The Bath Fugues

Brian Castro

The Bath Fugues
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Giramondo Publishing Co
Country
Australia
Published
12 May 2009
Pages
258
ISBN
9781920882556

The Bath Fugues

Brian Castro

The Bath Fugues is Castro at his best, in a wonderful performance wrought from intrigue, romance, deception - and comedy. The book is composed of three interwoven novellas, the first centred on an ageing art forger; the second on a Portuguese poet, opium addict and collector; the third told by a well-connected doctor, with a cabinet of venom, and an art gallery on the north Queensland coast.

Around these characters circle others, in the contrapuntal manner of the fugue suggested by the book’s title. Some are related, some fugitive, some like the essayist Montaigne, the poet Baudelaire or the philosopher Benjamin, enter the story from the past.

Motifs recur - baths, bicycles, clocks, addiction, the counterfeit - deepening the lines of association and inheritance which bind their lives, and giving weight to the friendships thrust upon them.

‘…one of the most exacting, yet rewarding of Australian novelists, and when the mood is on him, one of the most amusing as well.’ - PETER PIERCE, The Age

‘His way of working has produced startlingly original storytelling, the sort that reminds me, with joy, again and again, that anything is possible in literature.’ - SUE BOND, Asian Review Of Books

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in 5-9 days

Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.