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Four Last Things
Four Last Things
Oct 11, 2024 8:19 PM

Author:William Palmer

Four Last Things

"Do you know what the last four things are? In the

Christian catechism they are Death, Judgment, Heaven

and Hell. But in our secular age they should perhaps be

changed. I suggest - First Love, Friendship, Betrayal

and Death . . . These also happen to be the staples of

the novelist. Is that the sort of thing you want?"'

Thus Cornelius Marten asks the researcher who turns up one night

at his house. Cornelius has forgotten his invitation to the young

man. But the young woman who accompanies him seems strangely

familiar. Cornelius is flattered by their attention. He had thought

himself almost forgotten; his great works neglected. And Cornelius,

monstrously selfish, whisky glass constantly in hand, his mind

shifting between past and present, finds that his mysterious guests

release memories and truths he had preferred to forget.

The stories which follow Four Last Things complement and explore

some of the same themes: the poet who has published only one

poem; a bizarre stag night; a child who is haunted by his encounter

with the adult world of a religious maniac; a dreamed murder;

an academic who stirs the ghost of Byron in modern Venice;

the shifts and deceptions of language and memory; and in a great

jazzman's last wordless hurrah, a final flowering of beauty.

This irresistibly powerful volume by the author of The Good

Republic, Leporello and The Contract confirms William Palmer as

one of our finest writers.

Reviews

One of Russia's best living writers ... her tales inhabit a borderline between this world and the next

—— The New York Times

Petrushevskaya proves that the literary tradition that produced Dostoyevsky, Gogol and Babel is alive and well

—— The Daily Beast

Strikingly original... The stories in Little Infamies are extraordinary - shocking, colourful and resonant. Panos Karnezis is an entirely individual writer in full command of his material

—— Sunday Times

A deeply impressive collection of short stories

—— Sunday Telegraph

One of the most original American novelists on either side of the Mississippi

—— Time

If you loved Out Stealing Horses, you won’t be disappointed by his razor-sharp debut, which tells the story of Arvid’s childhood … The language is simple, beautiful and cleansed of literary affectation. There is not a single superfluous word

—— Ekstrabladet (Denmark)

These father-son stories bring us the first meeting with one of Nordic literature’s most lovable characters, Arvid Jansen. A mixture of Alfons Åberg, Ingemar from My Life as a Dog and in part Oskar from The Tin Drum ... New readers should begin nowhere but here

—— Euroman (Denmark)

There is both humour and tenderness in Per Petterson’s debut collection from 1987 … Petterson masters the art of writing simply of big subjects. As a reader, you have to read slowly and attentively to register everything, or read the book twice, which you gladly will

—— Kristeligt Dagblad (Norway)

If you loved Out Stealing Horses, you won’t be disappointed by his razor-sharp debut… The language is simple, beautiful and cleansed of literary affectation. There is not a single superfluous word

—— Ekstrabladet (Denmark)

There is both humour and tenderness… Petterson masters the art of writing simply of big subjects. As a reader, you have to read slowly and attentively to register everything, or read the book twice, which you gladly will

—— Kristeligt Dagblad (Norway)

Dreamy and evanescent, [the stories] recall the opening pages of James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

—— Jon Michaud , Washington Post

Full of heartache and the ways in which we hurt each other, and ourselves... Fans of Kennedy's quirky expressionism won't be disappointed.

—— Sunday Times

Evidence that, at her best, there’s no-one to touch Kennedy.

—— Neil Stewart , Civilian

Full of challenges and beauty.

—— Stylist

This is a sure-footed and intelligently organized collection. These small pieces encompass an extensive emotional territory

—— Chris Power , Guardian

An arresting collection that blends poetic imagery, raw emotion and cerebral insight

—— Juanita Coulson , Lady

As subtle as the colour of Kitsune's silk

—— M John Harrison , Guardian

Russell is an amazing storyteller, and this book certainly whets the appetite for her next offering

—— Irish Times

‘[Barrett] cuts across all kinds of boundaries of class and education to produce immensely tender portraits of living characters.

—— Anne Enright , Irish Examiner

This is an exceptional debut, and one of the best collection of short stories that I have read in years.

—— Louise O’Neill, 5 stars , Irish Post

An exciting debut

—— Sunday Times

I don’t think I’ve ever read a better collection by somebody I had never heard of

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

A technically-assured collection that never disappoints

—— Country & Town House
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