First published in 1965, this remarkable novel is Paul Metcalf's purging of the burden of his relationship to Herman Melville (his great-grandfather), but it is much broader than that. In the extraordinary style of writing that is now Metcalf's signature, he collages multiple stories. Metcalf explores incidents in the life of Herman Melville, the influence of Columbus on Melville and Melville's use and conversion of the Columbus myth, the influence of Melville on his own life, and the story of Carl and Michael Mills, ...
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First published in 1965, this remarkable novel is Paul Metcalf's purging of the burden of his relationship to Herman Melville (his great-grandfather), but it is much broader than that. In the extraordinary style of writing that is now Metcalf's signature, he collages multiple stories. Metcalf explores incidents in the life of Herman Melville, the influence of Columbus on Melville and Melville's use and conversion of the Columbus myth, the influence of Melville on his own life, and the story of Carl and Michael Mills, whose semi-fictional story provides the central structure of the book. The narrator is Michael Mills, a club-footed unfortunate, who holds an M.D. degree but who refuses to practice. It is to search out the reason for this refusal, and to come to terms with the memory of his monstrous older brother, Carl (whose life was terminated by the state before the novel opens), that Michael retreats to his attic, his books, his studies -- Columbus, Melville and others.
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Add this copy of Genoa: a Telling of Wonders to cart. $9.56, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of New Mexico Press.
Add this copy of Genoa: a Telling of Wonders to cart. $42.89, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Univ of New Mexico Pr.
Add this copy of Genoa: A Telling of Wonders to cart. $43.58, new condition, Sold by Carobok rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BELEN, NM, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of New Mexico Press.
Add this copy of Genoa: a Telling of Wonders to cart. $75.00, very good condition, Sold by Between the Covers-Rare Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester City, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of New Mexico Press.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine. Uncorrected proof. Quarto. Comb-bound wrapper with acetate cover. Printed rectos only, two pages to a leaf. Acetate cover rubbed and with a bit of creasing, near fine. (Prints a facsimile of the cover but no preliminary material. ) First published by the redoubtable Jonathan Williams in 1965 as Jargon 43.