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The Paper Men

Introduced by DBC Pierre
By William Golding
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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
The Paper Men by William Golding is a gripping exploration of the tumultuous relationship between a reclusive novelist, Wilfred Barclay, and the obsessive academic, Rick L. Tucker, who seeks to chronicle his life. Set against an ever-changing backdrop of international settings, the novel delves into the themes of privacy, obsession, and the concept of legacy, creating a compelling narrative that reflects on the nature of fame and the struggle for personal autonomy.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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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?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate a satirical take on the friction between authors and their biographers, infused with Golding’s signature wit and philosophical depth. This novel explores themes of memory, truth, and the burdens of legacy, making it a compelling read for anyone interested in a character-driven narrative that delves into the complexities of human motivation and relationships.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Join an eccentric novelist on the run from his obsessive would-be biographer in this comic farce by the radical Nobel Laureate and author of Lord of the Flies.

Join an eccentric novelist on the run from his obsessive would-be biographer in this comic farce by the radical Nobel Laureate and author of Lord of the Flies.

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

'A complex literary comedy from an extraordinarily powerful writer.' Malcolm Bradbury

'The great unbreakable wild horse of the 1960s British literary stable.' Rose Tremain

'Rich as a compost heap.' Melvyn Bragg

Why should I conceal the fact that I had found a full professor of Eng. Lit. rifling my dustbin?

Fame, fortune, alcoholism, a failing marriage: for novelist Wilfred Barclay, his final unbearable irritation is his would-be biographer, the young academic Professor Rick L. Tucker, who is determined to become The Barclay Man.

Locked in a lethal relationship, the two men stumble across Europe, shedding wives, self-respect, and identities in a game of literary cat and mouse - and the climax of their odyssey, when it comes, is as inevitable as it is unexpected...

The Paper Men by William Golding is a riveting tale that explores the complexities of fame and personal downfall.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571371716

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 December 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Contributors:

  • Introduction by DBC Pierre

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 228g

Pages: 272

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Best Sellers at Book Hero Crime & Thriller Fiction General Fiction In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction The Great Clear Out Sale The Great Clear Out Sale: General Fiction William Golding

About the Author

William Golding (1911 - 1993) was born in Cornwall and educated at Marlborough Grammar School and Brasenose College, Oxford. Before becoming a writer, he was an actor, small-boat sailor, musician and schoolteacher. In 1940 he joined the Royal Navy and took part in the D-Day operation and liberation of Holland. Lord of the Flies, his first novel, was rejected by several publishers but rescued from the 'reject pile' at Faber and published in 1954. It became a modern classic selling millions of copies, translated into 44 languages and made into a film by Peter Brook in 1963. Golding wrote eleven other novels, a play and two essay collections. He won the Booker Prize for Rites of Passage in 1980 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983. He was knighted in 1988 and died in 1993. www.william-golding.co.uk

DBC Pierre was born in 1961 in South Australia and was brought up in Mexico and the UK. Formerly a designer and a cartoonist, his debut novel, Vernon God Little (2003), won the Man Booker Prize, the Whitbread Prize for Best First Novel, the Bollinger Wodehouse Everyman Award and the James Joyce Award. His other novels include Ludmila's Broken English (2006), Lights Out in Wonderland (2010), Breakfast with the Borgias (2014) and Meanwhile in Dopamine City (2020). He is also the author of Petit Mal (2013), a selection of stories and non-fiction; Release the Bats (2016), which explores the art of storytelling; and a collection of true stories, Big Snake Little Snake: An Inquiry into Risk (2022).

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