| World of Wonders | |
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Paperback edition of World of Wonders |
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| Author(s) | Robertson Davies |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Deptford Trilogy |
| Publisher | Penguin Group |
| Publication date | 1975 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 316 |
| Preceded by | The Manticore |
World of Wonders is the third novel in Robertson Davies' Deptford Trilogy.
First published by Macmillan of Canada in 1975, this novel focuses on the life-story of the fictional conjuror Magnus Eisengrim.
Contents |
Eisengrim (also known by at least four other names throughout the trilogy) tells the story of his life to a group of filmmakers who are producing a biographical film about the great magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin for the BBC. They are headed by the world famous Swedish director Jurgen Lind, evidently modeled on Ingmar Bergman. Also present during the story are Eisengrim's friends Dunstan Ramsay and Liesl, who both appear in the earlier instalments of the Deptford Trilogy. Ramsay reprises the role of narrator that he played in the first novel, Fifth Business, but in this case it is only to add context and continuity to the internal narration of Eisengrim. The life story of Eisengrim pulls together many events found throughout the previous two novels, showing them from an entirely different perspective.
The book contains an extended treatment of the paedophillic abuse inflicted on the young Eisengrim by his abductor who repeatedly sodomizes him and uses him to obtain morphine, but in turn teaches him hand magic. The book explains that such are the sacrifices one must expect to make in order to master completely some sphere of human activity---magic in the case of Eisengrim.
Canadian magician David Ben in collaboration with former CBC Television director Patrick Watson produced in the 1990s a stage magic show inspired by many of the elements in World of Wonders.