The Piano Tuner_Mason
2004 Longlist

The Piano Tuner

artwork-image

ABOUT
THE BOOK

On a misty London afternoon in 1886, piano tuner Edgar Drake receives a strange request from the War Office: he must leave his wife, and his quiet life in London, to travel to the jungles of Burma to tune a rare 1840 Erard grand piano. The piano belongs to Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll, an enigmatic British officer, whose success at making peace in the war-torn Shan States is legendary, but whose unorthodox methods have begun to attract suspicion.
So begins the journey of the soft-spoken Edgar across Europe, The Red Sea, India, Burma and, at last, into the remote highlands of the Shan States. En route he is entranced by the Doctor’s letters and by the shifting cast of tale-spinners, soldiers and thieves who cross his path. As his captivation grows, however, so do his questions: about the Doctor’s true motives, about an enchanting and elusive woman who travels with him into the jungle, about why he has come. And ultimately, about whether he will ever be able to return home unchanged to the woman who awaits him there…
The Piano Tuner is a hypnotic tale of love, myth and self-discovery.

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Daniel
Mason

Daniel Mason is the author of The Piano Tuner (2002), A Far Country (2007), The Winter Soldier (2018), and A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth (2020), which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His work has been translated into 28 languages, adapted for the stage, and awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, the California Book Award and the Northern California Book Award. His short stories and essays have been awarded two Pushcart Prizes, a National Magazine Award and an O. Henry Prize. He is an assistant professor in the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry.

Daniel Mason is the author of The Piano Tuner (2002), A Far Country (2007), The Winter Soldier (2018), and A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth (2020), which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His work has been translated into 28 languages, adapted for the stage, and awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, the California Book Award and the Northern California Book Award. His short stories and essays have been awarded two Pushcart Prizes, a National Magazine Award and an O. Henry Prize. He is an assistant professor in the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry.

We're sorry, but we couldn't find any translators matching your search. Please try using different keywords or check back later as we regularly update our collection.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Country
United States
Original Language
English
Author
Publisher
Picador

RELATED FEATURES

News May 23 2025

2025 Dublin Literary Award Winner Revealed

Discover this year's winner!
Video May 23 2025

2025 Dublin Literary Award Ceremony

2025 Dublin Literary Award Winner Ceremony live from the International Literature Festival Dublin.
Video May 23 2025

2019 Winner Emily Ruskovich

Dublin Literary Award Celebrating 30 Years Q&A
Video May 23 2025

2010 Winner Gerbrand Bakker

Dublin Literary Award Celebrating 30 Years Q&A

STAY CONNECTED

Stay in touch and sign up to our newsletter to receive all the latest news and updates on the Dublin Literary Award.