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Double-wolf
Double-Wolf, Brian Castro's third novel, is a brilliant fictional creation whihc succeeds also in being humane, utterly readable and sometimes very funny.
It takes as its starting point the life of Wolf-Man, Freud's most famous patient who inspired his work on infant sexuality, a life revealed in counterpoint to that of Artie Catacomb, con-man, psychoanalyst and archivist, who ends his days in the Blue Mountains, relegating the Wolf-Man to the world of myth even as he avoids the baleful glare of the shop assistant who would prevent him from entirely reconstructing the Wolf-Man's story.
It takes as its starting point the life of Wolf-Man, Freud's most famous patient who inspired his work on infant sexuality, a life revealed in counterpoint to that of Artie Catacomb, con-man, psychoanalyst and archivist, who ends his days in the Blue Mountains, relegating the Wolf-Man to the world of myth even as he avoids the baleful glare of the shop assistant who would prevent him from entirely reconstructing the Wolf-Man's story.
202 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1993
35 people want to read
About the author
Brian Castro
23 books19 followersBrian Castro was born in Hong Kong in 1950 of Portuguese, Chinese and English parents. He was sent to boarding school in Australia in 1961 (1962, Oakhill College, Castle Hill / 1963-67, St Joseph's College, Hunter's Hill.). He attended the University of Sydney from 1968-71 and won the Sydney University short story competition in 1970. He gained his BA Dip.Ed. in 1972 and his MA in 1976 from Sydney University.
He was joint winner of the Australian/Vogel literary award for his first novel Birds of Passage (1983), which has been translated into French and Chinese. This was followed by Pomeroy (1990), Double-Wolf (1991), winner of The Age Fiction Prize, the Victorian Premier's Innovatory Writing Award and the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, and subsequently After China (1992), which again won the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction at the 1993 Victorian Premier's Awards. This was also subsequently translated into French and Chinese. His fifth novel, Drift, was published in July 1994. His sixth novel Stepper won the 1997 National Book Council 'Banjo' Prize for fiction. In 1999 he published a collection of essays, Looking For Estrellita (University of Queensland Press). In 2003 Giramondo published his 'fictional autobiography', Shanghai Dancing, which won the Vance Palmer Prize at the 2003 Victorian Premier's Awards, the Christina Stead Prize at the 2004 NSW Premier’s Awards and was named the NSW Premier’s Book of the Year. His most recent novel, The Garden Book, published by Giramondo in 2005, was shortlisted for the 2006 Miles Franklin Literary Award and won the Queensland Premier's Prize for Fiction.
Brian Castro has worked in Australia, France and Hong Kong as a teacher and writer, and for several years was a literary reviewer for Asiaweek magazine. He wrote the text for The Lingerie Catalogue, a collaborative project with photomonteur Peter Lyssiotis. Castro also contributed the text Stones for Al-Kitab for a limited edition work by Peter Lyssiotis entitled A Gardener At Midnight, produced in 2004.
Brian Castro currently divides his time between Adelaide and Melbourne.
Two of his novels, Pomeroy and Stepper (Stepper, oder Die Kunst der Spionage) have been published in German by Klett Cotta. His novel After China (L’Architecte Chinois), was published by Editions de L’Aube in France in 2003.
(from http://www.lythrumpress.com.au/castro...)
He was joint winner of the Australian/Vogel literary award for his first novel Birds of Passage (1983), which has been translated into French and Chinese. This was followed by Pomeroy (1990), Double-Wolf (1991), winner of The Age Fiction Prize, the Victorian Premier's Innovatory Writing Award and the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, and subsequently After China (1992), which again won the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction at the 1993 Victorian Premier's Awards. This was also subsequently translated into French and Chinese. His fifth novel, Drift, was published in July 1994. His sixth novel Stepper won the 1997 National Book Council 'Banjo' Prize for fiction. In 1999 he published a collection of essays, Looking For Estrellita (University of Queensland Press). In 2003 Giramondo published his 'fictional autobiography', Shanghai Dancing, which won the Vance Palmer Prize at the 2003 Victorian Premier's Awards, the Christina Stead Prize at the 2004 NSW Premier’s Awards and was named the NSW Premier’s Book of the Year. His most recent novel, The Garden Book, published by Giramondo in 2005, was shortlisted for the 2006 Miles Franklin Literary Award and won the Queensland Premier's Prize for Fiction.
Brian Castro has worked in Australia, France and Hong Kong as a teacher and writer, and for several years was a literary reviewer for Asiaweek magazine. He wrote the text for The Lingerie Catalogue, a collaborative project with photomonteur Peter Lyssiotis. Castro also contributed the text Stones for Al-Kitab for a limited edition work by Peter Lyssiotis entitled A Gardener At Midnight, produced in 2004.
Brian Castro currently divides his time between Adelaide and Melbourne.
Two of his novels, Pomeroy and Stepper (Stepper, oder Die Kunst der Spionage) have been published in German by Klett Cotta. His novel After China (L’Architecte Chinois), was published by Editions de L’Aube in France in 2003.
(from http://www.lythrumpress.com.au/castro...)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 11, 2025
An original, odd novel about Freud’s ‘Wolf man’ and a con man, Artie Catacomb, who ends his days as a tramp in Katomba, NSW, Australia.
There are some interesting parts to the novel, especially about Sigmund Freud and how his patient, ‘Wolf man’, was able to exploit his childhood dreams to become famous and write books that sold well.
