But the greatest part of the book is made up of a lengthy introduction by novelist arthur phillips, who explains that he has shepherded the. Editions of the tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips. The tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips librarything. In the tragedy of arthur, arthur phillips writes of a man, arthur phillips, who discovers whats purported to be a previously unknown play by william shakespeare. In the tragedy of arthur, phillips tells the mostly true story of being asked to write the introduction to a lost shakespeare play entitled the most excellent and tragical historie of arthur, king of britain. May 01, 2011 the last 111 pages of arthur phillipss new novel, the tragedy of arthur, consist of a fiveact play, for the most part in blank verse and replete with elizabethan diction and syntax.
I know that is not a very literary or learned thing to. The tragedy of arthur henderson libraries overdrive. As it goes to press, arthur has ample reason to doubt that the play in his possession is authentic. Part pseudomemoir, part elizabethan drama, the tragedy of arthur tells the story of arthur phillips, a novelist whose con artist father has discovered a lost work of shakespeare. Arthur phillips forgersnovelsrandom housewilliam shakespeare. But phillips knows the play supposedly found in a safety deposit box in america is a fake. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the tragedy of arthur. To minimize any possible unpleasantness, phillips has tried to cover himself, rather feebly, by insisting that the dust jacket of the tragedy of arthur declare, in tiny type, a novel by. I hope my friends who are drama buffs or shakespeare devotees will enjoy this book as much as i did, less.
There are so many tricks in the book, i had to keep reading just to see if it was a true memoir of the author, whose name is arthur phillips. The purported discover or possible forger is one arthur phillips, and the introduction is written by his son, also arthur phillips. The tragedy of arthur is a 2011 novel by the american author arthur phillips. Excerpt the tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips the. Arthur phillips the tragedy of arthur is a clever, genrebending novel that is quite readable without being wholly successful. Its doomed hero is arthur phillips, a young man struggling with a largerthanlife father, a con artist who works wonders of deception but is a most unreliable parent. The novel includes the text of the play, which reads like shakespeare to me imho. The tragedy of arthur, king of britain by arthur phillips. The tragedy of arthur is an emotional and elaborately constr. Arthur phillips, a character in arthur phillips fifth novel, inherits the only copy of a history play. Apr 23, 2011 the tragedy of arthur, the new novel by arthur phillips, tells the story of a con man, his son and an undiscovered work by william shakespeare. Arthur, the fictional son, is a novelist who shares a great deal of biographical data, and a backlist, with arthur the reallive novelist. The tragedy of arthur is a title with a double meaning.
I have been reading a newly discovered shakespeare play, the tragedy of arthur, thats going to cause a stir in the coming year. In one sense it refers to a lost shakespearean play of that name and in the other it refers to the narrator of the tale, someone who may or may not be the novelist arthur phillips. The tragedy of arthur lacks familiar quotations, since it was allegedly lost for centuries. Arthur phillips fifth novel, the tragedy of arthur, is built around a fulllength, five. Whats essential, rather, is the saga that surrounds it, a family drama involving yes arthur phillips, who both is and isnt the author of this book. This is the story of arthur phillips same name as the author, youll notice whos a you guessed it. Download or read the tragedy of arthur 2011 in pdf, epub formats. Aug 06, 2011 the welldeserved hype around the tragedy of arthur has focused on the metafictional moxie of its author, new yorker arthur phillips, particularly in the novels last 100 or so pages. Or, find an independent bookseller near you with the indie store finder. A longlost shakespeare play surfaces in phillips s wily fifth novel, a sublime faux memoir framed as the introduction to the plays first printinga modern library edition, of course.
His books include prague, the egyptologist, angelica, the song is you, and the tragedy of arthur. Arthur phillips is the internationally bestselling author of three new york. Apr 28, 2011 arthur phillipss tragedy of arthur, about the discovery of what is reputed to be a lost shakespeare play, turns the author into a central player in his own novel, a puzzle box that is as. His next novel, the king at the edge of the world, will be published in 2020. The last 111 pages of arthur phillipss new novel, the tragedy of arthur, consist of a fiveact play, for the most part in blank verse and replete with elizabethan diction and syntax, entitled the tragedy of arthur by william shakespeare. The tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips goodreads. Aug 16, 2012 arthur phillips the tragedy of arthur is a clever, genrebending novel that is quite readable without being wholly successful. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. His books include prague 2002, the egyptologist 2004, angelica 2007, the song is you 2009, and the tragedy of arthur 2011.
Arthur phillips s tragedy of arthur, about the discovery of what is reputed to be a lost shakespeare play, turns the author into a central player in his own novel, a puzzle box that is as. For phillips persona, the introduction is a chance to write a memoir, in which he explains that his father was a conman and a shakespeare fanatic, and that the tragedy of arthur is. The truth of that life has a great deal to do with the plays exposed author, arthur phillips sr. The narrative concerns the publication of a recently discovered arthurian play. Said to have been first published as a quarto edition in 1597, arthur predates loves labours lost, and has been cleverly unearthed by the american novelist arthur phillips. There are paperback, hardcover, ebook, audio cds, and audio downloads.
Read the convoluted introduction, and youll find its phillipss fifth novel, masquerading as autobiography. Its doomed hero is arthur phillips, a young novelist struggling with a con artist father who works wonders of deception. Apr 22, 2011 the tragedy of arthur lacks familiar quotations, since it was allegedly lost for centuries. The tragedy of arthur audiobook by arthur phillips. The novels narrator is one arthur phillips, which also happens to be the name of the narrators father, and, of course, is the name of the novels author. The tragedy of arthur bestselling author arthur phillips won critical acclaim for his novels prague and the egyptologist, and publishers weekly called him a master manipulator for his ability to write fiction spun out of imagination and illusion. I eagerly read each new arthur phillips wildly different books pretty much as soon as they. Author should heed the dramatic unities or confine himself to comic material. Click to read more about the tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips. Arthur phillipsforgersnovelsrandom housewilliam shakespeare. He opens with a pitchperfect editors introduction to a purportedly new. Bestselling author arthur phillips won critical acclaim for his novels prague and the egyptologist, and publishers weekly called him a master manipulator for his ability to write fiction spun out of imagination and illusion. Arthur phillips, the narrator and a fictional version of the author with whom he shares certain characteristics including the same birthday as shakespeare, comes into possession of a 1597 quarto of a lost shakespeare play.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the tragedy of arthur. May 27, 2011 almost immediately after starting into arthur phillips magnificent new novel, the tragedy of arthur, i began smiling. A longlost shakespeare play surfaces in phillipss wily fifth novel, a sublime faux memoir framed as the introduction to the plays first printinga modern library edition, of course. I find the plays more pleasant to read than to watch, but i could do without him, up to and including this unstoppable and unfortunate book. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The tragedy of arthur arthur phillips, 2011 random house 400 pp.
A novel is shakespeares putative play, the tragedy of arthur. The tragedy of arthur, the new novel by arthur phillips, tells the story of a con man, his son and an undiscovered work by william shakespeare. Apr 23, 2011 the plea fails, and the last hundred pages of the book contain the text of the tragedy of arthur by william shakespeare, complete with summary and scholarly footnotes. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. May 27, 2011 the tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips random house canada 368 pp. Author interview arthur phillips, author of the tragedy. The narrator of the tragedy of arthur, also named arthur phillips, has assigned himself the task of writing an introduction to the first published edition of a lost shakespeare play called the tragedy of arthur. Arthur phillipss tragedy of arthur, about the discovery of what is reputed to be a lost shakespeare play, turns the author into a central player. Imprisoned for decades and nearing the end of his life, arthur s father reveals a treasure hes kept secret for half a. Kindle store go search todays deals vouchers amazonbasics best sellers. The tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips, paperback barnes. A faux folio at the heart of the tragedy of arthur. Published in the print edition of the may 2, 2011, issue.
Young arthur, named for his dad, grew up in 1960s minneapolis with his twin sister dana, his beloved. The tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips, paperback. Arthur phillipss sixth novel the king at the edge of the world was published by penguinrandom house on february 11, 2020. The narrative concerns the publication of a recently discovered arthurian play attributed to william shakespeare, which the main narrator, arthur phillips, believes to be a forgery produced by his father. The tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips booksamillion.
Buy tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips from waterstones today. A faux folio at the heart of the tragedy of arthur taking a page from nabokovs pale fire, arthur phillips new novel the tragedy of arthur presents a longlost shakespearean play, along with. Review by james shapiro arthur phillips new novel is a witty take on a play the bard may or may not have written. In the tragedy of arthur, phillips tells the mostly true story of being asked to write the introduction to a lost shakespeare play entitled the most excellent and. Arthur phillips born april 23, 1969 is an american novelist. The play bears a striking resemblance to vortigern. The tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips audiobook. You will have noted that the author of the book is arthur phillips and the last section of the the tragedy of arthur. The tragedy of arthur by arthur phillips books library. The tragedy of arthur, by arthur phillips the globe and mail.