The Book of Ebenezer Le Page
Encyclopedia
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page is a novel by Gerald Basil Edwards
first published in United Kingdom
by Hamish Hamilton
in 1981, and in the United States
by Alfred A. Knopf
in the same year. It has since been published by Penguin books and New York Review Books in their classics series, as well as in French and Italian.
It is the fictionalised autobiography
of an archetypal Guernseyman, Ebenezer Le Page
, who lives through the dramatic changes in the island of the Guernsey
, Channel Islands
from the late nineteenth century, through to the 1960s.
. He never married, despite a few flings with local girls, and a tempestuous relationship with Liza Queripel of Pleinmont. He only left the island once, to travel to Jersey
to watch the Muratti
. For most of his life he was a grower and fisherman, although he also served in the North regiment of the Royal Guernsey Militia
(though not outside the island) and did some jobbing work for the States of Guernsey
in the latter part of his life. Guernsey is a microcosm of the world as Dublin is to James Joyce and Dorset is to Hardy. After a life fraught with difficulties and full of moving episodes, Ebenezer dies happy, bequeathing his pot of gold and autobiography (The Book of Ebenezer Le Page) to the young artist he befriends, after an incident in which the latter smashed his greenhouse.
, J. S. Collis and Stephen Potter
. There was an anticipation that he would become the next D. H. Lawrence
, and he was in fact commissioned by Jonathan Cape
to write Lawrence's biography, before his death.
Instead he published nothing more than a handful of articles for Murry's Adelphi
magazine. He married, had children, divorced (leaving his children to be educated with the Elmhirsts at Dartington) and went through a series of jobs, teaching at Toynbee Hall
., as an itinerant drama teacher, a minor civil servant in London, eventually retiring to the West Country. His quarry-owning father had effectively disinherited him where the family home in Guernsey was concerned, by remarrying.
When he met Chaney, he was pouring experience and literary know-how into one last attempt at a major novel. Chaney encouraged Edwards to complete his book, which Edwards then dedicated to him and his wife, giving him the copyright. The immaculate typescript was rejected by many publishers but, eventually, at Hamish Hamilton
, Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson accepted it with enthusiasm.
There is a parallel between this real-life story and the story in the novel, in which Ebenezer bequeaths his autobiography (The Book of Ebenezer Le Page) to his young artist friend Neville Falla, the motorcycling rebel with a heart of gold.
John Fowles
wrote an enthusiastic introduction to the Book, it was very favorably reviewed by William Golding
, among several others, and Harold Bloom
included it in The Western Canon. Stephen Orgel wrote that it was 'one of the greatest novels of the 20th century'.
Although Penguin
let it go out of print, it was reprinted by New York Review Books Classics in 2007. It has meanwhile been published in French and Italian.
series, as well as a stage play by Anthony Wilkinson
The Islander which premiered at the Theatre Royal
, Lincoln
in 2002. In both of these adaptations, the role of Ebenezer was played by Guernsey-born actor Roy Dotrice
.
There have been unsuccessful attempts to turn the novel into a feature film.
Christopher Sinclair Stevenson asked John Fowles
to write an introduction which no doubt helped drawn attention to the publication. The novel was originally intended to form the first part of a trilogy, entitled Sarnia Cherie: The Book of Ebenezer Le Page. Sarnia Cherie
refers to the Guernsey anthem, and was retained in the title of the French translation. The other two books were to be called Le Boud'lo: the Book of Philip Le Moigne and La Gran'-mère du Chimquière: the Book of Jean le Féniant. A draft of the second part was destroyed by the author before his death.
For more details of the author, Gerald B Edwards, and how Edward Chaney eventually managed to get his Book published, see Chaney's series of three articles in the Review of the Guernsey Society (1994–96). See also his foreword on 'The Cultural Memory of Guernsey' to Yvonne Ozanne's Love Apples Too: A Life in the Bailiwick of Guernsey (2009).
It has been translated into French by Jeanine Hérisson, and was published in 1982 by Editions du Seuil
under the title Sarnia.
Gerald Basil Edwards
Gerald Basil Edwards , was a British author.- Biography :Edwards is known for The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, which was published posthumously in 1981...
first published in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Hamish Hamilton
Hamish Hamilton
Hamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half-Scot half-American Jamie Hamilton . Confusingly, Jamie Hamilton was often referred to as Hamish Hamilton...
in 1981, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. is a New York publishing house, founded by Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. in 1915. It was acquired by Random House in 1960 and is now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group at Random House. The publishing house is known for its borzoi trademark , which was designed by co-founder...
in the same year. It has since been published by Penguin books and New York Review Books in their classics series, as well as in French and Italian.
It is the fictionalised autobiography
False document
A false document is a literary technique employed to create verisimilitude in a work of fiction. By inventing and inserting documents that appear to be factual, an author tries to create a sense of authenticity beyond the normal and expected suspension of disbelief for a work of art...
of an archetypal Guernseyman, Ebenezer Le Page
Ebenezer Le Page
Ebenezer Le Page is the lead character in the novel The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by GB Edwards. The book takes the form of an autobiography of an archetypal Guernseyman who lives through the dramatic changes in the island of Guernsey, Channel Islands from the late 19th century, through to the 1960s...
, who lives through the dramatic changes in the island of the Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
from the late nineteenth century, through to the 1960s.
Plot summary
Ebenezer was born in the late nineteenth century, and dies in the early 1960s. He lived his whole life in the ValeVale, Guernsey
Vale is one of the ten parishes of Guernsey.Until 1806 the parish occupied territory on the mainland of Guernsey, the Vingtaine de l'Epine, as well as the whole of Le Clos du Valle, a tidal island forming the northern extremity of Guernsey separated from the mainland by La Braye du Valle, a tidal...
. He never married, despite a few flings with local girls, and a tempestuous relationship with Liza Queripel of Pleinmont. He only left the island once, to travel to Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
to watch the Muratti
Muratti
The Muratti is the only annual men's football competition, inaugurated in 1905, between the Channel Islands of Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney, the prize for winning being a trophy called the Muratti Vase which is only relevant within the Islands. Both Matthew Le Tissier and Graeme Le Saux played in...
. For most of his life he was a grower and fisherman, although he also served in the North regiment of the Royal Guernsey Militia
Royal Guernsey Light Infantry
Royal Guernsey Light Infantry was a regiment in the British Army that was formed from the Royal Guernsey Militia in 1916 to serve in World War I. They fought as part of the British 29th Division...
(though not outside the island) and did some jobbing work for the States of Guernsey
States of Guernsey
The States of Guernsey is the parliament of the island of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guernsey also apply to Alderney and Sark as "Bailiwick-wide legislation" with the consent of the governments of those islands...
in the latter part of his life. Guernsey is a microcosm of the world as Dublin is to James Joyce and Dorset is to Hardy. After a life fraught with difficulties and full of moving episodes, Ebenezer dies happy, bequeathing his pot of gold and autobiography (The Book of Ebenezer Le Page) to the young artist he befriends, after an incident in which the latter smashed his greenhouse.
Characters in "The Book of Ebenezer Le Page"
- Ebenezer Le PageEbenezer Le PageEbenezer Le Page is the lead character in the novel The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by GB Edwards. The book takes the form of an autobiography of an archetypal Guernseyman who lives through the dramatic changes in the island of Guernsey, Channel Islands from the late 19th century, through to the 1960s...
, tomato grower and fisherman - Alfred Le Page, quarryman, Ebenezer's father, killed in the Boer WarSecond Boer WarThe Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
- Charlotte Le Page, Ebenezer's mother, referred to throughout as "my mother"
- Tabitha Le Page ('La Tabby'), Ebenezer's sister
- Jean Batiste, Tabitha's husband, killed in World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
- Jim Mahy, Ebenezer's childhood friend, killed in World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
- Liza Queripel, the love of Ebenezer's life
- William Le Page ('Uncle Willie'), Alfred's brother
- Nathaniel Le Page ('Uncle Nat'), Ebenezer's mother's brother's uncle
- Charlotte Le Page, Ebenezer's maternal grandmother
- Henriette Le Page ('La Hetty'), Ebenezer's mother's sister
- Priscille Le Page ('La Prissy'), Ebenezer's mother's sister
- Harold Martel, builder, married Hetty
- Percy Martel, Harold's brother, monumental builder, married Prissy
- Raymond Martel, son of Hetty and Harold
- Horace Martel, eldest son of Percy and Prissy
- Cyril Martel, youngest son of Percy and Prissy, died age 5
- Christine Mahy, wife of Raymond (also cousin of Jim)
- Abel Martel, son of Raymond and Christine
- Gideon Martel, son of Christine, as a result of affair with Horace
- Neville Falla, young biker and artist who befriends Ebenezer in his old age
- Cousin Mary Ann, Ebenezer's third cousin (on both sides)
Real people mentioned in the book
- Ambrose SherwillAmbrose SherwillSir Ambrose James Sherwill KBE MC was Bailiff of Guernsey from 1946 to 1959.Sherwill was commissioned into The Buffs in 1916 and was awarded the Military Cross in 1917, being promoted Lieutenant shortly afterwards...
