When I Was Otherwise (An Uncorrected Proof Copy)

Benatar, Stephen

ISBN 10: 0370305310 / ISBN 13: 9780370305318

Published by The Bodley Head, London, England, 1983

About this Item

Published by The Bodley Head of London in 1983. Soft cover, so no Dust Jacket. 1st edition. This an Uncorrected Proof Copy. Book condition: Very Good. Both yellow cover and inside pages are in good order. See photograph. Dims: 205mm x 136mm x 15mm. 256 pages. A black comedy about three people living in a run-down house in North London.

Seller Inventory # 006051

Bibliographic Details

• Title: When I Was Otherwise (An Uncorrected Proof Copy)
• Publisher: The Bodley Head, London, England
• Publication Date: 1983
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0370305310
• ISBN 13: 9780370305318
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
• Weight: 0.4 kilograms
• Seller catalogs:
  • Proof

About this title

Synopsis

A black comedy with an outrageous heroine as well as a vivid evocation of life in old ageThis skillfully wrought examination of character and relationships opens with macabre impact, as a bland newspaper report describes the discovery of two dead women--one of them a skeleton--in a North London house. The women are revealed to be the sister and sister-in-law of the man who shared the house. The story of these characters' lives is told through a blend of powerful characterization and social satire, and summons the mingled tragedy and humor of old age to powerful effect. The author teases the reader toward the known and awful ending by cutting backward and forward in time, and gradually constructing the complex pattern of feelings and events that define even the most mundane-seeming lives. He plays a similar and equally skillful game with our perceptions of and judgements on the characters, creating believable, fallible, and ultimately highly engaging individuals.

About the Author

London born, Stephen Benatar's first novel was published when he was 44, and he acknowledges the support and inspiration of Pamela Hansford Johnson in this achievement. Seven more novels followed, including, uniquely, one published by a borough council. Having established both his literary reputation and sales prowess through his own press, Welbeck, Stephen is now also published by Capuchin Classics and NYRB.