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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'A writer questions the architecture of words, struggling to capture his ideas before they are lost; a husband excavating beneath his house becomes mesmerised by silence and disappears in search of solitude; a lighthouse keeper dreams that he is a man dreaming that he is the keeper of a lighthouse.
'Magnificent in its scope and imagery, David Brooks's mastery of the written word is eclipsed in this thought-provoking collection. Both evocative and experimental, Brooks's stories conjure fragments of memory and time, capturing streetscapes and heartscapes in a mosaic-style splendour.
'Lyrical and perceptive, brave and illuminating, Napoleon's Roads explores the richness of language and the possibilities of expression, while exemplifying some of the most sophisticated, polished and beautiful contemporary literature in Australia today.' (Publication summary)
Contents
- Napoleon's Roads, single work prose (p. 3-15)
- The Cellar, single work short story (p. 16-24)
- Kabul, single work prose (p. 25-36)
- The Crow Theses, single work prose (p. 37-42)
- A., single work prose (p. 43-50)
- The Lighthouse Keeper's Dream, single work short story (p. 51-55)
- The Dead, single work prose (p. 56-66)
- Alchemy, single work prose (p. 67)
- Ten Short Pieces, sequence prose (p. 67-76)
- A Piece of Sheepsongs, single work prose (p. 68)
- Process, single work prose (p. 68-69)
- A Short Allegory, single work prose (p. 69-70)
- A Time of Strangersi"...so it was, anyway, that we entered a time of strangers. It was", single work poetry (p. 70-73)
- In the Centre of the World, single work prose (p. 73-74)
- Vierge Ouvrante, single work prose (p. 74-75)
- The Net, single work prose (p. 75)
- A Turkish Head, single work prose (p. 75-76)
- We Are Standing at the Low Stone Wall, single work prose (p. 76)
- The Wall, single work short story (p. 77-88)
- The Seventh Floor, single work prose (p. 89-91)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also large print, sound recording
Works about this Work
-
A Mosaic Exploration of Grief, Art, and the Ideal/Napoleon's Roads
2017
single work
review
— Appears in: Antipodes , December vol. 31 no. 2 2017; (p. 449-450)
— Review of Napoleon's Roads 2016 selected work prose'The breaks in style and point of view match the author's disjointed search through memory to find the lost epiphany that he failed to record in the middle of the night. The information conveyed in this story lacks the purposefulness of the questions posed in "Lost Pages," and though the gaps between segments can create an interesting tension and resonance, the unusual syntax and the lack of cohesion between sections pull the reader out of the story. [...]Napoleon's Roads is an experiment worth conducting, as the places in which fragments resonate across the gap give new perspective on aspects of the human condition.' (Publication abstract)
-
Uniformly Probing at Dark Landscapes
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 30 April - 1 June 2016; (p. 21)
— Review of Napoleon's Roads 2016 selected work prose -
Elusive Brooks
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 379 2016; (p. 38)
— Review of Napoleon's Roads 2016 selected work prose -
A Tactile Meandering to Some Strange Places
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 30-31 January 2016; (p. 25) The Age , 30-31 January 2016; (p. 25)
— Review of Napoleon's Roads 2016 selected work prose -
“The Writer-narrator Takes the Reader by the Hand”: Carmel Bird Reviews ‘Napoleon’s Roads’ by David Brooks
2016
single work
review
essay
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , October – December no. 20 2016; 'Thirty years ago, I read a most wonderful collection of short fiction. I think I reviewed it. It was The Book of Sei by David Brooks. Since then, I have read most of David’s books. Reading Napoleon’s Roads was a bit like finding that, The Book of Sei had a glorious new compartment, to which I now had access.' (Introduction)
-
A Tactile Meandering to Some Strange Places
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 30-31 January 2016; (p. 25) The Age , 30-31 January 2016; (p. 25)
— Review of Napoleon's Roads 2016 selected work prose -
Elusive Brooks
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 379 2016; (p. 38)
— Review of Napoleon's Roads 2016 selected work prose -
Uniformly Probing at Dark Landscapes
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 30 April - 1 June 2016; (p. 21)
— Review of Napoleon's Roads 2016 selected work prose -
A Mosaic Exploration of Grief, Art, and the Ideal/Napoleon's Roads
2017
single work
review
— Appears in: Antipodes , December vol. 31 no. 2 2017; (p. 449-450)
— Review of Napoleon's Roads 2016 selected work prose'The breaks in style and point of view match the author's disjointed search through memory to find the lost epiphany that he failed to record in the middle of the night. The information conveyed in this story lacks the purposefulness of the questions posed in "Lost Pages," and though the gaps between segments can create an interesting tension and resonance, the unusual syntax and the lack of cohesion between sections pull the reader out of the story. [...]Napoleon's Roads is an experiment worth conducting, as the places in which fragments resonate across the gap give new perspective on aspects of the human condition.' (Publication abstract)
-
“The Writer-narrator Takes the Reader by the Hand”: Carmel Bird Reviews ‘Napoleon’s Roads’ by David Brooks
2016
single work
review
essay
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , October – December no. 20 2016; 'Thirty years ago, I read a most wonderful collection of short fiction. I think I reviewed it. It was The Book of Sei by David Brooks. Since then, I have read most of David’s books. Reading Napoleon’s Roads was a bit like finding that, The Book of Sei had a glorious new compartment, to which I now had access.' (Introduction)
