{"product_id":"bartleby-co-9780811216982","title":"Bartleby \u0026 Co.","description":"In \u003cem\u003eBartleby \u0026amp; Co.\u003c\/em\u003e, an enormously enjoyable novel, Enrique Vila-Matas tackles the theme of silence in literature: the writers and non-writers who, like the scrivener Bartleby of the Herman Melville story, in answer to any question or demand, replies: \"I would prefer not to.\" Addressing such \"artists of refusal\" as Robert Walser, Robert Musil, Arthur Rimbaud, Marcel Duchamp, Herman Melville, and J. D. Salinger, \u003cem\u003eBartleby \u0026amp; Co.\u003c\/em\u003e could be described as a meditation: a walking tour through the annals of literature. Written as a series of footnotes (a non-work itself), \u003cem\u003eBartleby\u003c\/em\u003e embarks on such questions as why do we write, why do we exist? The answer lies in the novel itself: told from the point of view of a hermetic hunchback who has no luck with women, and is himself unable to write, \u003cem\u003eBartleby\u003c\/em\u003e is utterly engaging, a work of profound and philosophical beauty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVila-Matas, Enrique:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eENRIQUE VILA-MATAS\u003c\/strong\u003e was born in Barcelona. He has received countless prizes and written numerous award-winning novels, including \u003cem\u003eBartleby \u0026amp; Co.\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMontano's Malady\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNever Any End to Paris\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eDublinesque\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDunne, Jonathan:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eJonathan Dunne\u003c\/strong\u003e was born in Kingston-upon-Thames, England, in 1968 and studied Classics at Oxford University. He is director of the publishing house Small Stations Press. He translates from Bulgarian, Catalan, Galician and Spanish into English.","brand":"New Directions Publishing Corporation","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50675055427858,"sku":"9780811216982","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0406e8ac-bead-4147-9840-ce8aac123678.jpg?v=1733870723","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/bartleby-co-9780811216982","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}