The Puppet

In the legacy of contemporary classic John Fowles – perhaps the greatest British writer of the 20th century – the novel "The Puppet" holds a special place, being in essence his creative testament. In his last major work, the author of world-famous bestsellers "The Collector," "The Magus," "The French Lieutenant's Woman," "Daniel Martin," and "The Ebony Tower" invested all the accumulated intellectual and spiritual baggage, all the polished mastery honed over decades. The novel is presented in full: fragments of the chronicle section from the London monthly "Gentleman's Magazine" are translated and woven into the fabric of the novel, which not only create a vivid panorama of the era but also contain the key to a possible understanding of what is happening. And what is happening in the novel is exceedingly mysterious. Who was "Mister Bartholomew" and what was his purpose on that May day in 1736 in a remote corner of West England? Where did he disappear to and who were his companions really? The landscapes of old England, a detective plot with elements of mysticism, intricate intrigues, and mysterious occurrences serve as a magnificent backdrop for Fowles' deep psychological exploration, in which he reveals themes so characteristic of his work: the relativity of knowledge and truth, the boundaries of human freedom, the historical roots of modern civilization.