The Conversions (American Literature (Dalkey Archive)) [Paperback]

Harry Mathews (Author)

Book Description

Series: American Literature (Dalkey Archive) | Publication Date: October 1997

A wild goose chase through a remarkably unusual world, The Conversions invites both reader and protagonist to participate in a quest for answers to an elusive game.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Exquisitely stitched narratives, and [a] sense of wonderverging on aweat the world's regal strangeness . . . inspires [Mathews's] novels. . . . Extraordinary imagination. . . . Told with the strictest economy, without extraneous justification or explanation." -- Times Literary Supplement 3-20-98

"The tragi-comedy of human ingenuity, which insists upon interpreting the facts of experience even when they are senseless, baffling, or banal. . . . a remarkable extension and exploration of the odd fictional devices invented by Raymond Roussel." -- Edmund White, New York Times

Language Notes

Text: English, German

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564781666
• ISBN-13: 978-1564781666
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,184,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a perfect book, June 30, 2000

By 

Micah B. Kleit (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Conversions (American Literature (Dalkey Archive)) (Paperback)

Harry Mathews is the most important novelist writing in the English language that no one reads. It's a pity, for he writes with a style and engagement that, if left in less talented hands, could be considered effete, but with his mastery of language and narrative comes off as pure genius.

The Conversions is essentially about solving a riddle, but the search for its answer allows Mathews to do what he's best at: telling stories, and in all respects displaying a love for and engaging with the potential of language.

If you've not read Mathews before, this book will get you hooked; you'll soon want to read his novels, his essays, poems and other pieces, and will soon recognize that he is an American master, one whose works will only grow in stature with the years.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pynchonian Predecessor, October 27, 2007

By 

Ned Ludd (Sherwood Forest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Conversions (American Literature (Dalkey Archive)) (Paperback)

"The Crying of Lot 49" is a perfect little book, with obvious influences from Borges. It was obviously heavily influenced by this book as well. The similarities of the labyrinthian search for answers that only uncovers more and more puzzling questions, leaving the searcher questioning whether or not any of his original premises were even valid, is done to perfection by Mathews. Both he and Pynchon's version combine with perfection inventive word play and elaborate plots. Nothing against Pynchon, because he has delivered on everything he produced (yes, even "Vineland" and "Against the Day"), but Mathews wins this contest of similarities. If only Mathews could have delivered as much with the rest of his oeuvre. Highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Curiouser and curiouser, December 10, 2000

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Conversions (American Literature (Dalkey Archive)) (Paperback)

This is a book that was meticulously planned - word play and images, false starts and unreliable history - all in an interplay that is both riveting and frustrating. Riveting because of the quality of the imagination; frustrating because reading is one long riddle requiring very intense concentration by the reader.

The book is filled with wordplay ... most notably beginning with a gypsy "game" of describing the scene on a ball filled with boiling water ...; the narrator wins the game in what is called "a new triumph ... of analytical poetry over descriptive prose". Songs seem to carry hidden messages. Horse pedigrees are given in exhaustive detail. A man writes and speaks backwards - two languages, in effect, for one reverses sounds, the other letter. Old manuscripts hide clues in the red letters at the beginning of each line - if you only know what to add and where to divide. Authors and titles of books seized at customs, nine civil servants each of whom distorts language more strongly than the predecessor.

Through all the word play is a plot that is entertaining - but not always sufficiently so to motivate one to put the work into reading that this novel demands.

In short, The Conversions has a fascinating use of language in a satisfactory plot; the author is in full control at all times. Well worth your time ... but chose your time well.