Gentlemen of the Road
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| Gentlemen of the Road | |
 First edition cover |
|
| Author | Michael Chabon |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Gary Gianni |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel, adventure novel |
| Publisher |  Del Rey Books, Sceptre |
| Publication date | October 30, 2007 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) and audio CD |
| Pages | 208 pp (1st edition, hardcover) |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0-345-50174-5 (1st edition, hardcover) |
Gentlemen of the Road is a 2007 serial novel by American author Michael Chabon. It originally appeared in fifteen installments in The New York Times Magazine from January 28 to May 6, 2007. In October 2007, Del Rey Books (Sceptre in the United Kingdom) published the novel in hardcover, with a new afterword written by Chabon. The book is illustrated with black-and-white drawings by comic book artist Gary Gianni.[1]
Gentlemen of the Road is a "swashbuckling adventure"[2] set in the Kingdom of Arran around AD 950. It follows two horsethieves—a massive African Jew named Amram, and a hat-loving Frankish Jew named Zelikman—as they become swept up in a rebellion and try to restore a displaced prince to the throne. The story deals with the Khazars, a Turkic people who embraced Judaism.
Chabon said he agreed to write the serial because he has "always been intrigued by accounts and legends of the Khazars" and the idea of an ancient Jewish Kingdom.[3] To prepare for writing the novel (which for a few months had the working title Jews with Swords),[2] Chabon researched the Khazars and "tried to let it all sink in."[3] He also re-read the historical romances of Alexandre Dumas, père, Fritz Leiber, George MacDonald Fraser, and Michael Moorcock, to whom the novel is dedicated.
[edit] References
- ^ "Del Rey Acquires Pulitzer Prize-Winner Michael Chabon's New Book". Fresh Fiction (March 16, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
- ^ a b Lengel, Kerry. "Author mines Jewish history", The Arizona Republic, 2006-10-04. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ a b Michael Chabon Answers Readers' Questions, The New York Times, 2007-02-08. Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
[edit] External links
- "The adventures of Michael Chabon", a review of Gentlemen of the Road in The Times Literary Supplement, by Michael Caines, November 28, 2007
