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November 15, 2006
Barry Unsworth's Precious New Gem
Do you ever feel your boat floating gently into the harbor when you pick up a new book? A book that you will love instantly, perhaps even before you flip the pages? That's how I feel with each new title from Barry Unsworth's pen.
From the jacket lined with Ingres' erotic courtesan to the rich narrative prose that transports the reader into an era now all but nearly forgotten by most of us, once again the new novel, Ruby in Her Navel propels me to become a lousy wife, bad mother, and a negligent scholar until I savor every line, every word to the last dot.
I picked up the book this afternoon, flipping through the book all the way home. Thirteen months ago--are any of you supersitious--I was hit by a car on the island of Ortigia in Sicily, without knowing my fate. Well, at least not for a while. Let's forget that part now.
Instead, I'll follow the path of Thurstan Beauchamp, a man of Norman descent who works for a Moslem Arab in the kingdom of a Christian ruler. Before I could unlock my door, I was back in Sicily, walking through medieval Palermo and savoring the old-fashioned language of a literary genius.
This blending of religions and cultures reminds me of the sequel of Maddalena I'm currently writing, a story set in Rudolfine Prague in a world which--unfortunately--also sparkled and collapsed as swiftly as the Sicilian kingdom of the Good King Roger.
Until next time.
Posted by Eva Siroka at November 15, 2006 09:20 PM