Timbuktu (novella)
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| Timbuktu | |
| Author | Paul Auster |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novella |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Publication date | 1999 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 186 pp (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0-571-22909-3 (paperback edition) |
| Preceded by | Mr Vertigo |
| Followed by | The Book of Illusions |
Timbuktu is a 1999 novella by Paul Auster. It is about the life of a dog, Mr Bones, who is struggling to come to terms with the the fact that his homeless master is dying.
The story, set in the early 1990s, is told through the eyes of Mr Bones, who, although not anthropomorphised, has an internal monologue in English. The story centres around his last journey with his ailing master, Willy G Christmas, to Baltimore, but the details of both of their early lives are told in flashback.
The title of the book comes from the concept of the afterlife as proposed by Christmas, a self-titled poet, who believed it was a beautiful place called Timbuktu. A major running theme in the book is Mr Bones' worry that dogs will not go to Timbuktu, and he won't see Willy again after death.
The novella also draws on themes of existentialism, finding puropse in one's life, and a meditation on late 20th century America.
It is referenced in the Fionn Regan song Put a Penny in the Slot.
