The mysterious death of Canadian magnate Boy Staunton serves as the backdrop for this story narrated by his childhood friend Dunstan Ramsay, a man who will have to face his own life story in order to make sense of the circumstances surrounding his friend’s death. From the very beginning of his tale, Ramsay casts a mystical and not completely innocuous influence over those around him, and seemingly innocent actions will later be revealed as significant events in others’ lives. Although it can be read independently, this novel is the first and most celebrated installment of The Deptford Trilogy.

Alrededor de la misteriosa muerte del magnate canadiense Boy Staunton se teje la trama de esta novela narrada por su amigo de la infancia Dunstan Ramsay, quien al intentar aclarar las circunstancias de su muerte no tendrá más remedio que enfrentarse al relato de su propia vida. Desde el principio de su historia, Ramsay ejerce una influencia mística y no del todo inocua en quienes lo rodean, y acciones que aparentan ser inocentes se revelarán como acontecimientos decisivos en las vidas de otros. Aunque puede ser leída independientemente, esta novela es el primer y más celebrado libro de la Trilogía de Deptford.

Robertson Davies, novelist, playwright, literary critic and essayist, was born in 1913 in Thamesville, Ontario. He was educated at Queen's University, Toronto, and Balliol College, Oxford. Whilst at Oxford he became interested in the theatre and from 1938 until 1940 he was a teacher and actor at the Old Vic in London. He subsequently wrote a number of plays. In 1940 he returned to Canada, where he was literary editor of Saturday Night, an arts, politics and current affairs journal, until 1942, when he became editor and later publisher of the Peterborough Examiner. Several of his books, including The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks and The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks, had their origins in an editorial column. In 1962 he was appointed Professor of English at the University of Toronto, and in 1963 was appointed the first Master of the University's Massey College. He retired in 1981, but remained Master Emeritus and Professor Emeritus. He held honorary doctorates from twenty-six universities in the UK, the USA and Canada, and he received numerous awards for his work, including the Governor-General's Award for The Manticore in 1973. It is as a writer of fiction that Robertson Davies achieved international recognition, with such books as The Salterton Trilogy (Tempest-Tost, Leaven Of Malice, winner of the Leacock Award for Humour, and A Mixture Of Frailties); The Deptford Trilogy (Fifth Business, The Manticore and World Of Wonders); The Cornish Trilogy (The Rebel Angels, What's Bred in the Bone, shortlisted for the 1986 Booker Prize, and The Lyre of Orpheus); Murther & Walking Spirits; and The Cunning Man. His other work includes One Half of Robertson Davies, The Enthusiasms of Robertson Davies, Robertson Davies: The Well-Tempered Critic, The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks, High Spirits, A Voice From The Attic and The Merry Heart, a posthumous collection of autobiography, lectures and essays. Many of his books are published by Penguin.

Robertson Davies died in December 1995. Malcolm Bradbury described him as 'one of the great modern novelists', and in its obituary The Times wrote: 'Davies encompassed all the great elements of life...His novels combined deep seriousness and psychological inquiry with fantasy and exuberant mirth.'

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"[A] massive Dickensian will at the mercy of an intelligence . . . that, when it comes to being personal and wise, begins and ends with itself."  “Rodrigo Fresán, author, Kensington Gardens

"He is one of the most learned, amusing and otherwise accomplished novelists of our time. His novels will be recognized with the very best work of this century."  ?John Kenneth Galbraith, author, The Affluent Society

"Robertson Davies is the sort of novelist readers can hardly wait to tell their friends about."  “Washington Post

"Davies is author to one of the most consistent narrative works of the 20th century."  “La Vanguardia

"Robertson Davies is one of the great modern novelists."  “Sunday Times

"[T]he greatest comic writer since Dickens."  “John Irving, author, The Cider House Rules