Étienne’s Alphabetby James King
“King’s elegant prose reflects perfectly the restraint of the age, and his obvious passion for the details.”
The Globe and Mail
Life and art constantly imitate each other. Étienne’s Alphabet offers a true melding of the two. It is the fictional memoir of the late Étienne Morneau, a reclusive man so unremarkable that his death went unnoticed. In his room are discovered journals and boxes of drawings which show that Morneau was not the man many thought he was: instead of being cold and distant, he is eager and perceptive; far from being uninteresting, he is an artistic genius.
Morneau’s journal entries take readers on his transformative journey from orphanage child to bank-teller to artist. Arranged like a dictionary, yet written in a kaleidoscope of thought, Morneau’s memoir reveals the depth of his humanity and the uniqueness of his perception.
Étienne’s Alphabet is a celebration of life and of living, with an unforgettable protagonist who sees every moment as a miracle worth committing to canvas.
Few are as qualified to write on the subject of art and the study of life as James King, who has already received much recognition in both areas. He is the author of eight works of biography, the subjects of which include William Blake, Margaret Laurence, Jack McClelland and Farley Mowat. His biography of Herbert Read, The Last Modern,was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Interior Landscapes: A Life of Paul Nash was given The Yorkshire Post Arts Award for “the finest book
devoted to art history. King has delivered a book that is at once, thought-provoking, uninhibited, entertaining, and uplifting.”
James King has published two previous novels with Cormorant Books: Transformations and Pure Inventions.
Cormorant Books
Étienne’s Alphabet • James King
ISBN 9781897151877 • 5.5” x 8.5”
TPB w/ French Flaps • 320 pp • $21.00
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