I would start with a charcoal sketch of his face. I was ruthless about detail, and documented each new wrinkle or discoloration or sausage spot, but this is what he wanted – in his very first sitting, I flattered him on the canvas, and he threatened never to return, so the next time I painted him as he was, and it pleased him. You would be surprised what can happen to a face in two months. One day I’ll bind together all the surviving charcoal sketches and make a flip book that jolts single frames into action when thumbed quickly. The flip book’s action will be the aging of the President. Read More
A president is overthrown by a military coup in a nameless country, and in the midst of mass arrests, three members of the Presidential household—his barber, chef, and portraitist—are taken hostage in a remote mountain palace. Before the coup, these men worked with unquestioning loyalty, serving the President in the seemingly benign tasks of grooming him, nourishing him, and rendering his image to be hung in Parliament. But as the old order falls, the truth about these men and the significant women in their lives is revealed, and the web of complicity and duplicity begins to unravel. Dovey’s mesmerizing debut grapples with humanity’s most mercenary and animalistic instincts, and reminds us that the mad king is within us all.
| US (Viking/Penguin) March 2008 www.us.penguingroup.com |
Sweden (Forum Bokforlaget) Release date TBA www.forum.se |
| UK (Atlantic Books) July 2007 www.groveatlantic.co.uk |
Portugal (Civilizao Editora) Release date TBA www.civilizacao.pt |
| South Africa (Penguin) July 2007 www.penguinbooks.co.za |
Hungary (Ulpius-Haz) Release date TBA www.ulpiushaz.hu/katalogus_frame.php |
| Australia (Atlantic Books, distributed by Penguin) October 2007 www.penguin.com.au |
Korea(Munhakdongne Publishing Corp) Release date TBA www.munhak.com/eng/e_mun.htm |
| France (Editions Heloise d’Ormessor) August 2008 www.editions-heloisedormesson.com |
Italy (Mondadori) Release date TBA www.mondadori.it/index_en.jsp |
| Germany (Luchterhand) Release date TBA www.randomhouse.de/luchterhand |
Poland (Amber) October 2007 http://amber.sm.pl/autor.php?id=830 |
| Holland (AmboAnthos) March 2008 www.amboanthos.nl |
Greece (Kritiki) Release date TBA www.kritiki.gr/content-en/company.asp |
| Croatia (Fraktura) Release date TBA www.fraktura.hr |
Spain (La Otra Orilla) Release date TBA |
| Romania (Editura Trei) www.edituratrei.ro |
Turkey (Minima) TBD |
