ABOUT
THE BOOK

Translated from the Italian by Howard Curtis

2015 Longlist

Three men are preparing to do battle. Their goal is a prestigious literary prize. And each man will do anything to win it. For the young Beginner, loved by critics more than readers, it means fame. For The Master, old, exhausted, preoccupied with his prostate, it means money. And for The Writer – successful, vain and in his prime – it is a matter of life and death. As the rivals lie, cheat and plot their way to victory, their paths crossing with ex-wives, angry girlfriends, preening publishers and a strange black parrot, the day of the Prize Ceremony takes on a far darker significance than they could have imagined.

(from publisher)

About the Author

Filippo Bologna was born in Tuscany in 1978. He lives in Rome where he works as a writer and screenwriter. His debut novel How I Lost the War is also published by Pushkin Press.

About the Translator

Howard Curtis is a British freelance literary translator from French, Italian and Spanish. In 2013 he won the Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation for his translation of In The Sea there are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda.