Dublinesque (New Directions Paperbook)
“Mr. Vila-Matas shows that the reasons for (and the consequences of) not writing fiction can, in a funny way, be almost as rich and complicated as fiction itself.” (The Economist)“Perfect. Beautiful. Wistful. There is no hint of irony in these words of praise forBartleby & Co.” (The Los Angeles Times)“A touching account of facing down mortality with a passion and an obsession for literature.” (The New York Times Book Review)“The accent of Vila-Matas's project falls on an accomplished romanticism conscious of its historicity, an artist-worship taken to maturity that concurrently absents and introduces itself into the work at every moment.” (Los Angeles Review of Books)“Vila-Matas's wildly original novels are all investigations of whether or not originality in fiction is still possible; every nook and cranny of literary history is explored and interrogated, the margin of every great novel frantically scribbled in.” (Morten Høi Jensen -Dublin Review of Books)“Dublinesque is a pleasure to read...hugely entertaining.” (The Irish Times)“Enrique Vila-Matas is a great writer, and his new bookDublinesqueis what great readers have been searching for. It is Vila-Matas' style of writing that distinguishes him as one of the best living authors today, and what makesDublinesquea must read book.” (The Coffin Factory)“[Dublinesque] is enjoyable for its madcap energy, and its ability to relish its own absurdity and make well-worn literary references feel new.” (Bookforum)“The Spanish novelist is a master of that problematic enterprise of literature: the death-defying highwire act of telling the truth through lies, of invoking reality through fiction.” (The Millions)“The novel is about the death of the author in more senses than one. Funerals make a kind of art out of death, and so doesDublinesque.” (London Review Bookshop)“One of the most pleasurable and joyous novels of the year.” (The Independent)“Vila-Matas has brought home a fine specimen of that most endangered of intellectual species, the literary publisher.” (The Guardian)“It is both shocking and gratifying for the reader.Dublinesqueoffers the reader layer upon layer of secrets that only she is privy to, and the effect (as it often is, when one is the sole owner of a secret) is thrilling.” (Full Stop)