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  • The Quest for Corvo

  • An Experiment in Biography
  • By: A.J.A. Symons
  • Narrated by: Rupert Degas
  • Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)
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The Quest for Corvo

By: A.J.A. Symons
Narrated by: Rupert Degas
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Summary

A.J.A. Symons discovered Frederick Rolfe’s Hadrian the Seventh in 1925 and became consumed with fascination for its eccentric author, aka ‘Baron Corvo’. His ‘quest’ takes the form of an irresistible detective story, the twists and turns of his investigation into Rolfe’s unfortunate life resulting in a groundbreaking form of biography that reveals much about both men. It paints a tragi-comic portrait of a prickly, paranoid, talented Englishman who failed at becoming a Catholic priest and led a profligate lifestyle in Venice; a charmer with a sharp wit, a vituperative tongue and a talent for self-destruction. The process and the subject are as fascinating as each other, and this ‘experiment’ continues to stand out nearly a century after it was published.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©1934 A.J.A. Symons (P)2023 Naxos AudioBooks UK Ltd.
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Biography as detective story

I really enjoyed this book! Much funnier than expected though Corvo is a tragic figure. It’s very meta for a book written in 1934 and I found myself as interested in the author as I was in Corvo. More perhaps. It reminded me of Possession by AS Byatt and must track down her intro to the recent re-issue of the book. I have zero interest in reading anything by Corvo but as an account of writing a biography it’s just brilliant. Must also say that the narrator could not be better. He brings out the dry humour perfectly!

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