This book was shortlisted for the 1991 Miles Franklin Award.
There are some interesting parts to the novel, especially about Sigmund Freud and how his patient, ‘Wolf man’, was able to exploit his childhood dreams to become famous and write books that sold well.
This book was shortlisted for the 1991 Miles Franklin Award.
December 7, 2015
2014 Patrick White Literary Award
Description: Double-Wolf, Brian Castro's third novel, is a brilliant fictional creation whihc succeeds also in being humane, utterly readable and sometimes very funny.
It takes as its starting point the life of Wolf-Man, Freud's most famous patient who inspired his work on infant sexuality, a life revealed in counterpoint to that of Artie Catacomb, con-man, psychoanalyst and archivist, who ends his days in the Blue Mountains, relegating the Wolf-Man to the world of myth even as he avoids the baleful glare of the shop assistant who would prevent him from entirely reconstructing the Wolf-Man's story.
Opening: KATOOMBA, Winter, 1978: (A misty rain is falling. It smears the glass like someone's spit. Someone talking too loud, too fast. It is cold, but not cold enough. Noy yet. In the late afternoon when it is almost dark there will be rumours of snow. Perhaps one of the last snowfalls here for all time. The eucalypts brood in the chasms, as black as the shelf of rocks worn and wet on the other side.
The Three Sisters, on the south edge of Katoomba, is the most famous landmark in the Blue Mountains
Just by reading the first chapter I know I should never have bought this, Freud's ideas have been considered bunkum for decades and this particular slant is just about as pretentious as all the other fan-fic write-backs get.
For example, see that opening left parenthesis, it hasn't closed yet and I have waded through many pages of arch stickiness on the hunt for closure...
Why do I do this to myself? bwhaha
Description: Double-Wolf, Brian Castro's third novel, is a brilliant fictional creation whihc succeeds also in being humane, utterly readable and sometimes very funny.
It takes as its starting point the life of Wolf-Man, Freud's most famous patient who inspired his work on infant sexuality, a life revealed in counterpoint to that of Artie Catacomb, con-man, psychoanalyst and archivist, who ends his days in the Blue Mountains, relegating the Wolf-Man to the world of myth even as he avoids the baleful glare of the shop assistant who would prevent him from entirely reconstructing the Wolf-Man's story.
Opening: KATOOMBA, Winter, 1978: (A misty rain is falling. It smears the glass like someone's spit. Someone talking too loud, too fast. It is cold, but not cold enough. Noy yet. In the late afternoon when it is almost dark there will be rumours of snow. Perhaps one of the last snowfalls here for all time. The eucalypts brood in the chasms, as black as the shelf of rocks worn and wet on the other side.
The Three Sisters, on the south edge of Katoomba, is the most famous landmark in the Blue MountainsJust by reading the first chapter I know I should never have bought this, Freud's ideas have been considered bunkum for decades and this particular slant is just about as pretentious as all the other fan-fic write-backs get.For example, see that opening left parenthesis, it hasn't closed yet and I have waded through many pages of arch stickiness on the hunt for closure...
Why do I do this to myself? bwhaha
July 25, 2018
“Double-Wolf” is a novel written between parenthesis, an aside, an interruption. The complete book appears between parenthesis, but does that mean it should be dismissed?
Brian Castro’s third novel investigates the famous Sergei Konstanovitch Pankejeff, a patient of Sigmund Freud more commonly known as the Wolf Man. However, in this work he is known as Sergei Wespe, the notes advising us “Wespe, Castro’s name for the novel’s Wolf-Man, is German for wasp. Freud never named his patients when reporting his case studies.”
But it is not only Wespe who appears here, we have the obscure autodidact, living in Australia, Arthur S. Catacomb a character whose book appears in the end bibliography: “Catacomb, Arthur S. Fellow Traveller: In Praise of Freud New York: International Universities Press, 1970”, google this book and you will notice it does not exist, is even the bibliography part of Brian Castro’s fiction?
Catacomb, now down and out and dismissed in the Blue Mountains, he is reflecting upon his life, a life that took in working with the Wolf-Man. Castro has taken an existing interesting tale, appropriated it for his fiction, added colourful and complex characters and handed it to the reader to interpret or simply enjoy.
For my full review go to https://messybooker.wordpress.com/201...
Brian Castro’s third novel investigates the famous Sergei Konstanovitch Pankejeff, a patient of Sigmund Freud more commonly known as the Wolf Man. However, in this work he is known as Sergei Wespe, the notes advising us “Wespe, Castro’s name for the novel’s Wolf-Man, is German for wasp. Freud never named his patients when reporting his case studies.”
But it is not only Wespe who appears here, we have the obscure autodidact, living in Australia, Arthur S. Catacomb a character whose book appears in the end bibliography: “Catacomb, Arthur S. Fellow Traveller: In Praise of Freud New York: International Universities Press, 1970”, google this book and you will notice it does not exist, is even the bibliography part of Brian Castro’s fiction?
Catacomb, now down and out and dismissed in the Blue Mountains, he is reflecting upon his life, a life that took in working with the Wolf-Man. Castro has taken an existing interesting tale, appropriated it for his fiction, added colourful and complex characters and handed it to the reader to interpret or simply enjoy.
For my full review go to https://messybooker.wordpress.com/201...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews