AUTO-DA-FE

New York City, NY: Continuum/Seabury Press, 1981. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Continuum/Seabury Press, 1981. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 464 pages. New Edition of the author's first and only novel. One of the greatest novels of the 20th century. The first appearance of the title in this edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, of which there are several. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Elias Canetti's "Die Blendung" in a felicitous English translation. A great comic novel that, unsurprisingly, isn't recognized as such because of its pre-Philip Roth misogyny. The literal English translation is "The Blinding". Considered too intimidating for apparently timid readers in English translation of the time, Canetti's first and only novel (1935) was first published (in 1946) in the United Kingdom as "Auto-da-Fe" and in the United States as "The Tower of Babel". Neither title is accurate although "Auto-da-fe", with its allusion to the grim ending, is certainly a closer approximation of the blunt German original. The protagonist, Sinologist Professor Peter Kien, is one of the most tragic - that is, blind/blinded in the Greek tragedy sense - characters in all of modern literature. He has - is - his own vast personal library, the embodiment of learning, refinement, and civilization itself. Therein lies his predicament and eventual fall. Canetti shows this rarefied ("evolved") human being as susceptible, in the end, to the most horrible barbarism, incarnated by his illiterate housekeeper, Woman Incarnate in Canetti's eyes. Were it not for the comedy behind this tragedy - it's a very funny novel - his book would not only be merely interesting, it would be third-rate. "A staggering achievement that puts him squarely in the ranks of European writers such as Robert Musil and Hermann Broch. A completely original, unforgettable treatment of the modern predicament" (Publisher's blurb) . "One of literature's great imaginers" (Dame Iris Murdoch) . An absolute "must-have" title for Elias Canetti collectors. This title is a great book. This is one of few copies of the 1981 First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. The DJ spine is NOT faded at all; the color purple is even throughout. Please note: The publisher shut down shortly after publication so copies of the book have always been hard to find in collectible condition. Copies available online have very serious flaws (fading on the DJ spine is endemic) , are subsequent editions, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A scarce copy thus. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1981. One of the greatest writers of the 20th century. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER ELIAS CANETTI TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0826402100.