Guido Almansi - Böcker

Originally published in 1975, The Writer as Liar examines the literary game of falsehood as it is portrayed in the Decameron. The book examines how Boccaccio’s collection of tales has a ‘frame’ story, its own built-in key to the art of story-telling, its internal logic of truth and falsehood, as well as its moments of self-parody, pure narrative intrigue and sophisticated sexual symbolism. The book formulates the argument that Boccaccio’s story telling is seen as an artfully malicious operation, depending for its success not on some abstract concept of narrative originality or the accurate depiction of human psychology, but on the combinative assemblage of narrative blocks, which are manipulated by a craftsman who must lie and cheat with raw material in order to produce a living work – therefore depicting the artist as a liar.

Originally published in 1975, The Writer as Liar examines the literary game of falsehood as it is portrayed in the Decameron. The book examines how Boccaccio’s collection of tales has a ‘frame’ story, its own built-in key to the art of story-telling, its internal logic of truth and falsehood, as well as its moments of self-parody, pure narrative intrigue and sophisticated sexual symbolism. The book formulates the argument that Boccaccio’s story telling is seen as an artfully malicious operation, depending for its success not on some abstract concept of narrative originality or the accurate depiction of human psychology, but on the combinative assemblage of narrative blocks, which are manipulated by a craftsman who must lie and cheat with raw material in order to produce a living work – therefore depicting the artist as a liar.

First published in 1983, Harold Pinter is an original study into the work of one of Britain’s foremost dramatists.The book celebrates Pinter’s elusiveness as a writer. It considers his position as a specifically contemporary writer of the post-modernist tradition, and explores his use of language as a sophisticated means of non-communication, acting as a smokescreen behind which his characters lie. The book presents the language games used by Pinter according to their strategic importance, beginning with his earlier works and suggesting a chronological progression. It also discusses Pinter’s later developments, such as the screenplay for The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Harold Pinter is ideal for anyone with an interest in the work and literary techniques of contemporary writers and dramatists.