Synopses & Reviews
Meet Mr. Bones, the canine hero of Paul Auster's remarkable new novel, Timbuktu. Mr. Bones is the sidekick and confidant of Willy G. Christmas, the brilliant, troubled, and altogether original poet-saint from Brooklyn. Like Don Quixote and Sancho Panza before them, they sally forth on a last great adventure, heading for Baltimore, Maryland in search of Willy's high school teacher, Bea Swanson. Years have passed since Willy last saw his beloved mentor, who knew him in his previous incarnation as William Gurevitch, the son of Polish war refugees. But is Mrs. Swanson still alive? And if she isn't, what will prevent Willy from vanishing into that other world known as Timbuktu?
Mr. Bones is our witness. Although he walks on four legs and cannot speak, he can think, and out of his thoughts Auster has spun one of the richest, most compelling tales in recent American fiction. By turns comic, poignant, and tragic, Timbuktu is above all a love story. Written with a scintillating verbal energy, it takes us into the heart of a singularly pure and passionate character, an unforgettable dog who has much to teach us about our own humanity.
Review
"...told with deceptive lightness in persuasive, rhythmic prose." , Hugo Barnacle, The Times, London
Review
"...Auster does a nimble job of showing what the world might feel like from a dog's perspective.... [Timbuktu] emerges as Auster's most touching, most emotionally accessible book." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
Review
"Ultimately ... Timbuktu is much smarter than either of its seekers of wisdom, and there are periodic flashes of gorgeous prose to prove it." Jim Shepard, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"In a world in which many people get treated like dogs, Paul Auster has elected to tell us the story of a dog's life, and by the end of this brief, extraordinary book he has made us think, feel and even dream along with his canine Mr. Bones. By stepping outside the frame of our own species, Auster allows us to see ourselves afresh, through the eyes of the loving, half-comprehending, half-mystified aliens who live within our homes." Salman Rushdie
Review
"From Smoke to The Invention of Solitude to Timbuktu, Paul Auster has been an unswerving voice no matter what form he chooses, no matter what tale he imagines and tells. A generous heart always. A style on the high-wire always." Michael Ondaatje
Review
"One of America's most spectacularly inventive writers" --
The Times Literary Supplement
Review
"Over the past twenty-five years, Paul Auster has established one of the most distinctive niches in contemporary literature."--Michael Dirda,
The New York Review of Books"[Timbuktu is] held aloft with audacity and brilliant, idiosyncratic language. . . . It's risk-taking and brazen energy suggest a writer on the verge of an even more rewarding leap into the air of his own uncharted territory."--Philip Graham, Chicago Tribune
"A novel of haunted love whose themes loop around one another like glowing coils, connecting gracefully beneath Auster's clear prose, eliciting the fanciful and the tragic."--Oscar Villalon, San Francisco Chronicle
"A modern parable that invites readers to probe below its deceptively simple surface for deeper truths . . . Auster demonstrates a well-honed talent for illuminating secluded facets of the soul."--Michael Hopkins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Lovely . . . Paul Auster is one of our most inventive and least predictable authors."--Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World
Review
"Lovely . . . [Paul Auster] is one of our most inventive and least predictable authors."—Jonathan Yardley,
The Washington Post Book World"A novel of haunted love whose themes loop around one another like glowing coils, connecting gracefully beneath Auster's clear prose, eliciting the fanciful and the tragic."—Oscar Villalon, The San Francisco Chronicle
"After reading Timbuktu, we ramble through our world with reawakened senses and newly alert minds. This is the Auster magic."—Paul Kafka, Boston Globe
"Resonant and tender."—Newsweek
"Enchanting . . . provocative . . . The mind of Mr. Bones moves with mesmirizing fluidity."—Peter Rock, Philadelphia Inquirer
"Affecting . . . a moving story, wonderfully told."—Arizona Republic
"[Timbuktu is] held aloft with audacity and brilliant, idosyncratic language . . . Its risk-taking and brazen energy suggest a writer on the verge of an even more rewarding leap into the air of his own uncharted territory."—Philip Graham, Chicago Tribune
"A beautiful memory piece . . . the dark but tender memoir of a man and his canine sidekick unfolded itself as a tragicomic story of a modern Don Quixote de la Brooklyn."—Dana Coffield, Rocky Mountain News
"A modern parable that invites readers to probe below its deceptively simple surface for deeper truths . . . Auster demonstrates a well-honed talent for illuminating secluded facets of the soul."—Michael Hopkins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Synopsis
Meet Mr. Bones, the canine hero of Paul Auster's remarkable new novel, Timbuktu. Mr. Bones is the sidekick and confidant of Willy G. Christmas, the brilliant, troubled, and altogether original poet-saint from Brooklyn. Like Don Quixote and Sancho Panza before them, they sally forth on a last great adventure, heading for Baltimore, Maryland in search of Willy's high school teacher, Bea Swanson. Years have passed since Willy last saw his beloved mentor, who knew him in his previous incarnation as William Gurevitch, the son of Polish war refugees. But is Mrs. Swanson still alive? And if she isn't, what will prevent Willy from vanishing into that other world known as Timbuktu?
Mr. Bones is our witness. Although he walks on four legs and cannot speak, he can think, and out of his thoughts Auster has spun one of the richest, most compelling tales in recent American fiction. By turns comic, poignant, and tragic, Timbuktu is above all a love story. Written with a scintillating verbal energy, it takes us into the heart of a singularly pure and passionate character, an unforgettable dog who has much to teach us about our own humanity.
Synopsis
Mr. Bones, the heroic dog of Paul Auster's astonishing book, is the sidekick and confidant of Willy G. Christmas, a brilliant and troubled homeless man from Brooklyn. As Willy's body slowly expires, he sets off with Mr. Bones for Baltimore in search of his high-school English teacher and a new home for his companion. Mr. Bones is our witness during their journey, and out of his thoughts Paul Auster has spun one of the richest, most compelling tales in recent American fiction.
Synopsis
Mr. Bones, the heroic dog of Paul Auster's astonishing book, is the sidekick and confidant of Willy G. Christmas, a brilliant and troubled homeless man from Brooklyn. As Willy's body slowly expires, he sets off with Mr. Bones for Baltimore in search of his high-school English teacher and a new home for his companion. Mr. Bones is our witness during their journey, and out of his thoughts Paul Auster has spun one of the richest, most compelling tales in recent American fiction.
Synopsis
Mr. Bones, the canine hero of Paul Auster's astonishing new book, is the sidekick and confidant of Willy G. Christmas, a brilliant and troubled homeless man from Brooklyn. As Willy's body slowly expires, he sets off with Mr. Bones for Baltimore in search of his high school English teacher and a new home for his companion. Mr. Bones is our witness during their journey, and out of his thoughts, Paul Auster has spun one of the richest, most compelling tales in American fiction.
About the Author
Paul Auster is the author of eight previous novels, including
The New York Trilogy, The Music of Chance, and
Mr. Vertigo. He has also published poems, essays, and two works of autobiography,
The Invention of Solitude and
Hand to Mouth. He wrote the screenplays for
Smoke, Blue in the Face, and
Lulu on the Bridge (which he also directed). His work has been translated into twenty-seven languages. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.