Paul Dukach is heir apparent at Purcell & Stern, one of the last independent publishing houses in New York, whose shabby offices belie the treasures of its list.

Paul remains obsessed by one dazzling writer: poet Ida Perkins, whose outsize life and audacious verse have shaped America's contemporary literary landscape, and whose longtime publisher happens to be Purcell & Stern's biggest rival.

When Paul finally meets Ida, at her secluded Venetian palazzo, she entrusts him with her greatest secret - one that will change all of their lives forever.

The story of the decades-long rivalry between two publishing lions over the work of an iconic female poet

About the Author
Jonathan Galassi is the president and publisher of Farrar, Straus & Giroux and the author of three collections of poetry, as well as acclaimed translations of the Italian poets Eugenio Montale and Giacomo Leopardi. A former Guggenheim Fellow and poetry editor of the Paris Review, he also writes for the New York Review of Books, the New Republic and other publications.

Reviews
Stylish * Observer *
Entertaining * New Yorker *
Entertaining, keenly observed, incisive * New York Times *
Compelling... Galassi propels his readers forward on a thought-provoking, often hilarious, bittersweet ride... A bravura first novel * Los Angeles Review of Books *
Accomplished, entertaining, affecting * New York Journal of Books *
Muse is quintessentially stylish, as well as a poetic contemplation on the mythologising of authors...and the impact of fame on life * Observer *
There is throughout this book a combination of delicacy and vigour. -- Maureen N. McLane * Vice UK *
[Galassi] writes with the fluency and authority of someone who has lived within the circles and scenes he typifies. -- Claire Hazelton * Guardian *
[A] smart, satirical debut. -- Caroline Leeming * Sunday Express *
Brimming with insider details...the book is a testament to the purity of the written word and the turmoil that can be required to get it on paper. * New Yorker *



Book Information
ISBN 9781784701109
Author Jonathan Galassi
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Vintage
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 193g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 17mm