A Conspiracy of Paper
Encyclopedia
A Conspiracy of Paper is a historical-mystery novel by David Liss
, set in London
in the period leading up to the bursting of the South Sea Bubble in 1720.
penned by the elderly Benjamin Weaver (born Lienzo), London-born son of Portuguese Sephardic Jewish parents. After a successful career in bare-knuckle boxing
, Weaver has found a new calling as a 'thief-taker'—roughly equivalent to a modern private investigator. Believing that his estranged father died in a tragic accident, Weaver is shocked when a prospective client claims that the 'accident' was, in fact, murder. Weaver's subsequent investigation involves him in the new London financial world of banks, stocks, speculation, violence and scandal leading up to the world's first stock-market crash, the South Sea Bubble. In order to solve the mystery, he must learn the inner workings of this new world of paper money. The murder investigation moves toward its conclusion in lock-step with the accelerating frenzy of the Bubble's final days.
A sub-plot involves Benjamin's gradual reintegration, after years of estrangement, into his family's community and traditions. This gives the author the opportunity to introduce the Lienzo family, and their struggles to survive and prosper as Jews and foreigners in 18th century London. Benjamin finds added incentive to rejoin his family when he meets the beautiful Miriam, widow of his cousin and now living in his uncle Miguel's household.
in the coffee houses of Exchange Alley are colorfully depicted, and Weaver has to deal with historical characters such as Jonathan Wild
, the notorious 'Thief-taker General'. In the 'Historical Note' following the novel, regarding the Benjamin Weaver character, Liss states that "I found inspiration for his character in the story of Daniel Mendoza
", a real-life boxing champion.
David Liss
David Liss is an American writer of novels, essays and short fiction; more recently working also in comic books. He was born in New Jersey and grew up in South Florida. Liss received his B. A. degree from Syracuse University, an M. A. from Georgia State University and his M. Phil from Columbia...
, set in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the period leading up to the bursting of the South Sea Bubble in 1720.
Synopsis
The novel's story is told in the form of a first-person memoirMemoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
penned by the elderly Benjamin Weaver (born Lienzo), London-born son of Portuguese Sephardic Jewish parents. After a successful career in bare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing is the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports...
, Weaver has found a new calling as a 'thief-taker'—roughly equivalent to a modern private investigator. Believing that his estranged father died in a tragic accident, Weaver is shocked when a prospective client claims that the 'accident' was, in fact, murder. Weaver's subsequent investigation involves him in the new London financial world of banks, stocks, speculation, violence and scandal leading up to the world's first stock-market crash, the South Sea Bubble. In order to solve the mystery, he must learn the inner workings of this new world of paper money. The murder investigation moves toward its conclusion in lock-step with the accelerating frenzy of the Bubble's final days.
A sub-plot involves Benjamin's gradual reintegration, after years of estrangement, into his family's community and traditions. This gives the author the opportunity to introduce the Lienzo family, and their struggles to survive and prosper as Jews and foreigners in 18th century London. Benjamin finds added incentive to rejoin his family when he meets the beautiful Miriam, widow of his cousin and now living in his uncle Miguel's household.
Real world ties
Though the Lienzo family and other main characters are fictional, the story is well-researched, and includes historical events surrounding the South Sea Bubble. The early days of the London Stock ExchangeLondon Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
in the coffee houses of Exchange Alley are colorfully depicted, and Weaver has to deal with historical characters such as Jonathan Wild
Jonathan Wild
Jonathan Wild was perhaps the most infamous criminal of London — and possibly Great Britain — during the 18th century, both because of his own actions and the uses novelists, playwrights, and political satirists made of them...
, the notorious 'Thief-taker General'. In the 'Historical Note' following the novel, regarding the Benjamin Weaver character, Liss states that "I found inspiration for his character in the story of Daniel Mendoza
Daniel Mendoza
Daniel Mendoza was an English prizefighter, who was boxing champion of England 1792–95.-Success:...
", a real-life boxing champion.
Explanation of the novel's title
The title alludes to the South Sea Company's fraudulent schemes to inflate and maintain the value of its stock.Awards and nominations
- Best First Mystery Novel 2001. Macavity Awards
- Best First Novel 2001. Edgar Awards
External links
- Author's website http://davidliss.com/?page_id=49 (accessed Aug, 2010)
- Publisher's David Liss page http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=17799 (accessed Aug, 2010)
- Follow the Phony Money. NY Times book review, February 20, 2000. http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/02/20/reviews/000220.20polk5t.html?_r=1 (accessed Aug, 2010)
- "A Conspiracy of Paper" by David Liss. Salon.com, Mar 7, 2000. http://www.salon.com/books/review/2000/03/07/liss (accessed Aug, 2010)