Pfitz

An eighteenth-century prince devotes his entire wealth and the energy of his subjects to the creation of Rreinnstadt, a fantastic city that exists only on paper and in the minds of its creators. Among Rreinnstadt's fictional inhabitants is Pfitz, a count's loyal servant who mysteriously disappears one night from a tavern. Andrew Crumey's exploration of the rich territory between reality and fantasy reveals a genuine affection for character and the terrain of the human heart.

Andrew Crumey studied Theoretical Physics and Mathematics at St. Andrews University and Imperial College, and did postdoctoral research at Leeds University on nonlinear dynamics. He received Scotland's Saltire Prize for Best First Novel for Music, In a Foreign Language. He lives in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

"Crumey has written a fantastic novel about a fantasy. . . . Real and unreal merge, interact, and form a tale that is part quirky amusement and part sly satire."--The Atlantic Monthly

"Crumey sends imagination and reason on a collision course. . . . Like a Viennese music box, Crumey's meditations on language and meaning are tightly wound machines."--Alyssa Katz, Newsday

"There is enchanting, provocative magic afoot in every layer of Crumey's world."--Michael Upchurch, The Seattle Times