The Porcupine (Magill Book Reviews)
At a glance:
- Author: Julian Barnes
- First Published: 1992
- Type of Work: Novella
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Novella
- Subjects: Freedom, Communism or communists, Politics, Socialism, Sex or sexuality, Trials, Truth, Greed, Faith, Democracy, 1990’s, Eastern Europe or eastern Europeans
- Locales: Europe
Julian Barnes’s latest book, a long story or brief novel, focuses on the events surrounding the trial of Stoyo Petkanov, the former dictator of an unnamed Eastern Bloc country (Bulgaria seems a likely model). Petkanov’s adversary is the newly appointed prosecutor and politically opportunistic Peter Solinsky. Theirs is a battle of wits, since the outcome of the trial is never in doubt, with Solinsky determined to expose the hypocrisies and corruption of the old system and Petkanov equally determined to expose the trial for what it is.
Solinsky begins confidently enough, but...
[The entire page is 543 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
