Herma
A delightful literary rediscovery by the National Book Award-nominated Macdonald Harris, HERMA is the colorful, fanciful, and moving story of a willful young opera singer at the turn of the century. As a child in Southern California in the late 1900s, Herma exhibits an incredible talent for vocal mimicry. Her gift will eventually take her from the choir of her country church to the Paris Opera, thanks in no small part to the machinations of her daredevil agent, Fred Hite. It is an opulent rags-to-riches tale full of excitement, sexual intrigue, and decadence, and features cameos by Puccini and Proust, among others. Herma and Fred are glamorous and adventuresome guides to turn of the century San Francisco and Paris, but there's a secret at the heart of their intimate relationship. This twinned hero and heroine pair and the profound connection between them makes HERMA the most ambitious novel in the repertoire of one of America's greatest and most skilled writers.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:1468311468
ISBN13:9781468311464
Release Date:September 2015
Publisher:Overlook Press
Length:512 Pages
Weight:0.05 lbs.
Dimensions:1.8" x 6.1" x 9.0"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
A brilliant exposition of the transgender phenomenon
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
The late MacDonald Harris has tackled in this, his 'biggest' book, one of the great Jungian mysteries of the animus and anima, the longing for completion by men and women through meeting their 'other half.' Herma is a budding opera singer, Fred Hite her agent. Integrate the two names and you detect the book's inner mystery: hermaphrodite. Herma is transformed into Fred (and back)in the Jungian mirror. Harris explores the worlds of opera (Herma's avocation) and flying (Fred's) at a level of insight and authenticity that is profoundly moving and instructive. He also describes the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 in terms rarely matched in fiction or reportage. The denouement is tragic but powerful. This book is timeless in its appeal and Harris writes meticulously. (Note: I undertook the flying research for this book but except for this 'bias' it has my highest possible recommendation)
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