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Saint Sebastian's Abyss

By Mark Haber
0.0 (0 reviews)
3.69 goodreads logo

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Check link for latest rating. ( 1,699 ratings, 440 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Saint Sebastian's Abyss by Mark Haber delves into the complex world of art critics as it follows the story of two lifelong friends and rivals. Their shared obsession with a particular painting leads to a profound exploration of art, friendship, and betrayal. The narrative examines how their lives intertwine through debates and conflicts surrounding the artwork.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$4800

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy stories that delve into the complexities of human relationships and obsessions. It intricately explores the intense friendship and rivalry between two art historians, set against the backdrop of a mysterious painting. With its witty narrative and exploration of art, love, and betrayal, this book offers a thought-provoking and captivating read.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

What I wanted more than anything was to be standing beside Schmidt, in concert with Schmidt, at the foot of Saint Sebastian's Abyss along with Schmidt, hands cupped to the sides of our faces, debating art, transcendence, and the glory of the apocalypse.

Former best friends who built their careers writing about a single work of art meet after a decades-long falling-out. One of them, called to the other's deathbed for unknown reasons by a "relatively short" nine-page email, spends his flight to Berlin reflecting on Dutch Renaissance painter Count Hugo Beckenbauer and his masterpiece, Saint Sebastian's Abyss, the work that established both men as important art critics and also destroyed their relationship.

A darkly comic meditation on art, obsession, and the enigmatic power of friendship, Saint Sebastian's Abyss stalks the museum halls of Europe, feverishly seeking salvation, annihilation, and the meaning of belief.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Saint Sebastian's Abyss is praised as a comic novel that examines art and criticism through the tumultuous friendship of two critics obsessed with a 16th-century painting. Reviewers highlight its humour and absurdity, reflecting on the nature of art, intellectual rivalry, and elitism. The book is described as tightly written and thought-provoking, drawing comparisons to authors like Roberto Bolaño and William Gaddis, with a unique mix of reverence, satire, and heartfelt exploration of friendship and obsession.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781566896368

Publisher: Coffee House Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 June 2022

Country: United States

Imprint: Coffee House Press

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 200

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Mark Haber

About the Author

Mark Haber is the author of the 2008 story collection Deathbed Conversions and the novel Reinhardt's Garden, longlisted for the 2020 PEN/Hemingway Award. He is the operations manager at Brazos Bookstore in Houston, Texas. His nonfiction has appeared in the Rumpus, Music & Literature, and LitHub. His fiction has appeared in Southwest Review and Air/Light.

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