| The Piano Tuner | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Daniel Mason |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fiction |
| Publisher | Vintage Books |
| Publication date | August 19, 2003 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover & paperback) |
| Pages | 368 p. (hardcover) & 336 p. (paperback) |
| ISBN | 1-400-03038-2 |
| OCLC Number | 53051198 |
The Piano Tuner is a historical novel by Daniel Mason, set in British India and Burma.
The novel is set in 1886, in the jungles of Burma. The protagonist, a middle-aged man by the name of Edgar Drake is commissioned by the British War Office to repair a rare Erard grand piano belonging to a Doctor Anthony Caroll. Caroll, who is the root of many myths, had the piano shipped to him as a means to bring peace and union amongst the princes in Burma to further the expansion of the British Empire. Due to the extreme humidity that exists in a tropical climate it is soon rendered useless and horribly out of tune. The "mission" of Drake thus becomes vital to the Crown's strategic interests. What begins as a simple military venture leads to a whirlwind of sub-plots and intrigue as the surgeon-major is charged with treason, the piano tuner goes to meet the surgeon-major against the wishes of the military staff, and he is suddenly surrounded in a lush environment.[1]
The novel is due to be released as a film in 2013, to be directed by Werner Herzog.[2]