The hero of this sensational debut novel is an alto-sax virtuoso trying to evolve a personal style out of Coltrane and Rollins. He also happens to be a walking, talking, Blake- and Shakespeare-quoting bear whose musical, spiritual, and romantic adventures add up to perhaps the best novel, ursine or human, ever written about jazz.

About the Author
Rafi Zabor is a writer and occasional jazz drummer who lives in Brooklyn, New York. The Bear Comes Home is his first novel.

Reviews
"Poignant and touching moments combine with hilarious descriptions of the bear's struggle in a story that anyone-whether familiar with jazz or not-will find compelling and entertaining." -- David Amram - Los Angeles Times
"Zabor's knack for detail makes the absurd premise believable...and neatly turns the weighty subject-the painful and ungainly growth of an artist-into a comic gem." -- The New Yorker
"In fluent, witty prose Zabor conveys with remarkable vividness the texture of group improvisation...It swings." -- A. O. Scott - New York Newsday
"Zabor...conveys the mingled joy and terror of musical improvisation. He also displays a mean wit." -- New York Times Book Review
"Hip, flip, sexy, and worldy-wise, with walk-ons by Charlie Haden and other jazz celebrities: a first novel that has the makings of a cult smash." -- Kirkus Reviews


Awards
Winner of PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction 1998.



Book Information
ISBN 9780393318630
Author Rafi Zabor
Format Paperback
Page Count 492
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 622g
Dimensions(mm) 208mm * 140mm * 33mm