(1890~1968), President of the Controlling Committee during Occupation of the Channel IslandsOccupation of the Channel IslandsThe Channel Islands were occupied by Nazi Germany for much of World War II, from 30 June 1940 until the liberation on 9 May 1945. The Channel Islands are two British Crown dependencies and include the bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey as well as the smaller islands of Alderney and Sark...
and later Bailiff of Guernsey - Rev. John ('Jack') Leale (1892~1969), Jurat, President of the Controlling Committee (Oct 1940~Aug 1945) during Occupation of the Channel IslandsOccupation of the Channel IslandsThe Channel Islands were occupied by Nazi Germany for much of World War II, from 30 June 1940 until the liberation on 9 May 1945. The Channel Islands are two British Crown dependencies and include the bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey as well as the smaller islands of Alderney and Sark...
, knighted 1945 - Arthur Dorey (1867~1953), fruit grower, of Rockmount (Delancey); Ebenezer's boss who makes him a foreman at his vineries off the 'Halfway' (Belgrave, Marais, Springfield, Primrose). Arthur also owns Oatlands Farm with its own large vinery. Arthur was a Jurat and president of the Board of Administration.
- Edward Arthur Dorey (1896~1982), mentioned as son of the above, going to war in 1914, but unnamed in the book. Fruit grower; later owner of Arthur Dorey & Son, and Douzenier of St. Sampson's.
- Philemon Fleure Dorey (1859~1941), 'Mr Dorey of Oatlands'; fruit grower; brother of Arthur Dorey (above), from whom he was renting Oatlands Farm during Ebenezer's childhood.
- Clarrie Bellot, cobbler
- Steve Picquet, hermit who lived in a German bunker at Pleinmont
- Frederick William Johns (1871~1957), 'Fred Johns from the Vale Avenue', trustee of St. Sampson's Chapel.
- Douglas Blackburn, 'from the top of Sinclair', of 'Malvern', St Clair Hill, St. Sampson's, son of fruit grower Henry J. Blackburn.
- Dr Josiah Leale (1842~c.1921), L.R.C.P. Edinburgh, M.R.C.S. London, St. Sampson's Parochial Medical Officer, of Vale House, Vale. Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel, 2nd Regt R.G.L.I.; resigned his medical rank on appointment as Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding in 1896. In the novel Dr Leale diagnoses Jim with appendicitis.
Life
Art student Edward Chaney met Edwards in his old age, when he was living a reclusive life near Weymouth in Dorset. Edwards had had a fraught and difficult life. He left Guernsey to study at Bristol University. He then moved to London where he encountered group of writers, which included his friends John Middleton MurryJohn Middleton Murry
John Middleton Murry was an English writer. He was prolific, producing more than 60 books and thousands of essays and reviews on literature, social issues, politics, and religion during his lifetime...
, J. S. Collis and Stephen Potter
Stephen Potter
Stephen Meredith Potter was a British author best known for his mocking self-help books, and film and television derivatives from them....
. There was an anticipation that he would become the next D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
, and he was in fact commissioned by Jonathan Cape
Jonathan Cape
Jonathan Cape was a London-based publisher founded in 1919 as "Page & Co" by Herbert Jonathan Cape , formerly a manager at Duckworth who had worked his way up from a position of bookshop errand boy. Cape brought with him the rights to cheap editions of the popular author Elinor Glyn and sales of...
to write Lawrence's biography, before his death.
