- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Vintage; New edition edition (7 Mar 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0099598515
- ISBN-13: 978-0099598510
- Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 12.2 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,369,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Exquisite Corpse
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Product Description
A.S. Byatt, Sunday Times Books of the Year
Robert Irwin's novel about English surrealism is funny and
profound and hugely satisfying. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
profound and hugely satisfying. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Ian Critchley, The Sunday Times
Robert Irwin is a master of the surreal imagination...full of
astonishing insights and hilarious pretensions. Superb. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
astonishing insights and hilarious pretensions. Superb. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I loved this book and found it utterly compelling - a light-hearted look at an eccentric group of surrealists in 1930's London. This book is highly humourous and full of twists. A joy to read. If only more books were as wacky and unpredictable as this.
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Irwin has produced his masterpiece with this novel. His unusual narrative strength draws the reader into the plot while at the same time challenging his or her conception of reality. Utterly readable while at the same time thought provoking.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Exquisitely surreal and filled with art!
2 Jun 1999
Format:Hardcover
Robert Irwin's literary masterpiece, Exquisite Corpse sends the reader into a surrealist world of deception and dreams. His use of informal language captures the tone of the novel completely and adds to the sincerity of the work. The creation process of art correlates with the progress of Exquisite Corpse as Caspar discovers his muse of inspiration, Caroline. The novel is a first person account of Caspar's life, sort of a journal kept through his most intruiging portions of life. As interpreted by Caspar, the reader is often challenged with the thought that perhaps Caspar is making up the story as he goes along. That perhaps none of his experiences are true and that he is a pathetic drunk trying to make some sense of his life through broken memories. Irwin's use of words and imagery create a new universe as seen through Caspar's eyes. His quirky friends and enemies all have the feel of opera characters--highly overexaggerated and overdramatic. As for Caroline, she has the feeling of a non-existent dream. Did Caspar dream her up or was she real? Was Caroline the embodiment of all of his desires and fears in life, the fear of rejection and the loss of love? Or was she a human being? Only the author knows the truth and we are left to figure out this mystery ourselves. Yet, what Irwin creates is a man, lost of all reason, lost in his thoughts and dreams, making up the perfect ending to his tired life of love lost and turmoil. All in all, Exquisite Corpse is a trip through the mind of a surrealist, mind you, it's not a smooth running course, but a course that has no boundaries whatsoever.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
"Beauty must be convulsive or not at all" - Breton
2 Aug 2001
Format:Hardcover
Irwin's Exquisite Corpse captures the spirit and verve of the Surrealist Revolution more comprehensively than any since Artaud or Lautremont. Those well-versed in Surrealist literature will not only appreciate the nudges, winks, and deftly dropped names, but also appreciate the taste of Surrealism in the 30s as tensions within the camp as well as with former allies such as the Trotskyists, French Communists, and Psychoanalysts are represented within the narrative. As a piece of historical fiction the power of this novel lies in Irwin's ability to take the constellation of events and tensions within Surrealism and with the world at large and internalize them in the character of Caspar. Those unfamiliar with Surrealism or the period may need to do some homework before approaching the novel, though. However, the extra work will be well worth the effort.
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Extreme Reactions
22 July 2001
Format:Hardcover
I think most people will have an extreme reaction to this book. You will really like it; you will really dislike it; or you will be really confused as to whether or not you like it. With a story that can evoke such strongly varied reactions, it is worthy of praise no matter what the result.
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