![]() This time, it’s the fable, as DeWitt tells the story of a young man, Lucien - also known as Lucy - Minor, who travels from his home village of Bury to become the Undermajordomo (or assistant to the assistant) “of one Baron Von Aux’s estate in the remote wilderness of the eastern mountain range.” In “The Sisters Brothers,” it was the western, which he deconstructed as neatly as Charles Portis and E.L. That’s not a criticism, just an observation DeWitt is not interested in straight naturalism so much as in the mechanics of a particular kind of story, narrative as fairy tale. Like DeWitt’s last book, “The Sisters Brothers,” which was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize, “Undermajordomo Minor” is a work of fiction with its roots in literature, a response to other books more than to any interaction with the world. ![]() ![]() This tells us something important about his intent. On the acknowledgments page of his third novel, “Undermajordomo Minor,” Patrick deWitt cites as inspiration a variety of writers, including Thomas Bernhard, Italo Calvino, Roald Dahl, Shirley Jackson and Jean Rhys. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |