Beatrice and Virgil
In this article, we will explore in depth Beatrice and Virgil, a topic that has aroused growing interest in contemporary society. Over the years, Beatrice and Virgil has been the subject of debate, study and reflection, given its relevance and impact in various areas of daily life. From its origins to its influence today, Beatrice and Virgil has played a crucial role in the way people perceive the world around them, as well as in making decisions that affect both individually and collectively. Through a detailed and impartial analysis, this article aims to shed light on Beatrice and Virgil and its implications in today's society, offering a global vision that encompasses different perspectives and approaches.
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| Author | Yann Martel |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Knopf Canada |
Publication date | April 6, 2010 |
| Publication place | Canada |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | 0-307-39877-3 (first edition, hardcover) |
| Preceded by | Life of Pi |
| Followed by | The High Mountains of Portugal |
Beatrice and Virgil is Canadian writer Yann Martel's third novel. First published in April 2010, it contains an allegorical tale about representations of the Holocaust. It tells the story of Henry, a novelist, who receives the manuscript of a play in a letter from a reader. Intrigued, Henry traces the letter to a taxidermist, who introduces him to the play's protagonists, two taxidermy animals—Beatrice, a donkey, and Virgil, a monkey.[1]
The Globe and Mail reported that Martel received a $2 million advance from Random House for U.S. rights alone, and that the total advance for worldwide rights was around $3 million, probably the highest ever advance for a single Canadian novel.[1] Martel's earlier novel, Life of Pi, won the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and sold seven million copies worldwide.[2]
References to other works
Early on in the story, the protagonist, an author, (some say that the protagonist is a reflection of Yann himself) makes reference to Primo Levi's If This Is a Man; Art Spiegelman's Maus; David Grossman's See Under: Love; Martin Amis's Time's Arrow; George Orwell's Animal Farm; Albert Camus's The Plague; and Pablo Picasso's Guernica.
Extracts are quoted from Flaubert's "The Legend of Saint Julian Hospitator" which is discussed at length. Later in the novel, Jacques the Fatalist by Diderot is later discussed along with Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.
The title is an allusion to two of the main characters in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.
Notes
- ^ a b Barber, John. Martel's post-modern Holocaust allegory fetches $3-million advance, The Globe and Mail, April 6, 2010.
- ^ Flood, Alison. Yann Martel takes break from lobbying PM to promote new novel, The Guardian, March 1, 2010.
Further reading
- Martel, Yann. Beatrice and Virgil. Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2010.
- Barber, John. Yann Martel: Lost and found, The Globe and Mail, May 1, 2010.