The Cloud of Knowing
About this book
Award-winning memoirist and biographer Benjamin Taylor turns his eye toward the biographer's art itself in this riveting "biomystery," which bears comparison to Henry James's The Aspern Papers. Francie Bogenschine is an independent, guileful ninety-year-old Greenwich Village widow whose husband, the renowned composer Rafael Bogenschine, killed himself at the height of his fame.
The incident happened back in 1967, and Francie has fended off would-be biographers for decades, but finally decides to cooperate with one, a leading music historian named Daniel Sidorsky.
The novel takes the form of Francie's notebook, in which she faithfully writes down everything that is happening to her--not least what is happening as the result of her cooperation with Sidorsky.
Will the biographer's probe uncover the mysteries surrounding Bogenschine's work, his womanizing, and his desire to leave this earthly plane?