Music, in a Foreign Language

by Andrew Crumey

Set in an imaginary police state in modern Britain, Andrew Crumey's debut novel explores the complex friendship between two men, Charles King and Robert Waters, a physicist and a historian who share a secret history of political and sexual dimensions. An underground magazine they had once co-published brings then under an investigation that pits one against the other. As the novel's narrator unfolds the tale, he reveals pieces of his own life. His autobiography is augmented by the story of the two friends like the melody and counterpoint of a fugue, until both movements inevitably join across time.

Genres: Fiction, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Alternate History, Literature

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Andrew Crumey has a PhD in theoretical physics and is former literary editor of Scotland on Sunday. He won the £60,000 Northern Rock Foundation Writer's Award - the UK's largest literary prize - in 2006. His novels combine history, science, philosophy and humour, and have been translated into fifteen languages. Music, in a Foreign Language won the Saltire First Book Award; Sputnik Caledonia was shortlisted for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize; The Great Chain of Unbeing was shortlisted for the Saltire Fiction Award. He has also been nominated for the Arthur C Clarke Award and longlisted for the Booker Prize.

Reviews

[Vit Babenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a single road we’re walking along… And there are myriads of roads we’ve never chosen…

…by taking any particular course of action, one denies and loses for ever all the other paths along which one could have ventured. Sad, that life should have to be a gradual pruning of that great tree of possibilities, until one is left with a single trunk, leading to a single branch, and a single twig on the end of which one’s life reaches its ultimate conclusion.

So in this novel Andrew Crumey commences to multiply the number of possibilities… A character wants to write a story in which a young man rides a train reading a tale in which a boy sees a girl riding a bus and falls in love. A boy begins to look for a girl and when he finds her she escapes fleeing, leaving behind a notebook in which a boy discovers a story of how a boy has fell in love with a girl riding a bus…

The rewriting of history is not a purely modern preoccupation. Indeed, one could argue that history itself is little more than an accumulation of alterations and amendments; the endless recreating of the past. We need only consider the subtlety of the immediate present, and the infinite malleability of our own perceptions, to realise that the past is a thing without substance, without meaning, unless it is interpreted. And to interpret is to rewrite.

Music, in a Foreign Language is a piece of the dreary alternative history, a book borrowed from The Library of Babel existing in Jorge Luis Borges’ universe…
From reality to dystopia there is just a step.

[Jonfaith · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ordered first novel, this is a 3.5 star effort. It is also mild and polite. The novel concerns political oppression and betrayal in an alternate historical 20C where the UK is subject to a Stalinist regime. The previous two sentences create a tension. Victory gin can help with that. Two of the characters play duets --which makes for brighter mornings. There's a car crash and a great deal of sitting on trains.

There's a good deal of meta reframing going along: found notebooks, the germ of a novel during a nocturnal trip to the toilet. There's also philosophical musing -- destiny and love fare and fall. There a crackpot who claims that physics led him to Jesus and a cure for halitosis. The novel is drab and understated. There is a stirring within, a promise of a wider violent lens. I think I'd prefer that one.

[Arax Miltiadous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Τι σου είναι αυτός ο άνθρωπος λοιπόν!!!! Ταλαντούχος πολύ, ομολογώ! Ότι έχω διαβάσει( όλα σχεδόν) εξίσου υπέροχα, εκκεντρικά, ιδιόρρυθμα, φανταστικά. Τελειώνει το βιβλίο, εξηγείς τα πάντα μέσα σου, ικανοποιημένος, σαν την στιγμή της απόλυτης διαύγειας και μετά μυριάδες σκέψεις αναβλύζουν από όλα τα πλοκάμια της ιστορίας που σταδιακά σου φανέρωσε. Της πολύ μικρής γεύσης ενός υπέροχου εδέσματος που συμπληρώνει και ολοκληρώνει το ο εγχείρημα εξαρχής!!! Πολύ ωραίο βιβλίο πραγματικά!!!

[Paul Dembina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Crumey's Russian doll-like structure of stories within stories didn't quite work for me as most of the emphasis was on the innermost story. However I certainly got through it quickly and enjoyed my time there

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't surprised to learn the author has done research on nonlinear dynamics, of which I have only the vaguest of notions, by the way. 4* if you like puzzles, glimpses and the occasional thought-nugget about writing & storifying your life. Which I do. So. Nonlinear reviewing.

[Giannis Coyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Το να διαβάζεις βιβλία όπως η "Μουσική σε ξένη γλώσσα" είναι σαν να βρίσκεσαι ανάμεσα σε δυο καθρέφτες που είναι τοποθετημένοι ο ένας απέναντι από τον άλλον και να κοιτάς μέσα από ένα καλειδοσκόπιο την αέναη κίνηση ανοίγματος και αποκάλυψης κουκλών μπαμπούσκα.

Mind blowing μυθιστόρημα, συνίσταται για τους λάτρεις των βιβλίων του Italo Calvino. Πραγματικά κρίμα που τα βιβλία του Andrew Crumey, παρά τα πολυάριθμα βραβεία με τα οποία έχουν τιμηθεί, δεν έχουν την αναγνωσιμότητα που θα τους έπρεπε.

5/5*

[Bogdan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was very intriguing to me, because it makes some allusions to certain events that did not happen. That the allusions are made assuming that they were real events and that everyone should know them. The author wants to convince the readers that England was under German occupation during World War II and that afterward a communism regime ruled Great Britain. At a point of time I thought that the translator of the book did some mistake or that there is a typo. After encountering the same statement twice in the book I realized that the author planned it. Anyhow the novel is interesting, a little bit intriguing and quite interesting in the end.
My copy of this book is in Romanian.

[Gordon Blake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Скажу сразу, чтобы не тянуть с этим - книга просто отвратительно написана. Мистер Круми умеет собирать сюжет, надо отдать ему должное, но стиль?
Разберемся со структурой. По здешним выкрутасам с матрешкой в матрешке книга запросто попадает под определение "по-мо". Здесь: писатель пишет книгу о писателе, который пишет о человеке в поезде, который читает книгу, в которой официант читает блокнотик хорошенькой девушки, в котором: "каждая буква, округлая и безмолвная, была и свидетелем преступления, и самой идеей преступления". Добавим сверху нехитрые флешбеки двадцатигодичной давности, и слои "книга-в-книге" наложатся друг на друга так, что не раздерешь: ближе к финалу становится понятно, откуда у той или иной сюжетной ветви растут ноги, и как эти ветви пронизывают этот слоеный тортик насквозь.
Сюжет прост: автор (не автор книги, а автор книги-в-книге) пребывает в бесконечном поиске той единственной книги, которую мечтает написать, но застревает на рубиконе видоизменяющихся гольдберговских вариаций, который ему не преодолеть. Ему остается лишь надеяться на то, что когда-нибудь читатель отыщет ее пожелтевшеие страницы на полках Вавилонской библиотеки Борхеса.
Наименее интересная часть книги - частые повторения одних и тех же фрагментов, иногда - целых страниц, и, собственно, основной сюжет, касающийся фальсификации истории, сексуальной объективации женщин, превратностей судьбы и музыки на иностранном. А в итоге: пустышка в яркой обложке.

[Kirsten · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ein Mann und eine junge Frau treffen sich auf einer Zugfahrt. Die junge Frau wird für ihre Gegenüber die Protagonistin des Romans, den er sich gerade ausdenkt. Aber auch außerhalb des Romans findet er sie interessant und überlegt, wie ihr Leben wohl aussehen mag. Aber eigentlich sind die beiden, wie viele andere Charaktere auch, nur Teile der Geschichte, die gerade über sie geschrieben wird.

Andrew Crumey hat mit diesem Buch eine Geschichte in der Geschichte geschrieben, die von verschiedenen Charakteren aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln erzählt wird. Das klingt auf den ersten Blick interessant, aber es war für mich sehr schwierig zu lesen. Einzelne Passagen haben mir gut gefallen, aber für mich war es keine zusammenhängende Geschichte, sondern Fragmente, bei denen ich keinen Zusammenhang erkennen konnte. Es passiert nicht oft, dass eine Geschichte so komplett an mir vorbei geht.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading this book I teared up quite a few times, so invested in the characters was I. I was consistently awed by passages (more like mini treatises) dealing w history, physics, sexuality, and more. Ultimately I wish the author would have dialed back the metaliterature/postmodern musings, however I highly recommend this book.

PS as a musician I was satisfied with the way the author incorporated music into his Weltanschauung, although it was limited to classical music. Be on the lookout for the discussion of variations on a theme in music as variations on different possible courses history can take. Trippy stuff.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

it seemed as if this was 3 books in 1. and autobiography of the author, an unrelated story of a train ride, and the only plot i liked: the speculative fiction. wad a little disappointing by the end. i skipped many chapters that were outside the speculative fiction side of things (which i usually never do)

[LeastTorque · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book mesmerized me. Like a record that gets stuck on an interesting passage, then moves on before replaying it repetitively once again.

Of all the potential paths lying in our future, please let’s not take this one.

[Reggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it difficult to get into this novel. The story did pick up though and I did enjoy it.

[Sini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek is het prijswinnend debuut van Andrew Crumey, een relatief onbekende Schotse auteur, die echter in Groot-Brittannië een goede pers heeft. En het is een mooi debuut. Hij ontleent veel aan Borges, Kundera en Calvino, schrijvers waarvan ik hou. En hij hanteert ook een vrij experimentele wijze van vertellen, waar ik ook nogal van hou. Liefhebbers van realistische verhalen met kop en staart kunnen Crumey beter vermijden, maar liefhebbers van omwegen, zijpaden, gedachte-experimenten, puzzels en onopgeloste raadsels, beleven aan Crumey veel plezier. Ook al omdat hij ook helder schrijft en interessante vragen stelt, die hij intelligent en elegant formuleert.

Deze roman is gevuld met verhalen in verhalen in verhalen in verhalen: een verhaal A is ingebed in verhaal B is ingebed in C is ingebed in D, en ga zo maar door. Personages uit het ene verhaal bedenken dan het andere verhaal, waarin iemand weer een ander verhaal bedenkt, waarin iemand een verhaal leest en op basis daarvan weer een ander verhaal bedenkt, enzovoort. En in die verhalen gaat het niet alleen om wat er gebeurt en is gebeurd, maar vooral om de vraag naar de mogelijke oorzaken, naar de mogelijke betekenis van de gebeurtenissen, naar het ‘grotere geheel’ waarbinnen die gebeurtenissen mogelijk zouden kunnen worden geïnterpreteerd. En daarnaast draait het ook om wat had kunnen gebeuren en zou kunnen gaan gebeuren. Want de zogeheten ‘werkelijkheid’ is behalve onverklaarbaar ook steeds toevallig, en had ook zo maar anders kunnen zijn: er is geen duidelijk waarom, alleen een oerwoud aan mogelijkheden en raadsels. Crumey spreekt dan ook van de ‘labyrinthine nature of Possibility’ , het labyrint van MOGELIJKE oorzaken, MOGELIJKE verhalen en MOGELIJKE geschiedenissen. Iets waar een romanschrijver altijd mee worstelt, maar ook de historicus, de natuurkundige, en iedereen die mijmert over zijn levensloop. Al deze verhalen staan ook vol met intrigerende ‘what if’ gedachte-experimenten. Bovendien zijn ze ook zelf in een gedachte-experiment (een ‘what if’-kader) ingebed: ze spelen in een fictief Groot-Brittannië dat na WO II een tijd lang een dictatuur is geweest. En alle verhalen onderzoeken dan het mogelijk gedrag van mogelijke personages in zo’n fictieve situatie. Spionage, moeizame en deels verboden liefdesgevoelens, en allerlei vermoedens op basis van gestolen documenten spelen in al deze verhalen een grote rol. En de verteller van het merendeel van die verhalen breekt geregeld af en begint dan opnieuw met een andere versie, steeds zoekend naar de definitieve roman die ‘ergens’ verborgen moet zijn maar die hij niet vindt.

