The Dismal Science by Peter Mountford
he Dismal Science tells of a middle-aged vice president at the World Bank, Vincenzo D'Orsi, who publicly quits his job over a seemingly minor argument with a colleague. A scandal inevitably ensues, and he systematically burns every bridge to his former life. After abandoning his career, Vincenzo, a recent widower, is at a complete loss as to what to do with himself. The story follows his efforts to rebuild his identity without a vocation or the company of his wife. An exploration of the fragile nature of identity, The Dismal Science reveals the terrifying speed with which a person's sense of self can be annihilated. It is at once a study of a man attempting to apply his reason to the muddle of life and a book about how that same ostensible rationality, and the mathematics of finance in particular, operates--with similarly dubious results--in our world.A Young Man's Guide to Late Capitalism, Peter Mountford's debut novel, won the Washington State Book Prize and was a finalist for the VCU Cabell First Writer Award. The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Town and Country, Interview, and the Wall Street Journal, among other publications, chose it for their Books We Like series, the Daily Beast chose it as a fantastic summer read, and the editors at Kindle named it one of the most intriguing books of the season; it was also featured in the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Town and Country, Interview, and the Wall Street Journal. 4Culture, Seattle's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, and the Elizabeth George Fund have all given Mountford money to work on The Dismal Science. He was given the Wallace Fellowship for a Distinguished Writer by the Corporation of Yaddo in 2010 so that he may write on the book. His short fiction and essays have appeared in publications such as the Atlantic, Conjunctions, Salon, Granta, ZYZZYVA, and the Boston Review.
He is currently a writer-in-residence at Seattle Arts at Lectures and the Richard Hugo House. He is a resident of Seattle, Washington.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781935639725 |
| ISBN 10 | 1935639722 |
| Title | The Dismal Science |
| Author | Peter Mountford |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Tin House Books |
| Year published | 2014-01-28 |
| Number of pages | 275 |
| Prizes | Commended for Washington State Book Award (Fiction) 2015 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |