "What is your book about?" his editor repeatedly asks. "Should it be placed in the fiction section of a bookstore or with the non-fiction books?" a bookseller asks. "And where will the barcode go?" To them, Henry's book is an unpublishable disaster. Faced with severe and categorical rejection, Henry gives up hope. He abandons writing, moves with his wife to a foreign city, joins a community theatre, becomes a waiter in a "chocolateria." But then he receives a package containing a scene from a play, photocopies from a short story by Flaubert - about a man who hunts animals down relentlessly - and a short note: "I need your help." Intrigued, Henry tracks down his correspondent, and finds himself in a strange part of the city, walking past a stuffed okapi into a taxidermist's workshop. The taxidermist - also named Henry - says he has been working on his play, A 20th-Century Shirt, for most of his life, but now he needs Henry's help to describe his characters: the play's protagonists are a stuffed donkey and a howler monkey named Beatrice and Virgil, respectively, and Henry's successful book was in part about animals. He wants help to finish his play and, we may suspect, free himself from it. And though his new acquaintance is austere, abrupt and almost unearthly, Henry the writer is drawn more and more deeply into Henry the taxidermist's uncompromising world. The same goes for the reader. The more we read of the play within the novel, the more we find out about the lives of Beatrice and Virgil - in a series of initially funny, and then increasingly harrowing dialogues - the more troubling their story becomes. As we are drawn deeper into their disturbing moral fable, the relationship between the two faltering writers named Henry becomes more and more complex until it can only be resolved in an explosive, unexpected catastrophe. Though""Beatrice & Virgil""is initially as wry and engaging as anything Yann Martel has written, this book gradually grows into something more, a shattering and ultimately transfixing work that asks searching questions about the nature of our understanding of history, the meaning of suffering and the value of art. Together it""is a pioneeringly original and profoundly moving accomplishment, one that meets Kafka's description of what a book should be: the axe for the frozen sea within us.
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Add this copy of Beatrice & Virgil to cart. $2.86, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Knopf Canada.
Add this copy of Beatrice & Virgil to cart. $2.86, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Knopf Canada.
Add this copy of Beatrice & Virgil to cart. $5.15, like new condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Knopf Canada.
Add this copy of Beatrice & Virgil to cart. $5.95, very good condition, Sold by Book Alley rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pasadena, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Knopf Canada.
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Very Good jacket. Very Good in Very Good dust jacket. Gently used with NO markings in text; binding is tight. Pasadena's finest independent new and used bookstore.
Add this copy of Beatrice & Virgil to cart. $6.39, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Knopf Canada.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Beatrice & Virgil to cart. $6.50, good condition, Sold by ABC Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Springfield, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Knopf Canada.
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Seller's Description:
Good. jacket. First Edition. Hardcover with DJ. 1st Edition, 1st Printing. Full number line. Boards and spine tight. Dust Jacket has shelf/edge wear. Minor wear to page edges. No apparent marks throughout this book. Tracking available on most domestic orders.
Add this copy of Beatrice & Virgil to cart. $7.50, like new condition, Sold by Abacus Bookshop rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pittsford, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Alfred A. Knopf Canada.
Add this copy of Beatrice & Virgil to cart. $7.79, like new condition, Sold by The Book Scouts rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hamilton, ON, CANADA, published 2010 by Knopf Canada.
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Fine in Near Fine jacket. Size: 5x0x8; We're happy to combine shipping to save you some money. We're also always buying collectible book collections. Contact us for details. We're happy to provide pictures of any and all books for you, please just ask! Canadian first edition, first printing. Contains number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Virtually no wear to jacket. Jacket is NOT price clipped. Covers are clean and bright. Edges are sharp. No tears or creases. The book itself is in Near Fine condition. The binding is straight and tight. NO remainder mark.
Add this copy of Beatrice & Virgil to cart. $10.99, like new condition, Sold by A Good Read rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Toronto, ON, CANADA, published 2010 by Knopf Canada.
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Fine in Fine dust jacket. 0307398773. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY-customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery.; 8.10 X 5.80 X 1 inches; 224 pages.
Add this copy of Beatrice & Virgil to cart. $10.99, very good condition, Sold by A Good Read rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Toronto, ON, CANADA, published 2010 by Knopf Canada.
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Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 0307398773. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY-customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery.; 1 x 8.1 x 5.8 Inches; 224 pages.
