- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Picador; First Edition edition (May 1 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312263996
- ISBN-13: 978-0312263997
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.7 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #336,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
In Timbuktu Paul Auster tackles homelessness in America using a dog as his point-of-view character. Strange as the premise seems, it's been done before, in John Berger's King, and it actually works. Filtering the homeless experience through the relentlessly unsentimental eye of a dog, both writers avoid miring their tales in an excess of melodrama. Whereas Berger's book skips among several characters, Timbuktu remains tightly focused on just two: Mr. Bones, "a mutt of no particular worth or distinction," and his master, Willy G. Christmas, a middle-aged schizophrenic who has been on the streets since the death of his mother four years before. The novel begins with Willy and Mr. Bones in Baltimore searching for a former high school English teacher who had encouraged the teenage Willy's writerly aspirations. Now Willy is dying and anxious to find a home for both his dog and the multitude of manuscripts he has stashed in a Greyhound bus terminal. "Willy had written the last sentence he would ever write, and there were no more than a few ticks left in the clock. The words in the locker were all he had to show for himself. If the words vanished, it would be as if he had never lived."
Paul Auster is a cerebral writer, preferring to get to his reader's gut through the brain. When Willy dies, he goes out on a sea of words; as for Mr. Bones, this is a dog who can think about metaphysical issues such as the afterlife--referred to by Willy as "Timbuktu":
What if no pets were allowed? It didn't seem possible, and yet Mr. Bones had lived long enough to know that anything was possible, that impossible things happened all the time. Perhaps this was one of them, and in that perhaps hung a thousand dreads and agonies, an unthinkable horror that gripped him every time he thought about it.Once Willy dies and Mr. Bones is on his own, things go from bad to worse as the now masterless dog faces a series of betrayals, rejections, and disappointments. By stepping inside a dog's skin, Auster is able to comment on human cruelties and infrequent kindnesses from a unique world view. But reader be warned: the world in Timbuktu is a bleak one, and even the occasional moments of grace are short lived. --Alix Wilber --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Meet discerning and sympathetic Mr. Bones, a dog who is unconditionally faithful to his troubled master, Willy G. Christmas. Auster's leading human character is once again a tormented writer from Brooklyn who blindly believes in his ideals and willingly chooses to become a vagabond (see, for instance, Leviathan, LJ 7/92). But the real hero is the four-legged creature who follows him on his impromptu journeys and leads readers through the story. Yes, he thinks and he understands, and although he cannot speak, he keenly observes and contemplates the questionable logic of human behavior. The beginning of the story is promising; the middle gets suspiciously trivial but is rescued by a clever and moving ending. This is not the kind of work Auster has been praised for, but it proves his hunger for innovation once again. Timbuktu will undoubtedly provoke mixed responses, but that is the price of originality. There is something plain yet mysteriously intricate beneath Auster's trademark smooth writing.
-AMirela Roncevic, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
-AMirela Roncevic, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
MR. BONES KNEW THAT WILLY WASN'T long for this world. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
MR. BONES KNEW THAT WILLY WASN'T long for this world. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A dog's world,
By
This review is from: Timbuktu: A Novel (Paperback)
A dog's world nothing less. A discovery of the remarkable friendship between a homeless person and his dog, or should I say a dog and his homeless companion. Every page is a reminder of the importance of friendship. A combination of remarkable and hilarious dialogues between the canine and the human species.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timbuktu Manuscripts,
By Hari Peramal (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Timbuktu: A Novel (Paperback)
There are 700000 manuscripts that need to be preserved in the region of Timbuktu. You can see more information at http://www.timbuktufoundation.org
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kim D.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Timbuktu: A Novel (Paperback)
The book I read was Timbuktu written by Paul Auster. This book was a wonderful fictional story about a homeless man and his canine companion of many years. The story is through the dog's perspective, which is what made the book so interesting. William Gurevitch who later in the book changed his name to William G. Christmas was a brilliant yet crazy man who lived in Brooklyn. He changed his name because of his obsession with Santa Claus after a weird experience one night. William was terminally ill and wanted to find his loyal dog, Mr. Bones, a good home. In order to do this, William and Mr. Bones venture off for Baltimore where William's old English teacher lived. She always believed in Willy, and Willy thought that she would take good care of his one and only friend. Mr. Bones is a very brilliant dog (just like his owner) that has a certain connection to people. Mr. Bones faces many problems throughout the story, but his strong spirit can pull him through. In the end Mr. Bones makes a very important decision. This book was very interesting, entertaining, and amusing. It was so interesting because unlike so many other books, Timbuktu was told through Mr. Bone's eyes. Also, this book was very entertaining because although very smart, Mr. Christmas was quite hilarious with his crazy hallucinations. This book has definitely affected me because it has taught me many things. It has shown me how precious family is because William had no family and lived out his days just with his dog. I always though Willy was lonely and when he needed someone to take care of Mr. Bones, no one was there for him. Also this book has affected me because it shows how you should follow your heart. In the end, Mr. Bones does something that I think took a lot of courage even if it was not what Willy wanted him to do. I really enjoyed reading this book. I never wanted to put it down. Sometimes the wrong thing to do is the right thing and this book is evidence of that. This book would be a great read for animal lovers, but I would recommend it to anyone!
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