{"product_id":"private-novelist-fiction-9780062458308","title":"Private Novelist: Fiction","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the brilliant and incisive author of \u003cem\u003eMislaid\u003c\/em\u003e--\"a writer of extraordinary talent and range\" (Jonathan Franzen) whose \"capacity for inventions is immense\" \u003cem\u003e(BookForum\u003c\/em\u003e)--comes a new collection of her earliest work: two wildly funny novellas (\u003cem\u003eSailing Towards the Sunset by Avner Shats\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eEuropean Story for Avner Shats\u003c\/em\u003e) available in one compact volume.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYears ago, Nell Zink resolved to write a book for her friend, the Israeli novelist Avner Shats, that would mirror his remarkable style. Unable to read his Hebrew, she was forced to start from scratch. Now, this tongue-in-cheek homage is available to Nell's growing readership for the first time, accompanied by a second dazzling and imaginative work that breathes--at Shats's request--the perfumed air of the Old Europe and stars a figure very much like Shats.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSailing Towards the Sunset by Avner Shats\u003c\/em\u003e is Zink's faux-translation of Shats's 1998 novel \u003cem\u003eLashut El Hashkia\u003c\/em\u003e (\"Sailing Towards the Sunset\"). It flows with a narrative spin only the singular Zink could pull off--including both authentic and fictional versions of characters from Shats's life and work such as the author herself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA fast-moving portrait of expat artists, authors, and academics on fellowships at the Villa Romana in Florence, \u003cem\u003eEuropean Story for Avner Shats\u003c\/em\u003e centers on a trio of three indelible characters: an Israeli writer vaguely reminiscent of Shats, a German specialist in ancient lint, and a beautiful and fraudulent Russian performance artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDemonstrating the hallmarks of Zink's unique talent, \u003cem\u003ePrivate Novelist\u003c\/em\u003e is an intimate look into this acclaimed novelist's early work that will please her coterie of admirers and further burnish her lustrous reputation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eZink, Nell:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNell Zink \u003c\/strong\u003egrew up in rural Virginia. She has worked in a variety of trades, including masonry and technical writing. In the early 1990s, she edited an indie rock fanzine. Her books include \u003cem\u003eThe Wallcreeper\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMislaid\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePrivate Novelist\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eNicotine\u003c\/em\u003e, and her writing has appeared in \u003cem\u003en+1\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGranta, \u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHarper's\u003c\/em\u003e. She lives near Berlin, Germany.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ecco Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50459910373650,"sku":"9780062458308","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0db455b0-54a6-45de-91ac-1b238584526f.jpg?v=1730014404","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/private-novelist-fiction-9780062458308","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}