Dit lijkt allemaal ingewikkelder en zwaarwichtiger dan het is, want Crumeys stijl is steeds kraakhelder en ook vederlicht (enkele m.i. wat te emotionele zinnen met uitroeptekens daargelaten). Naarmate het boek vordert worden overeenkomsten, raakpunten en verschillen tussen de verhalen ook steeds duidelijker. Het boek laat zich genieten als een aantal variaties op een thema, zoals ook in de muziek (waarover Crumey mooie dingen schrijft). Bovendien is ontroerend om te zien hoe de personages tasten naar de raadselachtige zin van hun levensloop, en daarbij soms ook terugschrikken voor de mogelijk pijnlijke geheimen die ze zouden kunnen vinden. En dat aarzelende tasten wordt dan mooi zichtbaar gemaakt door de vorm van deze roman, die immers uit allemaal tastende en onvoltooide verhalen in verhalen bestaat. Kortom: interessant boek, interessante schrijver, en ik ga zeker meer van hem lezen.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, but I'm not really sure why. It's a little confusing, and sometimes annoying how Crumey--or the fictional author character--repeats himself, but at the same time it's reassuring. It obviously says a lot about the writing process, which is probably why I liked it so much. It says a lot about possibility, about changing. I don't know, I just really enjoyed it.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm kind of surprised that I am giving this book 4 stars. It took me forever to finish and for most of the first half, I felt like I was walking through deep mud. The second half really surprised me, though. And by the last third, I was in love with it.

A very interesting (and at times, difficult) read.

[Bob Finch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling, quirky read. Multiple stories intertwined gradually converge. But I felt it faded towards the end, becoming more conventional, something I would not have said if the feel of the early chapters had been maintained. Very enjoyable... and I think worth revisiting. A lot of layers, maybe more than I was able to grasp in a first quick read.

[Dottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly not an easy or readily accessible book so hard to explain what made it such a shatteringly grand reading experience. The right timing? The right mood? Whatever it was, this book filled that reading moment perfectly.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tend to lean toward books having to do with Music or Life in Italy, and this had both.
It was good, but I think I was sort of expecting more from it.

[Bogdan Paliciuc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faina carte si ...." initial am iubit-o asa cum iubesti o piesa muzicala". Intrigant, nu?

[Predrag Djokic · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderful book set in a totalitarian Britain. well written, plots put together with some intricacy. about love, and thought, and memory, and the cyclical nature of the world.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of academia and a friendship built on music. Too often, however, the unusual form seems to hinder more than help and otherwise interesting themes get bogged down by heavy re-structuring.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm convinced that Crumey is a little known literary genius and not only that but he has found the perfect hybrid of literary and science fiction in his work. This book deals with the idea that the version of our lives that we live is one of infinite possible versions and we live the one we live at the expense of all the other paths that are stolen from us. This poetic notion would have defeated many other writers but Crumey nails it in his first novel and in a brisk presentation.

Since the two works of his that I have read both explore alternate realities it is ironic that I found him by accident. I first picked up Mobius Dick in the clearance section of a used bookstore having never heard of it or its author. Most of the books I pick up this way turn out to be trash. This is the only one that has turned out to be masterpiece. Then I stumbled across this book at another used bookstore, only the second of his books I have come across, though this is his first novel. It turned out to be another masterpiece. I don't think I'll just sit and wait for his other books to introduce themselves into my life.

[Sergio Perkunas · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'ho appena iniziato però posso dire subito che questo come gli altri libri di Crumey hanno le copertine più brutte che abbia mai incontrato!