FIRE AND KNOWLEDGE: FICTION AND ESSAYS

New York City, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 392 pages. Retrospective collection of short fiction and literary essays. Now considered a contemporary classic. The first appearance of the title in English and in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Peter Nadas' "Fire And Knowledge: Fiction And Essays" in a felicitous English translation. The much-anticipated (and long-delayed) collection by the Hungarian writer who has written some of the greatest novels of our time: "A Book of Memories" (1997) , "The End of A Family Story" (1998) , and "Love" (2000) . "The work of an extraordinary novelist, an artist whom critics easily compared to Robert Musil, James Joyce, and Thomas Mann. We discover other aspects of Peter Nadas' major presence in European life and letters: As a trenchant commentator on the events that have transformed his country and all of Europe since 1989, as a stunning literary critic, as a subtle interpreter of language and politics in societies both free and unfree, as a moralist with a discerning eye for the crippling effects of deception and hypocrisy upon us all. Acquaints us more fully with Nadas' evolution as a writer of fiction, for it includes stories dating from the 1960's and 1970's, when he had to write in extremely stringent, even dangerous circumstances, as well as some from more recent years, since the publication of his major novels and the reintegration of Western and Eastern Europe" (Publisher's blurb) . Susan Sontag introduced Peter Nadas to the English-speaking world, hailing "A Book of Memories" as "the greatest novel written in our time, and one of the great books of the century", acclaim that has since been echoed by other critics and readers. She would have been delighted and moved - she is gratefully remembered in the book - by the belated publication in English of "Fire And Knowledge". An absolute "must-have" title for Peter Nadas collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed, placed, and dated (shortly before publication) in black fountain pen on the title page by the author: "Peter Nadas New York 7.11.2007". It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. Peter Nadas made a rare appearance in the United States to launch his book. Advance copies were made available for the book launch during which event his signature was obtained. This title is a great collection. As far as we know, this is the only such signed, placed, and pre-publication dated copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. Peter Nadas' "A Book of Memories" is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels of our time. One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER PETER NADAS TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0374299641.