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Vanitas; a novel

Vanitas; a novel

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Vanitas; a novel

by Olshan, Joseph

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
See description
ISBN 10
0684833964
ISBN 13
9780684833965
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About This Item

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998. Hardcover. 271p., very good first edition in boards and unclipped dj.

Synopsis

The pursuit of Eros, the yearning for intimacy, and the struggle to reconcile bisexuality with a longing for children -- these are the desires etched in the hearts of the characters of this brave and probing novel by the award-winning author of Clara's Heart and Nightswimmer. The moment that Sam Solomon, the protagonist of Vanitas, is transfixed by an erotic drawing that hangs in the apartment of a dying art dealer, Elliot Garland, he finds himself caught in an under-tow of confusion and longing. Garland, stricken with AIDS, has hired Sam to write his memoirs and yet manages to withhold crucial information about his life. Sam suspects, however, that the drawing, called Vanitas, is the relic of a dramatic, and secret, history that could provide answers to the questions his subject has refused to address. Vanitas explores the intersections between the disparate worlds of art and art restoration, publishing, and urban relationships, all of which are in the grip of an implacable epidemic. As Sam traverses the landscapes of disease, romance, and mystery, he is enveloped by a culture in which individuals make tenuous connections with one another as land mines explode all around them. And as he negotiates the hazards of the volatile allegiances and jealousies attendant to his own romantic entanglements, he finds himself face to face with a familiar existential dilemma -- the desire to raise a child despite society's condemnation of nontraditional families. A brilliantly written story of the lonely, painful search for happiness in unconventional choices, Vanitas is a rare novel -- a daring orchestration of event and character that is a bold, hopeful, and accomplished piece of literature.

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Details

Bookseller
Bolerium Books Inc., ABAA/ILAB US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
83414
Title
Vanitas; a novel
Author
Olshan, Joseph
Format/Binding
Hardcover
Book Condition
Used
Quantity Available
1
ISBN 10
0684833964
ISBN 13
9780684833965
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
Place of Publication
New York
Date Published
1998
Bookseller catalogs
Gay Studies; Modern first edition; 1990S; AIDS;

Terms of Sale

Bolerium Books Inc., ABAA/ILAB

All books subject to prior sale Major Institutions can be billed. ALL BOOKS ARE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION OR BETTER UNLESS NOTED. All books returnable for any reason within thirty days of receipt.

About the Seller

Bolerium Books Inc., ABAA/ILAB

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2005
San Francisco, California

About Bolerium Books Inc., ABAA/ILAB

Established in 1981 in San Francisco, we specialize in books and ephemeral materials related to the history of Labor and other social movements, including the struggles for Black and Chicano equality, the Gay liberation movement, Feminism, and Asian-American activism, as well as the Far Right. In recent years Bolerium has expanded into materials in non-western languages, especially from East Asia, and has also placed more emphasis on ephemera, with tens of thousands of original leaflets, pamphlets, and posters in stock. You can sign up for free email lists in our subject areas at www.bolerium.com. We are located in San Francisco at 2141 Mission, Suite 300 (between 17th & 18th St.). We're open by appointment only..

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First Edition
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