Doctor Criminale

by Malcolm Bradbury

Book Overview

A headstrong young journalist goes on the adventure of a lifetime, traveling through Europe to find the world's most enigmatic philosopher Bazlo Criminale is one of Europe's most legendary living men.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670846775
• ISBN13: 9780670846771
• Release Date: October 1992
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Best academic comic novel

Along with To the Hermitage, Bradbury's last ever novel, Doctor Criminale is a quintessential scholarly comedy that manages to engage literary themes from Borges to Derrida and back again without breaking a sweat or, worse still, appearing pretentious. In short, a thinking person's David Lodge and definitely worth (if the publisher should happen to read this) a reprint.

Excellent Plot, Excellent English

This book takes us on a riproaring tour of post cold-war Europe in search of the misterious Dr Criminale. Our tour-guide is an unlikely journalist of dubious quality, and yet this book has the air of quality. Despite only fleeting glimpses of Dr Criminale and much doubt about his true character, Malcolm Bradbury paints an astonishingly captivating portrait of this man. A book I keep coming back to.

Intelligent fiction at its best

This book was loaned to me two years ago, and the memory of it has lived with me since.I found the book almost impossible to put down as I travelled the world with Francis Jay in his search for Baslo Criminale, meeting an array of well developed and unforgettable characters. Mr. Bradbury succeeded in playing adroitly with my emotions, making me laugh and (almost) cry. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes intelligent humour and mystery.

Excellent Piece of Literary Fiction

I read this book in 1994, without the knowledge of who this author was, or his style of writing. After I opened the book, I found I could not put it down. This novel had a profound impact on me and my perception of the world. This book had changed the way I looked at the world and at myself. Bradbury, through Francis Kay, spoke to me in a way that Heller, Salinger and Vonnegut couldn't, spoke to who I was and challenged me to see who I could be, just as his character did. Unfortunately I only borrowed the book, and when I went to buy it, I was told it was out of print. It's a shame that literature of this calibur isn't available to everyone anymore.