The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas
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.jpg) Front cover | |
| Author | Daniel James |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | |
| Language | English |
Publication date | 2018 |
| Pages | |
The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas is a novel by British author and journalist, Daniel James. The book is a biography of the artist Ezra Maas, and was first published in 2018. It was shortlisted for The Guardian's Not The Booker Prize the following year.[1] The novel reignited conspiracy theories about Maas's real identity and disappearance, which has been described as "one of the biggest mysteries of the art world".[2]
Release[edit]
A newspaper journalist turned author, James spent several years writing and researching the book while travelling across Europe and the United States after being put on Maas's trail by an anonymous late-night phone call.[3] Although the book was originally completed in 2012, it was opposed by the artist's estate – The Maas Foundation– and its publication was delayed until November 2018.
James interviewed dozens of artists, gallery owners, writers, academics, and celebrities who claimed to have known Maas. Two of these interviews are available on YouTube, including footage of British artist Bryan Talbot talking about the strange experience of working with Ezra Maas in the 1980s and 1990s. Dr Claire Nally, a leading academic and expert in subcultures, is also featured and speculates on Maas's enigmatic identity.[4]
The novel has developed a cult following since its release and reignited decades old conspiracy theories about Ezra Maas, leading to the resurgence of websites, social media accounts, and other multimedia content discussing the artist. Most recently, disturbing videos have appeared anonymously online referencing Maas's potential return.
The first edition of the book featured original artwork by renowned Liverpool artist Michael Lacey.
Reception[edit]
The graphic novel artist and writer Bryan Talbot described the book as, "A brilliant, genre-defying debut novel from a major new talent. A haunting and enigmatic noir and a stylish, multi-layered biography.. a future classic."[5] British novelist Glen James Brown, a finalist for the Portico Prize, said the book was "an incredibly ambitious debut that weaves together meta-biography, literary noir, and unashamed pulp-thriller."[6] South African novelist and academic Professor Michael Cawood Green compared the novel to the work of American author Thomas Pynchon, saying, "[o]nce you begin reading, you’re in the world of Pynchon’s Oedipa Maas (from the novel The Crying of Lot 49), launched, like her, by a phone call in the dead of night into a story where the endless play of self-reflection actually becomes a plot device."[7]
In her review, Subscript It Magazine's Ashley Murphy said, "Closing the book for the last time reminded me of that glorious moment when the mind begins to reorder itself after an intense psychedelic trip. You breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that you’ve made it back to reality. But in the next blink of the eye, you realise that the world you’ve returned to is ever so slightly different from the one you left. It’s as if an extra layer of meaning has revealed itself, a new dimension of experience where silence is the only language. And isn’t this, in the end, what all great books are supposed to do? The Unauthorised biography of Ezra Maas is a complicated, compelling, and highly accomplished debut."[8]
The Crack magazine described the novel as the, "literary equivalent of Orson Welles' 1973 docu-film, F for Fake, which is a very good thing".[9] Meanwhile, NB Magazine, in its own review, said the book was "an engaging myth, constantly being examined and questioned... captivating and intriguing."[10] In 2020, the book was named as one of the "101 Great Reads on the 21st Century" by the website of the same name.[11] In his profile of the book, reviewer Drew Smith, said, "Brash, original, smart... star reporter Daniel James chases down the elusive recluse that is Ezra Maas, cult artist, vanished megastar...this is the kind of book destined, I hope, to find a cult following of its own."[11]
In 2019, the book was shortlisted for The Guardian's Not The Booker Prize.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Not the Booker prize 2019: the first three books on our shortlist are ... | Fiction". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
- ↑ "Writer's first novel about art world mystery". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
- ↑ Whetstone, David (2017-08-02). "After early fame what became of artist Ezra Maas? Meet the man with the key to the mystery". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmkpMbz1yXko_PSaj0Rulrg
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_2QHVyAvsM&t=14s
- ↑ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2759458083
- ↑ "If you're a fan of metafiction at its meta-rist, this is a book you'll enjoy". www.amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
- ↑ https://www.subscript.it/book-review-the-unauthorised-biography-of-ezra-maas-daniel-james/
- ↑ "The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas". The Crack. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
- ↑ "The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas by Daniel James". NB Magazine. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas by Daniel James (dead ink)". 101 Great Reads. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
External links[edit]
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