Whispering Muse, The

Whispering Muse, The
Victoria Cribb, Sjon
RRP:
NZ$ 27.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 22.39
Paperback
h198 x 129mm - 144pg
14 Apr 2020 UK
International import eta 7-19 days
9781529342994
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
The year is 1949 and Valdimar Haraldsson, an eccentric Icelander with elevated ideas about the influence of fish consumption on Nordic civilisation, has had the singular good fortune to be invited to join a Danish merchant ship on its way to the Black Sea. Among the crew is the mythical hero Caeneus, disguised as the second mate. Every evening after dinner he entrances his fellow travellers with the tale of how he sailed with the fabled vessel the Argo on the Argonauts' legendary quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. En route the heroes happened upon the island of Lemnos and discovered to their astonishment, and considerable delight, that it was inhabited solely by women. An ode to storytelling, The Whispering Muse evokes a time gone by with wit and verve, from the rogues and oddities among sea-faring types, to the long-lost romance and mystique of ancient mythology.
Endorsements for 'The Whispering Muse': 'The Whispering Muse is a quirky, melodic, ticklish, seamlessly-translated, lovingly-polished gem of a novel. Sjon's work deserves space on any self-respecting bookshelf of European fiction.' David Mitchell "An extraordinary, powerful fable, travel-log, adventure story and metaphysical mystery. A marvel." Alberto Manguel "A wonderful tale - The Whispering Muse ties together tales from myth and antiquity with the modern age. Sjon writes like a man under a spell, filled with enchantment and magic and great wit. He is a rogue of the first order." Keith Donohue "Sly, dry and elegant, with diamond brilliance - Sjon's The Whispering Muse is a wonderful story about stories, evoking comparisons to Borges, Nabokov and Calvino while remaining completely original. What's more, it's a bundle of fun." Christopher Wilson, author of 'Gallimauf's Gospel' "This writer inspires a devoted following. Although his prose here is economical (and perfectly served by Victoria Cribb's translation), the effect of The Whispering Muse is prismatic: the reader feels that just beneath the surface there are strange and luminous things moving, leaving a series of small hidden detonations." Barry Forshaw, Independent "Long-term fans of Sjon, the Icelandic bard whose projects have included lyrics for Bjork, volumes of surrealist poetry and several prizewinning novels, will recognise this trademark interweaving of myth and postmodern playfulness...For those interested in retellings of Greek mythology, such episodes as this one, the rape of Caenis and the grubby denouement of the argonauts' enchanted sojourn on the all-female isle of Lemnos will make The Whispering Muse essential reading." Michel Faber, Guardian "It's a wonderful book. There are very few writers, and Sjon is one, who make everything from a phrase to a sentence all the way to the roof of a structure resonate like this from page one and long after the book is closed." Ali Smith, Scotland on Sunday "Just like Caeneus's many metamorphoses, Sjon expertly evokes the rich details of life at sea, reflecting the cadences of mythology in his spellbinding writing and tickling the reader with the dry wit that increasingly laces the protagonist's narrative. That the narrator transforms in so few pages engagingly attests to the power of Sjon's characterization and storytelling. The Whispering Muse is a rollicking seafaring tale and an ode to the storytelling traditions that reclaims Iceland's great heritage and enchants with its magical blend of Greek mythology, Norse legend and sharp observations of modern manners." We Love This Book.com
Author: Born in Reykjavik in 1962, Sjon is a celebrated Icelandic poet and novelist whose works include From the Mouth of the Whale and The Blue Fox (both by Telegram). He has won the Nordic Council Literary Prize, the equivalent of the Man Booker Prize, and 'Best Icelandic Novel' in 2005 for The Whispering Muse. His novels have been translated into twenty-five languages. Sjon is the president of the Icelandic PEN Centre and the director of the board of Reykjavik UNESCO city of Literature. Also a songwriter, Sjon has written lyrics for Bjork, including for her most recent musical project, Biophilia. Translator: Victoria Cribb lived in Iceland for many years. She now lives in England, where she is completing a PhD in Old Icelandic Literature at the University of Cambridge. Her translations include three novels in collaboration with Olaf Olafsson, as well as numerous other pieces of fiction and non-fiction.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781529342994
Published: 14 Apr 2020
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Sceptre
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Format: Paperback
Height: 198mm
Width: 129mm
Pages: 144

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