Instead he published nothing more than a handful of articles for Murry's Adelphi
Adelphi
The name Adelphi comes from the Greek word adelphoi, meaning "brothers".Adelphi may refer to:-United States:*Adelphi, Iowa*Adelphi, Maryland*Adelphi, New York*Adelphi, Ohio*Adelphi, Texas-Hotels:...
magazine. He married, had children, divorced (leaving his children to be educated with the Elmhirsts at Dartington) and went through a series of jobs, teaching at Toynbee Hall
Toynbee Hall
Toynbee Hall is a building in Tower Hamlets, East London which is the home of a charity working to bridge the gap between people of all social and financial backgrounds, with a focus on eradicating poverty and promoting social inclusion....
., as an itinerant drama teacher, a minor civil servant in London, eventually retiring to the West Country. His quarry-owning father had effectively disinherited him where the family home in Guernsey was concerned, by remarrying.
When he met Chaney, he was pouring experience and literary know-how into one last attempt at a major novel. Chaney encouraged Edwards to complete his book, which Edwards then dedicated to him and his wife, giving him the copyright. The immaculate typescript was rejected by many publishers but, eventually, at Hamish Hamilton
Hamish Hamilton
Hamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half-Scot half-American Jamie Hamilton . Confusingly, Jamie Hamilton was often referred to as Hamish Hamilton...
, Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson accepted it with enthusiasm.
There is a parallel between this real-life story and the story in the novel, in which Ebenezer bequeaths his autobiography (The Book of Ebenezer Le Page) to his young artist friend Neville Falla, the motorcycling rebel with a heart of gold.
Literary significance and criticism
Since its publication in 1981, it has been critically acclaimed, as well as winning the admiration of the people of Guernsey for so accurately capturing the island and its character.John Fowles
John Fowles
John Robert Fowles was an English novelist and essayist. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Fowles among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Birth and family:...
wrote an enthusiastic introduction to the Book, it was very favorably reviewed by William Golding
William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies...
, among several others, and Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom is an American writer and literary critic, and is Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. He is known for his defense of 19th-century Romantic poets, his unique and controversial theories of poetic influence, and his prodigious literary output, particularly for a literary...
included it in The Western Canon. Stephen Orgel wrote that it was 'one of the greatest novels of the 20th century'.
Although Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
let it go out of print, it was reprinted by New York Review Books Classics in 2007. It has meanwhile been published in French and Italian.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
It has been adapted for a BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
series, as well as a stage play by Anthony Wilkinson
Anthony Wilkinson
Anthony John Anstruther Wilkinson was an English barrister and amateur first-class cricketer.Wilkinson was born in Mount Oswald, County Durham, England, the 4th son of the Rev. Percival Spearman and Sophia Mary Anstruther. He was educated at Shrewsbury School and St John's College, Cambridge,...
The Islander which premiered at the Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal, Lincoln
The Theatre Royal is a theatre in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.The present theatre, initially called the New Theatre Royal, was built in 1893 to the designs of Bertie Crewe and W.G.R. Sprague. An explosion and fire in 1892 had destroyed the previous theatre on the site, built in 1806...
, Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
in 2002. In both of these adaptations, the role of Ebenezer was played by Guernsey-born actor Roy Dotrice
Roy Dotrice
Roy Dotrice, OBE is a British actor known for his Tony Award-winning Broadway performance in the revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten.-Life and career:...
.
There have been unsuccessful attempts to turn the novel into a feature film.
Release details
The book was published by Hamish Hamilton 1981, followed by Penguin and Knopf in America the following year. It had been the subject of numerous rejections during his lifetime, but attempts to get it published were continued after his death in 1976 by Edward Chaney, who had befriended the author in his old age.Christopher Sinclair Stevenson asked John Fowles
John Fowles
John Robert Fowles was an English novelist and essayist. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Fowles among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Birth and family:...
to write an introduction which no doubt helped drawn attention to the publication. The novel was originally intended to form the first part of a trilogy, entitled Sarnia Cherie: The Book of Ebenezer Le Page. Sarnia Cherie
Sarnia Cherie
Sarnia Cherie is used as the anthem of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. 'Sarnia' is a traditional Latin name for the island, hence, the title translates as 'Guernsey Dear'. George Deighton wrote Sarnia Cherie in 1911, with Domenico Santangelo subsequently composing the tune...
refers to the Guernsey anthem, and was retained in the title of the French translation. The other two books were to be called Le Boud'lo: the Book of Philip Le Moigne and La Gran'-mère du Chimquière: the Book of Jean le Féniant. A draft of the second part was destroyed by the author before his death.
