I Am a Japanese Writer
By Dany LaFerriere; David Homel (Translator)
(Douglas & McIntyre, Paperback, 9781553655831, 192pp.)
Publication Date: May 2011
Categories: Literary
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A devilishly intelligent new novel by the internationally bestselling author and Prix Médicis winner
A black writer from Montreal has found the perfect title for his next book I Am a Japanese Writer. His publisher loves it and gives him an advance. The problem is, he can't seem to write a word of it. He nurses his writer's block by taking baths, re-reading the Japanese poet Basho and engaging in amorous intrigues with rising pop star Midori. The book, still unwritten, becomes a cult phenomenon in Japan, and the writer an international celebrity. A Japanese writer publishes a book called I Am a Malagasy Writer. Even the Japanese consulate is intrigued. Our hero is delighted—until things start to go wrong. Part postmodern fantasy, part Kafkaesque nightmare and part travelogue to the inner reaches of the self, I Am a Japanese Writer calls into question everything we think we know about what-and who-makes a work of art
Dany Laferrière worked as a journalist in his native Haiti during the notorious Duvalier regime, immigrating to Canada in 1976. The author of twelve novels, he has won several awards, including the prestigious Prix Médicis and the Governor Generals award for a Children's novel. Dany Laferrière lives in Montreal, QC.
"...a marvellous cabinet of curiosities"—The Globe and Mail
"in his unique fashion, Laferrière captures the spirit of our culture, where cultural boundaries are erased and the real and the unreal intimately coexist."—The National Post
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