"... a wonderful little book..."

 

Mark Ford, poetryfoundation.org reading list February 2014

 

 

"Francis Nenik’s formally inventive epistolary novella The Marvel of Biographical Bookkeeping is so arresting, so evocative, and so emotionally invested that you want it to be real. [...] Nenik treats his subjects lovingly. His erudition and his keen sensitivity expose strangely significant details in the lives of Blatný and Moore, but what is more valuable is that this book becomes a testament to the icon of the writer in exile. Humanizing the absurd struggle of commitment to creativity in the face of monolithic obscurity, The Marvel of Biographical Bookkeeping is both stubbornly hopeful and soberly realistic. It is, in short, a fascinating little book that reveals the tragic aftermath of triumph. [...] Find it and read it."

 

Stephan Delbos, bodyliterature.com

 

 

"Nenik’s ingenious little book is in two halves. In the first he develops a series of parallels between Moore’s and Blatný’s experiences through an adaptation of the technique of double-entry book-keeping. [...] The letters themselves are a touching fictional tribute to two poets lost 'in the maze' of literary history..."

 

Mark Ford, London Review of Books vom 19.06.2014

 

 

"The Marvel of Biographical Bookkeeping by Francis Nenik and translated by Katy Derbyshire, is a fantastic piece of literature [...] In just sixty miniature pages, Nenik creates a two-part work that is both touching and hilarious.[...] A quietly funny yet heartfelt examination of loneliness, failure, and literary ambition."

 

Michelle Bailat-Jones, necessary fiction vom 04.08.2014

 

 

"I loved this tiny volume from readux press [...] It would be easy to look up how far this little volume was based on fact, but i prefer to enjoy the fiction and the not-knowing, particularly when it comes in such a formally innovative package. This book costs almost nothing; try to get hold of a copy if you can."

 

JC Sutcliffe, slightly bookist vom 18.01.2016

 

 

"... a confounding little book that humanizes the fade into artistic obscurity in a way that is both heart-breaking and very smart..."

 

lauren oyler, bookslut.com vom 14.08.2014

 

 

"When I reached the last pages of Francis Nenik’s book, I didn’t want it to end – which is always a great sign. I wished that instead of being such a short book [...] I wish it had been a longer novel. [...] But Nenik decides to keep it short and sweet and leaves us yearning for more. I felt sad when I finished reading the book."

 

Vishy's Blog on books, reading and other delightful things vom 11.11.2015

 

"Francis Nenik has written a sensational essay."

 

Der Freitag, Buchmessebeilage vom 15. März 2012

 

 

"The Marvel creates an innovative form [...] to enchant while pointedly evading the well-imbibed familiar shapes of essay and fiction, substituting its own little bursts of satisfaction."

 

Slow Travel Berlin vom 07.02.2014

 

 

"The short book has a weird, haunting atmosphere."

 

Karen Margolis, Blogeintrag vom 27.10.2013