For more details of the author, Gerald B Edwards, and how Edward Chaney eventually managed to get his Book published, see Chaney's series of three articles in the Review of the Guernsey Society (1994–96). See also his foreword on 'The Cultural Memory of Guernsey' to Yvonne Ozanne's Love Apples Too: A Life in the Bailiwick of Guernsey (2009).
It has been translated into French by Jeanine Hérisson, and was published in 1982 by Editions du Seuil
Éditions du Seuil
Éditions du Seuil is a French publishing house created in 1935, currently owned by La Martinière Groupe. It owes its name to this goal "The seuil is the whole excitement of parting and arriving...
under the title Sarnia.
Book covers
An Italian translation: Il Libro di Ebenezer Le Page has been published by Elliot Edizioni, Rome.Critical Reception
- "To read it is not like reading but living", William GoldingWilliam GoldingSir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies...
. Re Ebenezer himself, Golding wrote: "Nor are simple adjectives adequate... there is epic stature in his individualism". The following December (1981) Golding chose it as his "Book of the Year" in The Sunday TimesThe Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
.
- "The achievement is so intense and universal that the reader is rendered speechless... G.B. Edwards has succeeded in writing a great novel"; Isobel Murray inThe Financial Times.
- "A startingly original book", The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
- "strong compelling voice, both wily and innocent... it holds the reader in an Ancient Mariner grip throughout this brilliant, unusual, and, very sadly posthumous novel"; Nina Bawden in The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
.
- "G. B. Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page. I'd never heard of it. A friend gave it to me. It was written by an 80 year old recluse on the island of Guernsey, which is where it's set, and it seems to me one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. Really." - Stephen Orgel
- "There may have been stranger recent literary events than the book you are about to read, but I rather doubt it", John FowlesJohn FowlesJohn Robert Fowles was an English novelist and essayist. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Fowles among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Birth and family:...
in his 1981 Introduction; reprinted in Wormholes (1998).
- "a breathtaking novel": NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
.
- A masterpiece....One of the best novels of our time....I know of no description of happiness in modern literature equal to the one that ends this novel. Guy DavenportGuy DavenportGuy Mattison Davenport was an American writer, translator, illustrator, painter, intellectual, and teacher.-Life:...
, The New York Times Book ReviewThe New York Times Book ReviewThe New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
.
- Hubert Juin in Le MondeLe MondeLe Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
praised the freshness of the style and the literary ambitions of the author, whose aim was to speak rather than to write (Une sorte de miracle tient à l'étrange fraîcheur de l'écriture, sinon à la merveilleuse naïveté de l'écrivain. G.B. Edwards ne songe pas à écrire, il a pour seul impératif de parler).
- Maurice NadeauMaurice NadeauMaurice Nadeau is a French writer and editor. He was born in Paris. One of his well-known works, translated into several languages, is the Histoire du surréalisme , published in French in 1944 and in English 21 years later, translated by Richard Howard. Nadeau turned 100 in May 2011.- External...
, in the preface he wrote for the 1982 French edition, greeted the book as an exceptional achievement (exceptionnelle réussite), a subtle, complex and magical blend of space, time and humane sufferings and joys (un subtil, complexe et magique composé d'espace, de temps, de souffrances et de joies humaines).
External links
- The Book of Ebenezer Le Page Reading Group Guide, New York Review of Books.
- Extraordinary Ebenezer follow-up by Edward Chaney, in The Arran voice, 30 October 2008.
- Ebenezer Le Page by G B Edwards, Guernsey Society.
- G B Edwards and The Book of Ebenezer le Page, Edward Chaney, Arts and Humanities Research Council. Retrieved 1 September 2011.