内容説明
This startling, beautiful novel set in South America explores the mysterious concepts of love and home. 'If The City of your Final Destination were eligible for the Man Booker Prize I would be pressing for it to be on the shortlist.' Salley Vickers, The Times Omar has won an award to write the authorised biography of a celebrated yet obscure writer, Jules Gund. But first he must gain the approval of Gund's literary executors: his widow, his mistress and his brother. Not allowing himself time for reflection, Omar acts against instinct and flies to the family's dilapidated mansion in Uruguay. If he cannot win their approval, he will lose his award, his job and, perhaps, his redoubtable girlfriend. Once there, he disturbs the uneasy intimacy of the world Gund has left behind and changes it for ever. 'A tender story -- told with huge doses of wit and humour -- about both destinations and destiny.' Lucia Graves, Daily Telegraph 'This is one to relish for its subtle dialogue, evocation of a languid, dreamy place and the sly, submerged comedy of random events.' Tamsin Dean, Sunday Telegraph 'A joy to read.' Ross Gilfillan, Daily Mail
Amazon.com
Peter Cameron's sublime, beautiful novel City of Your Final Destination concerns true love and a young academic's struggle to break free from a life he's molded but doesn't want to live. Omar Razaghi, who's pursuing a Ph.D. at a Midwestern university, fudges his application for grant money, stating he has already obtained authorization from the family of the deceased minor novelist Jules Gund. When he belatedly seeks permission to proceed, the three executors--Gund's brother, Adam; former wife Caroline; and Arden, Gund's mistress and mother of Gund's daughter, Portia--decline. Prompted by his girlfriend, Deirdre, Omar shows up unexpectedly in Uruguay, seeking to convince the family of his--and their--need for a biography of Jules Gund to exist.
Cameron is an able storyteller, and his command allows the prose to flow simply and beautifully; here, most every word counts. Adam's often hilarious wit and Caroline's recalcitrance are sharply drawn, descriptions are in crisp relief, and Cameron gives us many reasons to smile: "Pete stood there for a moment, as if he were deciding, trying to think of a reason why he must stay with them, but he was not clever enough, and so of course he had to leave." The City of Your Final Destination is a refreshing look at the impact of desire and love on quirky, elegantly drawn characters. --Michael Ferch
--このテキストは、絶版本またはこのタイトルには設定されていない版型に関連付けられています。
Book Description
A wryly humorous, impeccably observed novel about the capriciousness of love
Omar Razaghi posts a letter on September 13, 1995 that will change the course of his life forever. A doctoral student at the University of Kansas, he writes to the estate of the Latin American author Jules Gund, requesting permission to write Gund's authorized biography. His request is refused, but Omar has already accepted a fellowship from the university, and with his girlfriend's vehement encouragement, he goes in person to Uruguay to petition to Gund's three executors. Although Caroline Gund, Jules' wife, and Arden Langdon, Jules' mistress and mother of his child, are initially opposed to the idea of a biography, Omar has the support of Adam, Jules' older brother, and hopes to be able to persuade the two women. Omar's unexpected arrival in Uruguay reverberates through this odd and isolated little family group, and his stay in the languid, dreamy Ochos Rios makes him question his former life in Kansas, and his ability-even his desire-to write an "authorized" life.
A novel about the random nature of love, and the ways in which we confront or avoid life's choices, The City of Your Final Destination is a touching, clever and wonderfully comic fourth novel from Peter Cameron.
--このテキストは、絶版本またはこのタイトルには設定されていない版型に関連付けられています。
Omar Razaghi posts a letter on September 13, 1995 that will change the course of his life forever. A doctoral student at the University of Kansas, he writes to the estate of the Latin American author Jules Gund, requesting permission to write Gund's authorized biography. His request is refused, but Omar has already accepted a fellowship from the university, and with his girlfriend's vehement encouragement, he goes in person to Uruguay to petition to Gund's three executors. Although Caroline Gund, Jules' wife, and Arden Langdon, Jules' mistress and mother of his child, are initially opposed to the idea of a biography, Omar has the support of Adam, Jules' older brother, and hopes to be able to persuade the two women. Omar's unexpected arrival in Uruguay reverberates through this odd and isolated little family group, and his stay in the languid, dreamy Ochos Rios makes him question his former life in Kansas, and his ability-even his desire-to write an "authorized" life.
A novel about the random nature of love, and the ways in which we confront or avoid life's choices, The City of Your Final Destination is a touching, clever and wonderfully comic fourth novel from Peter Cameron.
--このテキストは、絶版本またはこのタイトルには設定されていない版型に関連付けられています。
著者について
Author of the highly acclaimed The Weekend and Andorra (both published by Fourth Estate) Peter Cameron has also written for The New Yorker, Grand Street, and The Paris Review. He lives in New York.
