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Mark Frutkin

Author of Fabrizio's Return

17 Works 131 Members 3 Reviews 1 Favorited

Works by Mark Frutkin

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Common Knowledge

Birthdate
"1948-01-02"
Gender
male
Nationality
Canada
Education
" Loyola University, Chicago (BA)"
"Loyola University, Rome, Italy"
Short biography
Mark Frutkin (born January 2, 1948) is a Canadian novelist and poet. He has published seven books of fiction and three books of poetry, as well as a work of non-fiction. In 2007, his novel, Fabrizio's Return, won the Trillium Prize for Best Book in Ontario[1] and the Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic,[2] and was nominated for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book (Canada/Caribbean region).[3] In 1988, his novel, Atmospheres Apollinaire, was short-listed for a Governor General's Award and was also short-listed for the Trillium Award, as well as the Ottawa-Carleton Book Award.

Frutkin went to Canada in 1970 as a draft resister during the Vietnam War after obtaining a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University in Chicago, USA. In 1967-68 he studied at Loyola University in Rome, Italy. From 1970-80, he lived in a log cabin with no electricity or running water near Wolf Lake, Quebec. Since 1980, he has lived in Ottawa, Canada with his wife, Faith, and son, Elliot.

As a journalist and critic he has written articles and reviews for The Globe & Mail, Harper's, the Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Amazon.com/ca, Ottawa Magazine and other publications. His poetry and fiction have been published in numerous Canadian and foreign journals including Canadian Fiction Magazine, Descant, and Prism International.

Members

Reviews

The writing is bad. O_o
 
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GinnyTea | 2 other reviews | Mar 31, 2013 |
In 1682, a priest climbs a church tower in Cremona to watch for Halley's comet. 76 years later, a devil's advocate arrives in Cremona to investigate whether the priest is really worthy of canonisation. But just as the comet returns, echoes and ripples from Father Fabrizio's life start to eddy into that of the new arrival, and before long, despite his initial credo that "Mother Church cannot abide ambiguity", the devil's advocate is experiencing confusing thoughts and emotions...

The thing I liked best about this book was the descriptions of rain, from a light drizzle to a fog which is almost a physical presence. Other than that, I found the book fairly insubstantial. I didn't especially believe in the Jesuit's change in character - he steps out of his carriage a cynic and before long is troubled by even the flimsiest stories of miracles. I have nothing against magic in books, but this one didn't really work for me.

Sample sentence: My story pertains to deeply hidden truths that can burst forth, without warning, on a grey spring morning when the fields are heavy with fog.
… (more)
½
1 vote
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wandering_star | 2 other reviews | Mar 13, 2010 |
I loved this book. The language is poetically beautiful and the story was interesting. Frutkin writes this historical novel with just a touch of magical realism.
 
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Nickelini | 2 other reviews | Jun 19, 2008 |

Awards

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Associated Authors

Catherine Leroux Translator

Statistics

Works
17
Members
131
Popularity
#154,467
Rating
½ 3.6
Reviews
3
ISBNs
36
Languages
1
Favorited
1

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