Davies’s The Lyre of Orpheus is the final book in the Cornish Trilogy, whose first and third books are set in and around the life of students and scholars at a fictional university in Canada. Davies has an obvious affection for academics, but he also is unsparing in his portrayal of the petty jealousies and departmental feuds that seem to be a constant part of the academic life.
In this concluding title in the series, music graduate student Hulda Schnakenburg is finishing her studies by completing an unfinished opera by the noted composer E.T.A. Hoffman. The story follows her struggles to find the right voice to finish the project, and Davies has an excellent sense for writing about music and musicians (see his essay collection Happy Alchemy: On the Pleasures of Music and the Theatre). A parallel story, that is equally enjoyable, tells of the efforts to mount a professional production of the completed work. Davies’s time as an actor adds an air of verisimilitude to these parts of the novel. Finally, overlooking all of these efforts and telling bits of his own story, is the spirit of Hoffman himself. Condemned to limbo for leaving his earthly work undone, Hoffman’s hope is that Hulda’s recreation of his opera on the Arthurian legend will be his release.
Readers interested in music and theater will find much to enjoy in this delightful tale for one of Canada’s finest writers. While The Lyre of Orpheus can be read on its on, the story is even richer if you start at the beginning with The Rebel Angels.
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