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Queen of Swords
A conventional man falls into an obsessive love affair with a bewitching stranger, in a tale of erotic mystery and enchanted passion set on the far side of paradise
175 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
1 person is currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
William Kotzwinkle
82 books258 followersWilliam Kotzwinkle is a two-time recipient of the National Magazine Award for Fiction, a winner of the World Fantasy Award, the Prix Litteraire des Bouquinistes des Quais de Paris, the PETA Award for Children's Books, and a Book Critics Circle award nominee. His work has been translated into dozens of languages.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 27, 2008
A semi-crazed writer named Eric and his pudgy painter wife Janet take a beach house in a fishing village during the winter. Janet subsists on sugar buns, while Eric loads up on brown rice and Norwegian tea crackers. Eric tries to wheedle Janet into jogging with him, playing an Autoharp while he plays the flute, and joining him on his dismal diet. Janet resists, drawing into herself and sitting in the window, looking out at the sea.
When Janet suggests that the psychosomatic Eric, who perpetually insists that he is having a heart attack, attend the Arthur Strangways' Total Health Seminar, he decides to go. There he meets Nora, the Queen of Swords. Nora is the exotic silver-haired widow of one of Eric's favorite composers, Lingard. Eric's attraction to Nora is piqued, and he joins her first for runs on the beach, then for karate lessons.
The following moment happens as Eric and Janet are having lunch at the local diner:
"Never trust a writer.
They think they can do atrocious things and then just tear them out of the typewriter, throw them away and start fresh.
They think they can go to a Total Healing Seminar, meet an attractive woman there, go to her house for tea and then crumple the moment up, throw it away, and forget it ever happened.
The moment was just now walking in the door of the restaurant."
The book has only a few other characters. Heinz, a former writing colleague of Eric's, who has become a lookout man for a local dope smuggling business, drifts in and out. Mamba, the cajoling, conga-slapping percussionist, sleeps on Nora's sofa. The wildly careening karate teacher, Yamaguchi, joins forces with Mamba in scheme after scheme to get rich quick. The ghost of Lingard is there as well, bringing yet another dimension to the shenanigans in the ever-downward spiral that is Eric's life.
Kotzwinkle brings his special brand of wry humor and pert observation to this treatise on the creative process, writers, cheating husbands, and the dramatic consequences of falling in love with the Queen of Swords.
When Janet suggests that the psychosomatic Eric, who perpetually insists that he is having a heart attack, attend the Arthur Strangways' Total Health Seminar, he decides to go. There he meets Nora, the Queen of Swords. Nora is the exotic silver-haired widow of one of Eric's favorite composers, Lingard. Eric's attraction to Nora is piqued, and he joins her first for runs on the beach, then for karate lessons.
The following moment happens as Eric and Janet are having lunch at the local diner:
"Never trust a writer.
They think they can do atrocious things and then just tear them out of the typewriter, throw them away and start fresh.
They think they can go to a Total Healing Seminar, meet an attractive woman there, go to her house for tea and then crumple the moment up, throw it away, and forget it ever happened.
The moment was just now walking in the door of the restaurant."
The book has only a few other characters. Heinz, a former writing colleague of Eric's, who has become a lookout man for a local dope smuggling business, drifts in and out. Mamba, the cajoling, conga-slapping percussionist, sleeps on Nora's sofa. The wildly careening karate teacher, Yamaguchi, joins forces with Mamba in scheme after scheme to get rich quick. The ghost of Lingard is there as well, bringing yet another dimension to the shenanigans in the ever-downward spiral that is Eric's life.
Kotzwinkle brings his special brand of wry humor and pert observation to this treatise on the creative process, writers, cheating husbands, and the dramatic consequences of falling in love with the Queen of Swords.
January 2, 2015
I read this right after finishing Kotzwinkle's The Fan Man and I have to say: if he keeps this up, I think I may have just found a new favorite! The only constants here are the oddity of the characters and the authenticity of the execution: it is easy to suspend your disbelief when writing is this persuasive and compelling.
Maybe I'm just dumb (or haven't read my Jung) but the story is obviously absolutely pregnant with symbolism which seems like it should be so obvious somehow (perhaps to someone in the know) but, for me anyway, remained for the most part an oblique mystery. This did not detract from enjoying the book at all.
A short, bizarre(--often hilariously so), meandering, and strangely profound little book. Highly recommended--that recommendation is doubled, if you find yourself married.
Would be an interesting "double-bill" with Joyce Carol Oates' Solstice which (of course :)) lacks the humour of this novel but is nonetheless an excellent (and ultimately depressing) book.
Maybe I'm just dumb (or haven't read my Jung) but the story is obviously absolutely pregnant with symbolism which seems like it should be so obvious somehow (perhaps to someone in the know) but, for me anyway, remained for the most part an oblique mystery. This did not detract from enjoying the book at all.
A short, bizarre(--often hilariously so), meandering, and strangely profound little book. Highly recommended--that recommendation is doubled, if you find yourself married.
Would be an interesting "double-bill" with Joyce Carol Oates' Solstice which (of course :)) lacks the humour of this novel but is nonetheless an excellent (and ultimately depressing) book.
April 18, 2025
Je collectionne en ce moment les livres qui sont supers sur leur première moitié et puis patatra.
Les cent premières pages ici tutoient Fan man, comme une autre nuance du même personnage. Par contre dès que l'auteur le case, là où je pensais qu'il allait nourrir le tout du long avec ses ambiguités, il semble y perdre également la magie de sa plume espiègle, ses explosions goguenarde et son inventivité. Est-ce un parallèle avec la vie de couple devenue plus plan-plan ? Si vite ? Moui...
Les cent premières pages ici tutoient Fan man, comme une autre nuance du même personnage. Par contre dès que l'auteur le case, là où je pensais qu'il allait nourrir le tout du long avec ses ambiguités, il semble y perdre également la magie de sa plume espiègle, ses explosions goguenarde et son inventivité. Est-ce un parallèle avec la vie de couple devenue plus plan-plan ? Si vite ? Moui...
April 15, 2016
(I had the UK Abacus/Sphere edition) A married man, a little lost, not quite sure who he is, becomes irresistibly taken with a free-spirited, mysterious, and enchanting woman.
Queen of Swords is an entertaining story of the important difference between delusion and illusion. It's about men's Madonna, whore, muse, marriage conundrum, set in a world where the sixties never ended, with undertones of Donleavy, Farina, Vonnegut, and Pynchon (not a bad bowling team there). It's about a writer in Maine who is tempted. There's even a ghost and a moral ending. Queen of Swords is a wild ride and there will be no problem finishing this book. What was most striking for me was how wonderfully well Kotzwinkle writes. He has a humorous, observant, clever, witty, charming, visual style that is irresistible. Not a book for squares, despite the moral ending, as the pot is plentiful. Queen of Swords is a quick and very enjoyable read. My only hesitation regarding the book was that after all the entertainment, it ended up seeming just a little slight or facile considering the subject matter. Or maybe that's just me: Kotzwinkle's use of humor and eccentric characters seems to have created an emotional distance for me. But for a speedy, fun romp with the bonus of a lesson embedded, this is the book. [4 Stars]
Queen of Swords is an entertaining story of the important difference between delusion and illusion. It's about men's Madonna, whore, muse, marriage conundrum, set in a world where the sixties never ended, with undertones of Donleavy, Farina, Vonnegut, and Pynchon (not a bad bowling team there). It's about a writer in Maine who is tempted. There's even a ghost and a moral ending. Queen of Swords is a wild ride and there will be no problem finishing this book. What was most striking for me was how wonderfully well Kotzwinkle writes. He has a humorous, observant, clever, witty, charming, visual style that is irresistible. Not a book for squares, despite the moral ending, as the pot is plentiful. Queen of Swords is a quick and very enjoyable read. My only hesitation regarding the book was that after all the entertainment, it ended up seeming just a little slight or facile considering the subject matter. Or maybe that's just me: Kotzwinkle's use of humor and eccentric characters seems to have created an emotional distance for me. But for a speedy, fun romp with the bonus of a lesson embedded, this is the book. [4 Stars]
February 28, 2013
I loved Kotzwinkle's "The Bear Went Over The Mountain." I picked this up, hoping for the same fun and enjoyment. I didn't get it. The characters are annoying, and deserve everything they got. I always try to find at least one sympathetic character in any story, but this one didn't have any.
May 26, 2015
Number two on my list of favourite books ever. Poignant but funny, tragical comedy from a master storyteller.
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May 30, 2018Seem to remember Kotzwinkle had me laughing out loud. Must re-read
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews