Silk (novel)

1996 novel by Alessandro Baricco

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Silk" novel – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Silk

First edition (Italian)

Author| Alessandro Baricco
Original title| Seta
Translator| Guido Waldman
Language| Italian
Genre| Novel
Publisher| Rizzoli editore

Publication date

| 1996
Publication place| Italy

Published in English

| October 1997
Media type| Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages| 100 pp (First edition, hardcover)
ISBN| 88-17-66059-0
OCLC| 34657857
Silk Alessandro Barico Translated by Ann Goldstein

Silk (Italian: Seta) is a 1996 novel by the Italian writer Alessandro Baricco. It was translated into English in 1997 by Guido Waldman. A new English translation by Ann Goldstein was published in 2006.

## Plot

[edit]

The extraordinary novel tells the story of a French silkworm merchant-turned-smuggler named Hervé Joncour in 19th century France who travels to Japan for his town's supply of silkworms after a disease wipes out their African supply. His first trip to Japan takes place in the Bakumatsu period, when Japan was still largely closed to foreigners. During his stay in Japan, he becomes obsessed with the concubine of a local baron. His trade in Japan and his personal relationship with the concubine are both strained by the internal political turmoil and growing anti-Western sentiment in Japan that followed the arrival of Matthew C. Perry in Edo Bay.

## Adaptations

[edit]

Silk has been adapted for stage and film:

* A theater adaptation was made in 2005 by Mary Zimmerman
* Silk, a 2007 film

## Editions

[edit]

Silk (English edition) by Alessandro Baricco; translated by Guido Waldman.

* Hardcover \- ISBN 1-86046-258-8 published in (ISBN 978-1-86046-258-0) October 1997 by The Harvill Press
* Paperback \- ISBN 1-86046-366-5 published in May 1998 by The Harvill Press

## References

[edit]

This article about a 1990s novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[OCLC]: Online Computer Library Center number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template