Coming Through Slaughter
Coming Through Slaughter by Michael Ondaatje, published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on March 19, 1996, is a reprint edition comprising 160 pages. This book brings to life the vibrant panorama of New Orleans during the early jazz era, focusing on the life of Buddy Bolden, a pivotal figure in the history of jazz. Through a fictionalized lens, Ondaatje explores the complexities of Bolden’s existence, his artistry, and the madness that accompanied his genius, creating a narrative that captures the essence of a transformative time in music.
Readers will find a lyrical exploration of Bolden’s life as an unrecorded father of jazz, portrayed as an elusive figure whose mysteries remain tantalizingly unresolved. The narrative unfolds like a modern detective story, where the pursuit of understanding Bolden’s character and impact is as significant as the answers themselves. With elements of fiction, biography, and historical context, this work invites readers to engage with the enigmatic nature of creativity and legacy, making it a notable addition to Ondaatje’s literary contributions.
Official synopsis Publisher
Bringing to life the fabulous, colorful panorama of New Orleans in the first flush of the jazz era, this book tells the story of Buddy Bolden, the first of the great trumpet players–some say the originator of jazz–who was, in any case, the genius, the guiding spirit, and the king of that time and place.
In this fictionalized meditation, Bolden, an unrecorded father of Jazz, remains throughout a tantalizingly ungraspable phantom, the central mysteries of his life, his art, and his madness remaining felt but never quite pinned down. Ondaatje’s prose is at times startlingly lyrical, and as he chases Bolden through documents and scenes, the novel partakes of the very best sort of modern detective novel–one where the enigma is never resolved, but allowed to manifest in its fullness. Though more ‘experimental’ in form than either The English Patient or In the Skin of a Lion, it is a fitting addition to the renowned Ondaatje oeuvre.
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