This is a biography/literary novel concerning Elgar who leaves Liverpool to go on a round-trip voyage across the Atlantic to Brazil and up the River Amazon. The author is a Newdigate Prize-winner and has written "Playing With Water" and "View From Mount Dog". This is his first novel.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
In this delightful novel, which won a Whitbread Prize in 1989, James Hamilton-Paterson joins celebrated British composer Edward Elgar on a cruise on the Amazon River and imagines what artists of the time may have pondered. "Oh Edward what a stupid doltish ass you've been to waste your life on the idea that art--in its small way--can make the least difference to things," he imagines Elgar as commenting. The book isn't merely a collection of questioning ruminations; the cruise is filled with a variety of comical and interesting passengers and crew members.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
On an Amazon cruise in 1923, Edward Elgar, the English composer, writes in his journal, "Oh Edward what a stupid doltish ass you've been to waste your life on the idea that art--in its small way--can make the least difference to things." Rather, this arrogant, depressed passage is one that Hamilton-Paterson imagines Elgar could have written. Hamilton-Paterson has taken the celebrated Briton's documented but rather uncharacteristic voyage as an opportunity to fantasize on various concerns artists might have as they age. The author, who won England's 1989 Whitbread Prize for this novel, thinks that uppermost might be a mixture of sourness about a misspent career, disappointment about over- and underrated work, and anger about an uncertain and short future. The motley crew and passenger list Hamilton-Paterson dreams up to accompany Elgar are surprising and funny and include all sorts of stuffed shirts, rascals and malcontents. The novel's drawback is that once Elgar reaches his destination, the revelation presented is more modest than one would expect, given the amusing travails he's experienced. Nonetheless, this is brilliant fancy--a literate, intelligent and entertaining work.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Skip first 13 pages,
By CXC (North Beach) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Gerontius (Paperback)
The initial section of this book has nothing to do with the plot and is very portentious and incomprehensible. Both I and my wife found it off-puting. However, starting on page 13, this is a superb, beautiful, and thought-provoking novel that I recommend unhesitatingly.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gerontius,
By Bernard Hughes (London, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Gerontius (Paperback)
Wistful, poignant and beautifully written, this is a touching and elegaic novel. Blending fact with imaginary events, Hamilton Paterson takes an extraordinary, but true, event from Elgar's life and constructs around it a simple but fabulous narrative about a man at a creative crisis. Thoroughly enjoyable.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nuance and compassion in imaginary Elgar biography,
By A Customer
This review is from: Gerontius (Hardcover)
Music lovers as well as those who enjoy fine writing will find Hamilton-Paterson's imaginary account of a voyage up the Amazon by Edward Elgar not only entertaining and thought-provoking, but also ultimately very revealing of the contradictions and conflicts in Elgar's character. Hamilton-Paterson's research has been as thorough as his sympathy for his protagonist is obviously deep. This novel won the Whitbread prize for best first fiction
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
