Before his brain began to shrink, Barney Panofsky clung to two cher-ished beliefs. Life was absurd, and nobody ever truly understood any-body else. Even his friends tend to agree that Barney is 'a wife-abuser, an intellectual fraud, a purveyor of pap, a drunk with a pen-chant for violence and probably a murderer'. But when his sworn enemy threatens to publish this calumny, Barney is driven to write his own memoirs, rewinding the spool of his life, editing, selecting and plagiarising, as his memory plays tricks on him - and on the reader. Ebullient and perverse, he has seen off 3 wives before running off with a sober academic. Houdini-like, Barney slides from crisis to success, from lowlife to highlife in Montreal, Paris and London, his outrageous exploits culminating in the scandal he carries around like a humpback - the murder charge that he goes on denying to the end.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Barney Panofsky smokes too many cigars, drinks too much whiskey, and is obsessed with two things: the Montreal Canadiens hockey team and his ex-wife Miriam. An acquaintance from his youthful years in Paris, Terry McIver, is about to publish his autobiography. In its pages he accuses Barney of an assortment of sins, including murder. It's time, Barney decides, to present the world with his own version of events. Barney's Version is his memoir, a rambling, digressive rant, full of revisions and factual errors (corrected in footnotes written by his son) and enough insults for everyone, particularly vegetarians and Quebec separatists.
But Barney does get around to telling his life story, a desperately funny but sad series of bungled relationships. His first wife, an artist and poet, commits suicide and becomes--ā la Sylvia Plath--a feminist icon, and Barney is widely reviled for goading her toward death, if not actually murdering her. He marries the second Mrs. Panofsky, whom he calls a "Jewish-Canadian Princess," as an antidote to the first; it turns out to be a horrible mistake. The third, "Miriam, my heart's desire," is quite possibly his soul mate, but Barney botches this one, too. It's painful to watch him ruin everything, and even more painful to bear witness to his deteriorating memory. The mystery at the heart of Barney's story--did he or did he not kill his friend Boogie?--provides enough forward momentum to propel the reader through endless digressions, all three wives, and every one of Barney's nearly heartbreaking episodes of forgetfulness. Barney's Version, winner of Canada's 1997 Giller Prize, is Richler's 10th novel, and a dense, energetic, and ultimately poignant read. --R. Ellis
"Contains not a page without its laugh and not a paragraph without its smile...Richler is the funniest novelist at present at work in the English language."
--Francis King, The Spectator
"Like Dr. Johnson at his insulting best, Barney at the top of his form is unsurpassed...Richler has written a Lear for our selfish, penny-pinching times, a Lear uncluttered by divided kingdoms and quarreling daughters. Even the Fool is dispensed with. Barney is his own Fool."
--Alberto Manguel, Sunday Times
"Moving, funny, combative...What more could Booker judges and commentators---or anybody else--want from a novel?"
--James Walton, Daily Telegraph
"Exuberant, melancholy, literary outpouring from Richler at his best."
--Judy Cooke, Mail on Sunday
"The curmudgeonly, unregenerately boozy, caustic old rogue Barney Panofsky is Mordecai Richler's inspired antidote to political correctness, yoofiness, and all forms of contemporary smugness and pedantry...Richler is magisterially in command of his material."
--Katy Emick, The Guardian
"The funniest book of the year, and maybe the saddest...Mordecai Richler has never written with greater voice."
--Tom Adair, Scotland on Sunday
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 3.75
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Seller: HPB-Emerald, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
paperback. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_408734735
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: mountain, GEORGETOWN, CO, U.S.A.
Condition: Acceptable. Softcover book some wear to cover and book edges. Seller Inventory # 2DFXWX00027U
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Henry Hollander, Bookseller, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Softbound. Condition: Very Good. Small octavo, paper covers, 407 pp., yellowed paper. Seller Inventory # 95478
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. 0.66. Seller Inventory # 0099939207-2-3
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Books Unplugged, Amherst, NY, U.S.A.
Condition: Fair. Buy with confidence! Book is in acceptable condition with wear to the pages, binding, and some marks within 0.66. Seller Inventory # bk0099939207xvz189zvxacp
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Book Deals, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. Shows only minor signs of wear, and very minimal markings inside (if any). 0.66. Seller Inventory # 353-0099939207-vrg
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Barney's Version: A Novel This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780099939207
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Good. Before his brain began to shrink, Barney Panofsky clung to two cher-ished beliefs. Life was absurd, and nobody ever truly understood any-body else. Even his friends tend to agree that Barney is 'a wife-abuser, an intellectual fraud, a purveyor of pap, a drunk with a pen-chant for violence and probably a murderer'. But when his sworn enemy threatens to publish this calumny, Barney is driven to write his own memoirs, rewinding the spool of his life, editing, selecting and plagiarising, as his memory plays tricks on him - and on the reader. Ebullient and perverse, he has seen off 3 wives before running off with a sober academic. Houdini-like, Barney slides from crisis to success, from lowlife to highlife in Montreal, Paris and London, his outrageous exploits culminating in the scandal he carries around like a humpback - the murder charge that he goes on denying to the end. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR001452023
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: medimops, Berlin, Germany
Condition: good. Befriedigend/Good: Durchschnittlich erhaltenes Buch bzw. Schutzumschlag mit Gebrauchsspuren, aber vollständigen Seiten. / Describes the average WORN book or dust jacket that has all the pages present. Seller Inventory # M00099939207-G
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780099939207
Quantity: 2 available