The story makes extensive reference to the poetry of t. Her short fiction, essays, and cotranslations have appeared in a public space, the common, agni, the. She cotranslated antonio tabucchi s time ages in a hurry and the poetry of giampiero neri and loris jacopo bononi. With the assurance, complexity, and depth of a work by bulgakov, delillo, or poe, martha cooleys extraordinary second novel is further evidence that she is one of the most gifted writers at work today. Matthias lane is the archivist of the mason rooms rare books and literary papers. Martha cooley is deeply concerned, as are her characters, with questions of conscience, privacy, action and inaction, and securitypersonal and scholarly. Eliots letters lies at the heart of this emotionally charged novel a story of marriage. Martha cooley is a novelist and author of short fiction, essays, and poetry whose work has appeared in leading literary journals. Martha cooleys writing is assured and usually engaging. Martha cooleys impressive debut novel the archivist focuses on matthias matt lane, a university librarian in his sixties, who is responsible for the safekeeping. The archivist was elegant and it shot me through with poetry. Martha cooleys ambitious debut novel, the archivist, takes paleys proposition to a new level, concerned as it is with the rich interplay between not two lines but three. The woman is researching her jewishness after learning that her parents converted to christianity.
The archivist by martha cooley and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. But martha cooleys smart debut, the archivist, defies a lot of sensible expectations. Set in the hushed world of a prestigious american university, it weaves a story of love and loss, recognition. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. Sixtyish matthais lane, the firstperson narrator throughout most of the book, is a mildly reclusive, mildly arrogant university librarian in charge. Martha cooleys ambitious debut novel, the archivist, takes paleys proposition to a new level, concerned as it is with the rich interplay between not two lines but. In her second superb mystery after ice shear, cooley has upped her game with a whipsmart, complicated heroine and a labyrinthine domestic mystery that will surprise and delight fans of her first book, while earning the author scads of new fans. A professor of english at adelphi university, she has published short fiction, essays, and co. Her cotranslations of italian fiction and poetry include antonio tabucchis story collection time ages in a hurry. Eliots letters lies at the heart of this emotionally charged novel a story of marriage and madness, of faith and desire, of jazzage new york and europe in the shadow of the holocaust.
Martha cooleys beautiful first novel, the archivist combines t. Martha cooley audio books, best sellers, author bio. Eliot, and it dwells on themes such as guilt, insanity, and suicide. Martha cooley is the author of two novelsthe archivist, a national bestseller published in a dozen foreign markets, and thirtythree swoonsand a memoir, guesswork. Library journal june lyons, the former fbiagentturnedsmalltowncop introduced in the acclaimed ice shear.
Links provided to external websites, including personal faculty sites, do not imply an endorsement by adelphi university of those sites, their content, or associated products and services. The archivist is an american novel by martha cooley, first published in a hardcover format by little, brown and company in 1998. The archivist was a new york times notable book and a new and noteworthy paperback. At literary hub, cooley remarks, its finally happened. Matt seems to have found the perfect profession for himself an introvert with an incredible respect for books and literature should, of course, be an archivist. Princeton university has untied the copper bands around the wooden. A battle of wills between matt, a careful, orderly archivist for a private. Martha foley contractor national historic preservation. The librarians wife, too, was a jewess and she committed. The words of the dead have a strange power, and no one knows that better than the protagonist of martha cooleys arresting, accomplished first.
Set in the hushed world of a prestigious american university, it weaves a story of love and loss, recognition and redemption. Cooleys 1998 novel, the archivist, centered on hale and eliots thenmysterious correspondence. Eliot and his friend emily hale held at princeton, though that exact location is never given in the novel. She has translated numerous poems by italian poet giampiero neri, and she served as judge of the poetry in translation prize at the pen american center in 2011. They corresponded, on and off, through the decades that followed. Her works of short fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in pen america, the common, a public space, and others. The archivist was a wordofmouth bestseller and one of the most jubilantly acclaimed first novels of recent years. She cotranslated antonio tabucchis time ages in a hurry. The archivist by martha cooley book club discussion. Boston globe martha cooley has mastered the art of folding historical figures into her fiction, without making the final product feel. Judith is the archivist of suffering, pain and human cruelty.
Browse martha cooleys bestselling audiobooks and newest titles. The archivist by martha cooley hachette book group. Outwardly, matthias seems to be the perfect archivist. Matthias lane, 65, is the universitys orderly archivist. Matt is the archivist of art, poetry and aesthetics. Martha cooley martha cooley is the author of two novels, the archivist and thirtythree swoons. Martha cooley is the author of two novels, the archivist and thirtythree swoons both little, brown. Discover more authors youll love listening to on audible. The book was reprinted in 1999 by back bay books, an imprint of little, brown and company. The archivist opens in the 1970s and tells the story of matthias lane, a lapsed protestant in his early 60s. The jewel of his collection is a set of letters that t. The archivist by martha cooley, 9780316158466, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
Martha cooley lives in brooklyn, new york, and teaches in the bennington writing seminars and the masters program in creative writing at boston university. The author of the honored novel the archivist 1998 returns with a sometimeswrenching memoirin. The archivist is a debut novel of remarkable depth and power. Eliot, with sprinklings of leroi jones or as i know him. Cooley is currently a contributing editor at a public space. Her central plot is crammed with symbolism, inner meaning, and analogies, but cooley makes it readable anyway. An aging librarians memories are stirred by a young woman. A young womans impassioned pursuit of a sealed cache of t. Martha cooley is the author of the national bestseller the archivist and thirtythree swoons. If there is one parallel too many in this impressive work, perhaps that is more like life than some of us care to admit. Martha cooley translates prose and poetry from the italian. She cotranslated antonio tabucchis time ages in a hurry and the poetry of giampiero neri and loris jacopo bononi. The writer grace paley once said that every story is really two stories, by which she meant that fiction is textured, that it is about the interplay between two narrative lines.
The protagonist of this first novel is haunted by the lives of t. Martha cooley an aging librarians memories are stirred by a young woman. Matthias lane is the proud gatekeeper to countless objects of desire, the greatest among them being t. Eliot to emily hale, and sequestered until january 2, of this year, have been made available to researchers. Hes still haunted by memories of his late wife, judith, who was a poet incarcerated in a mental hospital for more than five years. Martha cooley the archivist 1st edition 1st printing ebay. Graduate student roberta spire, 35, is determined to gain access to some of the collections sealed lettersones written by t. Thomas stearns, 18881965, librarians, widowers, manwoman relationships publisher.
Her first novel, the archivist, was a bestseller published in a dozen foreign markets, and her second, thirtythree swoons, was also published in italian. The archivist is based on the reallife sealed trove of letters between t. Eliot, jazz and the holocaust in a wonderfully assured manner. Martha cooley martha cooley is the author of two novelsthe archivist, a national bestseller published in a dozen foreign markets, and thirtythree swoonsand a memoir, guesswork.