This Post Does Not Have a Controversial, Potentially Offensive Title [Any Longer]

THE 351 BOOKS OF IRMA ARCURI by David Bajo

Viking; editor Josh Kendall. Edited manuscript due June 2007.

David Bajo’s debut novel, THE 351 BOOKS OF IRMA ARCURI, is a metaphysical, literary mystery – THE SHADOW OF THE WIND written by Milan Kundera or John Fowles. Bajo’s story will appeal internationally to people who love books – he subtly (and not-so-subtly) references Borges, Camus, and Cervantes among others to great effect. Set in contemporary Philadelphia, Madrid, Barcelona and Seville, the novel tells the story of the erotically charged relationship between Irma Arcuri, a book conservator, and Philip Masryk, a mathematician. By the novel’s opening, Irma has disappeared and left her collection of 351 exquisitely bound books to Philip. In an attempt to find her he begins to read through her library, reshaping his life to explore the collection and search for Irma. He gradually discovers that not only has Irma manipulated the books, she has also customized his life to a much greater degree than he ever realized; and she may be very well designing it still: Philip’s friends, ex-wives, stepchildren, and a woman who reminds him of a recurring character in the collection all appear driven in some way by the missing Irma.

David Bajo grew up the tenth of fifteen children on a California ranch overlooking the Pacific and the Tijuana bullring. He earned a masters degree in English literature at the University of Michigan and received an MFA in fiction from UC-Irvine. He worked as a journalist in San Diego covering border culture, Mexican wrestler movies, music and drama. He also translates Spanish and Portuguese sociology, anthropology and physics. David has taught writing at UC-Irvine, Boise State and presently teaches at the University of South Carolina. He's published stories in The Sun, Zyzzyva and The Cimarron Review.

UK: Viking. Translation: Regal Literary. Sold to Holland (Signature), Italy (Sperling & Kupfer), Taiwan (Crown), Korea (Munhakdongne)

Film rights: Regal Literary

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I want to see either Sidney Greenstreet or Griffin Dunne as Phillip the mathematician and ... hmm ... Scarlett Johanssen or America Ferrera as Irma. And Dave should have a very small but notable part that will win him an honorary Oscar for best Alfred Hitchcock-like insertion of artist into film.