The Last Novel (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781593761431)

In recent novels, which have been called "hypnotic," "stunning," and "exhilarating," David Markson has created his own personal genre. In this new work, The Last Novel, an elderly author (referred to only as "Novelist") announces that since this will be his final effort, he has "carte blanche to do anything he damned well pleases."

Pressed by solitude and age, Novelist's preoccupations inevitably turn to the stories of other artists -- their genius, their lack of recognition, and their deaths. Keeping his personal history out of the story as much as possible, Novelist creates an incantatory stream of fascinating triumphs and failures from the lives of famous and not-so-famous painters, writers, musicians, sports figures, and scientists.

As Novelist moves through his last years, a minimalist self-portrait emerges, becoming an intricate masterpiece from David Markson's astonishing imagination. Through these startling, sometimes comic, but often tragic anecdotes we unexpectedly discern the entire shape of a man's life.

Author: David Markson
ISBN-10: 1593761430
ISBN-13: 9781593761431
Publisher: Catapult
Language: English
Published: 03/16/2007
Pages: 200
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.52lbs
Size: 8.24h x 5.78w x 0.57d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 04/01/2007 pg. 82
Publishers Weekly 04/30/2007 pg. 142
Booklist 04/15/2007 pg. 22
New York Times 07/08/2007 pg. 16