Tom Rachman

A masterful novel about the son of a great painter striving to create his own legacy, by the bestselling author of The Imperfectionists.Conceived while his father, Bear, cavorted around Rome in the 1950s, Pinch learns quickly that Bear''''s genius trumps all. After Bear abandons his family, Pinch strives to make himself worthy of his father''''s attention--first trying to be a painter himself; then resolving to write his father''''s biography; eventually settling, disillusioned, into a job as an Italian teacher in London. But when Bear dies, Pinch hatches a scheme to secure his father''''s legacy--and make his own mark on the world.With his signature humanity and humor, Tom Rachman examines a life lived in the shadow of greatness, cementing his place among his generation''''s most exciting literary voices.

Conceived while his father, Bear, cavorted around Rome in the 1950s, Pinch learns quickly that Bear''s genius trumps all. After Bear abandons his family, Pinch strives to make himself worthy of his father''s attention--first trying to be a painter himself; then resolving to write his father''s biography; eventually settling, disillusioned, into a job as an Italian teacher in London. But when Bear dies, Pinch hatches a scheme to secure his father''s legacy--and make his own mark on the world. With his signature humanity and humor, Tom Rachman examines a life lived in the shadow of greatness, cementing his place among his generation''s most exciting literary voices.

En este espectacular debut, uno de los libros más importantes de la feria de Frankfurt de 2008 y una obra celebrada por la crítica norteamericana incluso antes de su publicación, Tom Rachman nos cuenta la historia de un periodico de Roma en sus horas bajas que se publica en ingles y cuyos periodistas y jefes son, en su mayoria, estadounidenses expatriados. Con la mordacidad de The Office pero con una ternura y una calidez que le son propias, Rachman nos habla de personas atrapadas en una cultura que les resulta pintoresca, extraña y ligeramente hostil, y que terminan refugiandose en sus propias mentiras e historias. Desde el acabado corresponsal extranjero que se inventa las noticias hasta el empleado que seduce a la jefa de personal responsable de su despido, estos imperfeccionistas encuentran, en sus propios e imperfectos mundos, una conmovedora, aunque insuficiente, redencion personal.

En este espectacular debut, uno de los libros más importantes de la feria de Frankfurt de 2008 y una obra celebrada por la crítica norteamericana incluso antes de su publicación, Tom Rachman nos cuenta la historia de un periodico de Roma en sus horas bajas que se publica en ingles y cuyos periodistas y jefes son, en su mayoria, estadounidenses expatriados. Con la mordacidad de The Office pero con una ternura y una calidez que le son propias, Rachman nos habla de personas atrapadas en una cultura que les resulta pintoresca, extraña y ligeramente hostil, y que terminan refugiandose en sus propias mentiras e historias. Desde el acabado corresponsal extranjero que se inventa las noticias hasta el empleado que seduce a la jefa de personal responsable de su despido, estos imperfeccionistas encuentran, en sus propios e imperfectos mundos, una conmovedora, aunque insuficiente, redencion personal.

Following one of the most critically acclaimed fiction debuts in years, New York Times bestselling author Tom Rachman returns with a brilliant, intricately woven novel about a young woman who travels the world to make sense of her puzzling past.Tooly Zylberberg, the American owner of an isolated bookshop in the Welsh countryside, conducts a life full of reading, but with few human beings. Books are safer than people, who might ask awkward questions about her life. She prefers never to mention the strange events of her youth, which mystify and worry her still.Taken from home as a girl, Tooly found herself spirited away by a group of seductive outsiders, implicated in capers from Asia to Europe to the United States. But who were her abductors? Why did they take her? What did they really want? There was Humphrey, the curmudgeonly Russian with a passion for reading; there was the charming but tempestuous Sarah, who sowed chaos in her wake; and there was Venn, the charismatic leader whose worldview transformed Tooly forever. Until, quite suddenly, he disappeared.Years later, Tooly believes she will never understand the true story of her own life. Then startling news arrives from a long-lost boyfriend in New York, raising old mysteries and propelling her on a quest around the world in search of answers.Tom Rachmanan author celebrated for humanity, humor, and wonderful charactershas produced a stunning novel that reveals the tale not just of one woman but of the past quarter-century as well, from the end of the Cold War to the dominance of American empire to the digital revolution of today. Leaping between decades, and from Bangkok to Brooklyn, this is a breathtaking novel about long-buried secrets and how we must choose to make our own place in the world. It will confirm Rachmans reputation as one of the most exciting young writers we have.

***SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD*** 'Wickedly funny, deeply touching . . . I confess this was the first of Rachman's novels I'd read but I was so swept away by it that I raced out to buy the other three' PATRICK GALE 'Relentlessly entertaining' Daily Mail Rome, 1955 The artists are gathering together for a photograph. In one of Rome's historic villas, a party glitters with socialites and patrons. Bear Bavinsky, creator of vast, masculine, meaty canvases, is their god. He is at the centre of the picture. His wife, Natalie, edges out of the shot. From the side of the room watches little Pinch - their son. At five years old he loves Bear almost as much as he fears him. After Bear abandons their family, Pinch will still worship him, while Natalie faces her own wars with the art world. Trying to live up to his father's name - one of the twentieth century's fiercest and most controversial painters - Pinch never quite succeeds. Yet by the end of a career of twists and compromises, he enacts an unexpected rebellion that will leave forever his mark upon the Bear Bavinsky legacy. What makes an artist? In The Italian Teacher, Tom Rachman displays a nuanced understanding of art and its demons. Moreover, in Pinch he achieves a portrait of vulnerability and frustrated talent that - with his signature humour and humanity -- challenges the very idea of greatness.

Tooly Zylberberg, the American owner of an isolated bookshop in the Welsh countryside, conducts a life full of reading, but with few human beings. Books are safer than people, who might ask awkward questions about her life. She prefers never to mention the strange events of her youth, which mystify and worry her still.Taken from home as a girl, Tooly found herself spirited away by a group of seductive outsiders, implicated in capers from Asia to Europe to the United States. But who were her abductors? Why did they take her? What did they really want? There was Humphrey, the curmudgeonly Russian with a passion for books; there was the charming but tempestuous Sarah; and there was Venn, the charismatic leader whose worldview transformed Tooly forever. Until, quite suddenly, he vanished.Years later, Tooly believes she will never know the true story of her own life. Then startling news arrives from a long-lost boyfriend, raising old mysteries and propelling her on a quest around the world in search for answers.

Rome, 1955The artists are gathering together for a photograph. In one of Rome''s historic villas, a party glitters with socialites and patrons. Bear Bavinsky, creator of vast, masculine, meaty canvases, is their god. He is at the centre of the picture. His wife, Natalie, edges out of the shot.From the side of the room watches little Pinch - their son. At five years old he loves Bear almost as much as he fears him. After Bear abandons their family, Pinch will still worship him, while Natalie faces her own wars with the art world. Trying to live up to his father''s name - one of the twentieth century''s fiercest and most controversial painters - Pinch never quite succeeds. Yet by the end of a career of twists and compromises, he enacts an unexpected rebellion that will leave forever his mark upon the Bear Bavinsky legacy.What makes an artist? In The Italian Teacher, Tom Rachman displays a nuanced understanding of art and its demons. Moreover, in Pinch he achieves a portrait of vulnerability and frustrated talent that - with his signature humour and humanity -- challenges the very idea of greatness.

Aventures i desventures de l'equip de redacció d'un diari anglès a Roma.La redacció d'aquest diari anglès amb seu a Roma està poblada, com totes les redaccions, d'uns personatges estrafolaris, a vega