The Passion (novel)

The Passion is a 1987 novel by British novelist Jeannette Winterson. The novel depicts a young French soldier in the Napoleonic army during 1805 as he takes charge of Napoleon's personal larder.[1] The novel won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.[2] Publication and subsequent sales of the novel allowed Winterson to stop working other jobs, and support herself as a full-time writer.[3]

First edition (publ. Bloomsbury Press)

Though nominally a historical novel, Winterson takes considerable liberties with the depiction of the historical setting and various strategies for interpreting the historical—making the novel historiographic metafiction.[4] The novel also explores themes like passion, constructions of gender and sexuality, and broader themes common to 1980s and 90s British fiction.[4] Parts of the novel are set in Venice—Winterson had yet to visit the city when she wrote about it, instead the depiction was entirely fictional.[3]

Mark Knopfler wrote a song inspired by the novel, called "Done with Bonaparte." It was also the inspiration behind Hunters & Collector's song Holy Grail.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews described the novel as " fascinating" and demonstrating "considerable powers" comparing the novel to the works of Robertson Davies.[1]

On 5 November 2019, BBC News listed The Passion on its list of the 100 most influential novels.[5]

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References
  1. "THE PASSION by Jeanette Winterson". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  2. "Witherson, Jeanette: The Passion". faculty.webster.edu. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  3. Bilger, Audrey (1997-01-01). "Jeanette Winterson, The Art of Fiction No. 150". Paris Review (145). ISSN 0031-2037. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  4. Sánchez, José Francisco Fernández (1996-01-01). "PLAY AND (HI)STORY IN JEANETTE WINTERSON'S "THE PASSION"". Atlantis. 18 (1/2): 95–104. JSTOR 41054816.
  5. "100 'most inspiring' novels revealed by BBC Arts". BBC News. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2019-11-10. The reveal kickstarts the BBC's year-long celebration of literature.
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