Whether recreating belle époque France in Atmosphères Apollinaire, Marco Polo’s travels in The Lion of Venice, the Tibet of a hundred years ago in Invading Tibet, or Spain’s collapse into civil war in Slow Lightning, Mark Frutkin characteristically displays an astringently lyrical narrative talent, irradiated by a fascination with matters spiritual and artistic. His latest, highly schematic novel significantly and most entertainingly deepens his exploration of these issues, vigorously embodied in the life of Cremona, home to the greatest violin makers from the Amati to Guarneri and Stradivarius.
The novel nominally takes place in 1682, the year in which Edmund Halley observed the comet that bears his name, and in 1758, the year of its next appearance. On the first occasion, Padre Fabrizio Cambiati, priest, apothecary, painter and alchemist, watches its arrival from the top of the torrazzo, “the tallest tower in a...
Graham Harley taught English literature in Scottish, American and Canadian universities before founding the Phoenix Theatre in Toronto. He is an actor and theatre director.
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