Novel by MFA Alum Garnering Rave Reviews
Gutenberg's Apprentice, a novel by Alix Christie (MFA, fiction, 1999), has been garnering rave reviews since its publication in late September. The novel tells the story of the world's first printing press through the eyes of Peter Schoeffer, an accomplished scribe whose father ordered him to work as an apprentice to his business partner Johann Gutenberg. The novel has received rave reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus. PW featured the book in its "First Fiction" round up.
The book is being published simultaneously in the UK where Alix and her family currently live. Alix visited Saint Mary's and met with current MFA students while on book tour.
"A gorgeously written debut . . . . An inspiring tale of ambition, camaraderie, betrayal, and cultural transformation."Booklist (starred review)
"Enthralling . . . Christie demonstrates a printer's precision in her meticulous account of quattro cento innovation, technology, politics, art, and commerce." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A bravura debut . . . . Christie masterfully depicts the time and energy require to print the first Bibles . . . all against the backdrop of plague, the fall of Constantinople, the violent superstitions of the peasantry . . . and a vested intelligentsia."Kirkus Reviews (starred review).