Cunning Man

"e;An amazing coup . . . a brilliant, never less than engaging work of fiction which is also a philosophical meditation on the business of living."e;-Financial Times When Father Hobbes mysteriously dies at the high alter on Good Friday, Dr. Jonathan Hullah whose holistic work has earned him the label "e;Cunning Man"e; (for the wizard of folk tradition) wants to know why. The physician-cum-diagnostician's search for answers compels him to look back over his own long life. He conjures vivid memories of the dazzling, intellectual high-jinks and compassionate philosophies of himself and his circle, including flamboyant, mystical curate Charlie Iredale; cynical, quixotic professor Brocky Gilmartin; outrageous banker Darcy Dwyer; and jocular, muscular artist Pansy Todhunter. In compelling and hilarious scenes from the divine comedy of life, The Cunning Man reveals profound truths about being human. "e;Wise, humane and consistently entertaining . . . Robertson Davies's skill and curiosity are as agile as ever, and his store of incidental knowledge is a constant pleasure."e; The New York Times Book Review"e;The sparkling history of [the] erudite and amusing Dr. Hullah, who knows the souls of his patients as well as he knows their bodies . . . never fails to enlighten and delight."e; The London Free Press"e;Davies is a good companion. Settling into The Cunning Man is like taking a comfortable chair opposite a favorite uncle who has seen and done everything."e; Maclean's"e;Irresistible, unflaggingly vital. A wholehearted and sharp-minded celebration of the Great Theatre of Life."e; The Sunday Times"e;A novel brimming with themes of music, poetry, beauty, philosophy, death and the deep recesses of the mind."e; The Observer