The Scorpion-Fish - Softcover
Synopsis
The narrator arrives in his 117th rented room at the end of an epic journey, abandoned by his lover, almost broke and certainly feverish. His obsession with the insects he shares the room with and his beautifully articulated observations of himself on the edge of physical and mental collapse extend out to include the insect-like habitues of the local cafe - the charlatans, the indolent landowners, and even a levitating priest who has been dead for six years. This razor-sharp chronicle of experience, which grew out of Bouvier's seven-month stay on the island of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), shows that if you travel, you must be prepared to discover not only delights but also the worst as well.
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From Publishers Weekly
Although it's called fiction, this resonant little book, a delightful repast for the mind, combines a special kind of travel writing with meditations on strange lands and cultures, a contemplative diary and some peculiar inquiries into nature, human and animal. The narrator, a Swiss historian in the final months of a long journey in the East, settles into the 117th room he has occupied en route, this one on a "chimerical island" in the heart of India. Down on his luck, nearly broke, feverish, still searching for his elusive identity, he acquires a book on Indian insects and thereupon shifts his microscopic observation from "that pretty world of killers," the crawling verminous creatures in his room, to people in the vicinitycafe habitues, charlatans and fake exorcists; indolent, decadent land-owners; a levitating priest who's been dead for six years; a huge Tamil merchant-woman who talks to the titular Scorpion-Fish, a combination of exotic beauty and deadly menace that symbolizes for the narrator the Eastern scene, climate, character and culture. The book is well-crafted in a series of short, witty, acerbic chapters, finely written and translated, a welcome introduction to a writer of remarkable skill.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Dazzling, profound and unforgettablethis beautifully written (and translated) book is a gift and a treasure. - J. Dargan, Choice
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- PublisherEland Publishing
- Publication date2014
- ISBN 10 1780600445
- ISBN 13 9781780600444
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages156
- Rating
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