Voltaire's Calligrapher: A Novel

by Pablo De Santis

Overview

“Richly reminiscent of Umberto Eco, the headlong pace of this dark fantasy—combining elements of mystery, historical fiction, horror and the splinter genre clockpunk—will let readers swallow the entrancing story in a single gulp.” —Kirkus Reviews

Pablo DeSantis, the internationally acclaimed author of The Paris Enigma, is back with a wonderfully inventive, deliciously sinister thriller set in the chaos and opulence of 18th century Paris, where the malevolent remnants of the Dark Ages battle the progressive elements of the modern age. Anyone wondering where to turn after Neal Stephenson’s Anathem and The Baroque Cycle or Matthew Pearl’s The Dante Club will thrill for the exquisite language and deep intrigue of Pablo De Santis’ Voltaire’s Calligrapher.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062014429
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/05/2010
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

A journalist and comic-strip creator who became editorin chief of one of Argentina’s leading comics magazines,Pablo De Santis is the author of six critically acclaimed novels, one work of nonfiction, and a number of books for young adults. His works have been published in more than twenty countries. He lives in Buenos Aires.

Editorial Reviews

Set in 18th-century France, this brief, rambling novel from Argentine author De Santis will disappoint those expecting another sparkler like his 2008 mystery, The Paris Enigma. At age 20, Dalessius, who's trained as a calligrapher, travels to Ferney, near the Swiss border, where the philosopher Voltaire hires him as a file clerk. The job is a second chance for the young man, who substituted a blank page for the verdict sheet in a capital case, a stunt that prevented a murderer's execution. Voltaire dispatches Dalessius to Toulouse to prepare documents needed for the execution of a man convicted of the crime of hanging his son, who was on the verge of converting from Calvinism to Catholicism. While the author provides social insights into Enlightenment-era France, the murky plot developments make for a less than gripping read. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Those who believe that calligraphy is a sedentary art have not yet read Voltaire’s Calligrapher, Pablo De Santis’ wonderful novel. De Santis has written a historical thriller that isn’t the usual guided tour of the past...His narrative is deliciously and admirably sinister.

La Nación Revista

Voltaire’s Calligrapher reminds us of Alexander Dumas’ novels because it never underestimates the reader’s intelligence.

La Voz del Interior