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Illuminations: A Fable

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When Hetty Dearden leaves her lover and her teaching job to live in the English countryside and translate the letters of Tetta, an English abbess in pre-Carolingian Germany, her life gets complicated when she begins an affair with Helge Ebbesen, who helps her get copies of Tetta's letters from former East German archives

248 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

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About the author

Maureen Duffy

63 books15 followers
Maureen Patricia Duffy (born 21 October 1933) is a contemporary British novelist, poet, playwright, nonfiction author and activist.

Duffy's work often uses Freudian ideas and Greek mythology as frameworks.[1] Her writing is distinctive for its use of contrasting voices, or streams of consciousness, often including the perspectives of outsiders. Her novels have been linked to a European tradition of literature which explores reality through the use of language and questioning, rather than through traditional linear narrative.[2] James Joyce in particular, and Modernism in general, are significant influences on her fiction, as is Joyce Cary.[3] "Duffy has inspired many other writers and proved that the English novel need not be realistic and domestic, but can be fantastical, experimental and political."[1] Her writing in all forms is noted for her 'eye for detail and ear for language'[4] and "powerful intense imagery".[5]

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