Beard's Roman Women
by Anthony Burgess 
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Anthony Burgess draws upon an autobiographical episode to create Beard's Roman Women, the story of a man haunted by his first wife, presumed dead. But is she? A marvellously economical book, full-flavoured, funny, and heartfelt, showing its author at the height of his powers. This new edition is the first to be published with David Robinson's photographs for over forty years. The text of the novel has been restored using the original typescripts, and Graham Foster's new introduction provides show more valuable insight into the fictional and biographical contexts of the novel. The text is fully annotated with a detailed set of notes and this edition includes the previously unpublished script for Burgess's television film By the Waters of Leman: Byron and Shelley at Geneva, and a rare piece of Burgess's writing about Rome. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I am beginning to notice reoccurring references to Joyce, Byron, Spencer, Shelley, Saul Bellow in Burgess' works. Burgess' play on words, for example Joe Green (Giuseppe Verdi) is evident in this novel. A quick read, fun and cleverly woven. (But is a widow's peak really uncommon?). The ending particularly effective with the character who is prone to seeing the dead walking and talking, takes his friend off for a day at the bar after he fails (possibly) to induce his own fatal heart attack.
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Nov 7, 2024Spanish
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Books Set in Rome
98 works; 2 members
Author Information
120+ Works 48,185 Members
Anthony Burgess was born in 1917 in Manchester, England. He studied language at Xaverian College and Manchester University. He had originally applied for a degree in music, but was unable to pass the entrance exams. Burgess considered himself a composer first, one who later turned to literature. Burgess' first novel, A Vision of Battlements show more (1964), was based on his experiences serving in the British Army. He is perhaps best known for his novel A Clockwork Orange, which was later made into a movie by Stanley Kubrick. In addition to publishing several works of fiction, Burgess also published literary criticism and a linguistics primer. Some of his other titles include The Pianoplayers, This Man and Music, Enderby, The Kingdom of the Wicked, and Little Wilson and Big God. Burgess was living in Monaco when he died in 1993. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Anthony Burgess has a Legacy Library. Legacy libraries are the personal libraries of famous readers, entered by LibraryThing members from the Legacy Libraries group.
Some Editions
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Beard's Roman Women
- Original publication date
- 1976
- Dedication
- To Liana
- First words
- In the rainy March of 196_ he had, an hour or so before being driven to the airport, cast his remaining metal lire into the Trevi fountain, daring Rome to call him back again.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The rain was teeming down now, and they'd actually got a taxi.
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 119
- Popularity
- 274,070
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (2.96)
- Languages
- 5 — English, French, German, Norwegian (Bokmål), Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 1
