Federico Andahazi
| Paperback - Black Swan (2001) |
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First British Edition Doubleday (2000) |
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The Merciful Women
It is Switzerland, in 1816. Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Shelley's wife Mary and Byron's physician Dr Polidori are ensconced in the Villa Diodati beside Lake Geneva. Polidori is a hanger-on whose presence is merely tolerated. Yet he will stop at nothing to outwit them all. He enters a Faustian pact with an elusive penfriend, Annette Legrand, who is the mysterious third member of the infamous Legrand sisters, the notorious vaudeville act. Annette will produce for him the most compelling vampire tale ever written, which he will read aloud the very night Mary Shelley is to reveal for the first time her tale of Frankenstein. But, in exchange, what can the effete Polidori offer this ghostly female predator, and what is her secret? How real is the insatiable thirst of the sisters for human male fluids? Dream and reality are fantastically blurred for Polidori as he strives to beat the Byron set at their own gothic literary game.
With his first novel, The Anatomist, Federico Andahazi showed himself to be a sly master of subverted history. In The Merciful Women he gives a new twist to the vampire novel, while casting an original look on the Romantic period. In this stylish gothic tale, opium and erotica provide the background for another ironic exploration of grand themes, sex and literature.
'An ironic and intelligent parable about authorship and erotic inspiration' Tom Holland, Literary Review
`Contains a grotesque murder, surreal erotic dreams and wonderfully overwritten landscape descriptions . . . Andahazi’s tone is always arch and playful and he denies his readers the naive and terrifying pleasure of suspending their disbelief’ Thomas Wright, Daily Telegraph
`A gothic-style Faustian tale, poking fun at writers’ pretensions. Think Edgar Allan Poe in style, but smarter, funnier, sexier and more downright bizarre. Clever stuff’ Maxim
Praise for The Anatomist:
'The story has a gripping urgency to it… and a sly, ironic vein of black humour runs throughout the book. The Anatomist should do for the clitoris what Longitude did for the chronometer.' Francis Gilbert, The Times
'A cunning, witty and brave book.' Ranti Williams, TLS
'A fascinating book...gripping, a pleasure to read, and a very fine novel.’ Iain Pears, author of An Instance of the Fingerpost
'A hugely enjoyable, clever and sensual novel.' Jane Charteris, Literary Review
'Written with more than a nod to Gabriel Garcia Marquez in its heightened, flowing, dreamy language and often sublime imagery… This is a rich, well told story made from first-class ingredients: history, sex, religion, medicine and humour are bound together through vivid scenes, a decent plot and, even in translation, elegant prose. Make no mistake, this is a sexy book. Raffaella Barker, Frank
'Witty and audacious.' Kate Figes, Elle
About The Author
Federico Andahazi lives in Buenos Aims.
Federico Andahazi's first novel, The Anatomist, became a cause celebre when it won Argentina's foremost literary award, the Fortabat prize. When the sponsor, Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat realised what the subject matter of the book was - the 'discovery' of the clitoris in 16th century Venice - she denounced Andahazi as a 'communist porn artist' and attempted to withhold the award. Immediately, many leading authors and critics denounced this attempt at censorship and defended the book as an innovative, remarkable work of fiction.
The Anatomist went on to become a critical and commercial success worldwide.
The Merciful Women is his second novel. Alberto Manguel is a well-known translator and critic. He is the author of The History of Reading.
Bibliography
N.B. dates and publishers in dark red indicate British First Editions. Dates and publishers in black indicate recent reprints.
The Merciful Women
(Doubleday,
2000)
Black Swan Pbk May 01
The Merciful Women
by Federico Andahazi
