Overview

From a daring escape over revolutionary Iran's Zagros Mountains, to the glittering night clubs of Paris; from the Caspian Sea to Wimbledon, from the halls of Princeton University to an exiled princess's palatial New York apartment, The Riddle of the Sphinx takes us on a dramatic journey in an epic and psychological novel of self-discovery, sexual obsession, exile and destiny. Like Proustian characters trapped in a mental hologram, the novel explores the workings of the human mind and tackles the question of identity, false selves and the transcendental and existential reality hidden behind the delusions that are a hallmark of the human condition. Author Alexandre Montagu delves into myth, philosophy and the quest for enlightenment using lyrical prose that unfolds to reveal life's eternal truths in a dazzling tableau.

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9781732602106

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Reviews

"""The Riddle of the Sphinx is a gripping, beautifully written work of fiction. It is not only a finely wrought story of a young boy's coming of age and growing into manhood, but also a story of a love affair and engagement with great literature. The protagonist, Eric, escapes Iran after the Islamic revolution, attends Princeton, and becomes a partner in a major law firm; but it is in the works of the imagination--Proust, Baudelaire, Sophocles--that he finds true wisdom and fulfillment. If you love a good read and the classics of Western literature, you will love this novel."" -Haleh Esfandiari, author of My Prison My Home: One Woman's Captivity in Iran ""Montagu is a fiercely intelligent writer and The Riddle of the Sphinx, (and in particular, the story of the protagonist's escape from revolutionary Iran) is written with great passion and daring."" -Joseph Olshan, author of Clara's Heart and Black Diamond Fall ""A fascinating account of a young man's discovery of himself through the troubled history of his homeland and the hothouse of an Ivy League education, The Riddle of the Sphinx raises delicate issues of identity and culture among elite but no less fragile lives."" -David Bellos, Meredith Howland Pyne Professor of French and Comparative Literature Director, Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication at Princeton University"

The Riddle of the Sphinx is a gripping, beautifully written work of fiction. It is not only a finely wrought story of a young boy's coming of age and growing into manhood, but also a story of a love affair and engagement with great literature. The protagonist, Eric, escapes Iran after the Islamic revolution, attends Princeton, and becomes a partner in a major law firm; but it is in the works of the imagination--Proust, Baudelaire, Sophocles--that he finds true wisdom and fulfillment. If you love a good read and the classics of Western literature, you will love this novel. -Haleh Esfandiari, author of My Prison My Home: One Woman's Captivity in Iran Montagu is a fiercely intelligent writer and The Riddle of the Sphinx, (and in particular, the story of the protagonist's escape from revolutionary Iran) is written with great passion and daring. -Joseph Olshan, author of Clara's Heart and Black Diamond Fall A fascinating account of a young man's discovery of himself through the troubled history of his homeland and the hothouse of an Ivy League education, The Riddle of the Sphinx raises delicate issues of identity and culture among elite but no less fragile lives. -David Bellos, Meredith Howland Pyne Professor of French and Comparative Literature Director, Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication at Princeton University

Author Information

Alexandre Montagu is a lawyer living in New York. Fluent in English, French, Farsi and German, he studied at the University of Cambridge, Harvard Law School, and Princeton University, where he teaches a course in the comparative literature department as an adjunct professor.

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