Fugitive Pieces

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Fugitive Pieces is a novel by Canadian poet Anne Michaels. First published in 1996 by McClelland and Stewart, it was awarded the Orange Prize for Fiction.

It follows the story of Jakob Beer, who as a child narrowly escaped being killed by the Nazis. The novel traces his life in Poland, Greece, and Canada. It is written in a poetic style with persistent layers of metaphor, often called forth via another major character, Athos Roussos. Roussos' paleobotanical research involves peeling back physical layers of archeological strata as well as temporal layers of change and decay. The novel explores themes of trauma, grief, and memory, as well as discovery both personal and scientific.

The novel is being made into a feature film produced by Robert Lantos through his Toronto-based Serendipity Point Films Inc. The motion picture is currently in postproduction. It is directed by Jeremy Podeswa based on his original screenplay adaptation of the Michaels novel. It stars Stephen Dillane as Jakob Beer and Rade Šerbedžija as Athos.

[edit] Plot summary

[edit] Part 1

Jakob Beer, the seven year old child, escapes the fate of his parents and, it is suspected, Bella, his sister, (i.e. being murdered by soldiers) by hiding in a wall. He hides in the forest, burying himself up to the neck in soil. After some time, he runs to a man digging in the Biskupin mud. He learns the man is Athos, and Athos takes him to Greece. Athos is an archaeologist and geologist, fascinated with ancient wood and stones and especially Antarctica. Jakob learns Greek and English, but finds that learning new languages erases his memory of the past. Athos and Jakob move to Toronto, where Jakob meets Alexandra in a music store. Alex is a fast-paced, outspokenly philosophical master of wordplays. Jakob and Alex fall in love and marry, but the relationship fails because Alex expects Jakob to change too fast and abandon his past. Jakob dwells constantly on his memories of Bella, especially her piano-playing. He is eventually able to reconcile the lack of closure on Bella and move on. Jakob returns to Greece and meets Michaela; they are a good match. Jakob resolves to name his child Bela or Bella, after his sister, and pays tribute to Bella by revisiting his time in the Biskupin forest.

Preceded by Helen Dunmore - A Spell of Winter

Orange Prize for Fiction 1997

Succeeded by Carol Shields - Larry's Party