In an urn, sealed in the wall of an ancient Central American tomb, the burial chamber of the Mayan king K'inich Yax K'uk'Mo, a mysterious manuscript has been found. The archaeologists who find it are perplexed. The scroll is in Latin, and it is older than the 1,600-year-old tomb itself. It is the 'Narrative of Questus,' a Roman who lived in the 1st century AD, during the reign of Augustus. According to Patrick O. Enfield, the scholar entrusted with the task of translating and commenting on this spectacular find, there can be no doubt of its authenticity. The manuscript is subjected to 'every available test and to detailed linguistic scrutiny.' It is not a hoax. Although the scroll is damaged, it can be read, and it draws a detailed picture of the childhood and youth of the author. Questus is 19, an aspiring inventor who would like to create marvelous new machines for the Imperial army. His father is a remote figure, a military commander who is usually away on campaign. His mother, however, is anything but remote. Still young and delightfully pretty, she is a favourite of the Emperor and also of the poet Ovid (as a child Questuscalled him 'Uncle Ovid'). Ovid's The Art of Love has just been published, and the young diarist and his friends scrutinize it for sexual secrets, hidden meanings and scandal. Slowly, Questus realizes that one of those secrets involves his own mother...
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
JOSEF SKVORECKY is an award-winning author whose novels include An Inexplicable Story, The Bass Saxophone, The Mournful Demeanor of Lieutenant Boruvka, and The Swell Season. He has also written many short stories and film scripts, and is the winner of the 1980 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. He lives in Toronto with his wife.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Imaginative novel that builds to a thrilling finish!,
By
This review is from: An Inexplicable Story, Or, the Narrative of Questus Firmus Siculus (Hardcover)
This is one of the most imaginative recent novels I have read. It deals with a mysterious manuscript written by one Questus Firmus Siculus, a hitherto unknown citizen of the early Roman Empire (even his praenomen "Questus" is unknown). The manuscript is discovered in the ruins of a Mayan temple complex, an obvious anomaly in itself. Through the fragmented manuscript, and various subsequent letters and stories from an eclectic, international group of sources over the ages, a fascinating adventure is revealed, as are many more mysteries and unanswerable questions. This novel gets better and better as it goes on and the pieces start falling into place.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Inexplicable fun!,
By A Customer
This review is from: An Inexplicable Story, Or, the Narrative of Questus Firmus Siculus (Hardcover)
An excellent novel with fascinating twists and more questions than answers, this book focuses on the memoirs of a first-century Roman citizen, Questus Firmus Siculus.When his autobiography is dicovered among Mayan ruins in the Honduras, Questus, a formerly unknown Roman, baffles the scientific community. The scrolls are undeniably real, but how could they have come so many thousands of miles over the Atlantic, when the Romans were thought to have ventured no farther west than Britain? The contents of the scrolls is even more puzzling. They reveal a new theory about the reason for Tiberius's banishment of Ovid, and explore a new possibility for the identity of Corinna, Ovid's lover in his collection of erotic poetry, Amores. With nods to Verne and Poe, Skvorecky flies through this imaginative romp with style and aplomb. Fabulous, entertaining, and literary all at once!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
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
|
