The Romantic (Boyd novel)
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| Author | William Boyd |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Viking Penguin |
Publication date | 2022 (hardback) 2023 (paperback) |
| Pages | 464 |
| ISBN | 9780241542033 |
| Preceded by | Trio (2020) |
| Followed by | Gabriel's Moon (2024) |
The Romantic is the seventeenth novel by British author William Boyd, published in 2022, by Viking Penguin. The book is another of Boyd's 'whole-life' fictional biographies. It follows the story of Cashel Greville Ross, an Irishman born in 1799, whose life traverses significant events and locales of the 19th century. Boyd employs a first-person narrative to chronicle Cashel's diverse roles and adventures, creating a narrative that intertwines fact and fiction.
The book is dedicated to Boyd's wife, Susan.
The novel follows Cashel Greville Ross from his birth in County Cork, Ireland, through a life of transformation and exploration. Cashel's journey includes serving as a soldier in the East Indian Army, engaging with literary figures like Lord Byron and Percy Shelley in Pisa, embarking on expeditions in Africa in search of the Nile's source, and a spell in a debtors' prison. His life is characterized by a series of often unexpected reinventions, including stints as a writer, farmer, and diplomat, culminating in his role as a consul in Trieste. The narrative, framed as an edited autobiography discovered by 'W.B.', blends historical authenticity with imaginative storytelling.