27:
275:
Peter Diggs has a vivid dream in which he meets a woman called
Amaryllis. When he later encounters the same woman in real life, he discovers that the two of them have the ability to enter each other's dreams. A cautious relationship is begun, half in the real world and half in dreams, in which both
315:
itself seems to function for Hoban as a symbol of the way in which elements from the past come back to affect the present day, and in the characters' dreams various significant people and objects from real life appear in exaggerated forms, not all of which are fully explained. The names, too, are
342:
Peter is a painter and
Amaryllis a musician, and there is a lot of reflection in the book about art's ability to reflect and enrich a person's emotional life. A great many other artists are referenced during the book (see below). Early in the novel, Peter mentions a review of his paintings which
307:
The novel is by turns romantic, philosophical, funny, sexy, and frightening, as the characters explore the different possibilities offered by their unique talent. Both Peter and
Amaryllis have been involved in failed relationships before – exactly how many and how disastrously we only find out
339:. Klein bottles are four-dimensional one-sided bodies which can only exist in three-dimensional space by intersecting with themselves. This concept is built up in the book as a metaphor for the way people cross and re-cross important physical and emotional points in their lives.
347:
But that's life, isn't it? And those of us who think about the empty spaces tend to paint pictures, write books, or compose music. There are many talented people who never will become painters, writers, or composers; the talent is in them but not the empty spaces where art
139:
311:
Hoban's writing builds up a series of metaphors throughout the book so that, as in a dream, many things take on unusual significance, or seem to represent something else. The idea of the
565:
48:
575:
580:
99:
522:
228:
118:
71:
560:
570:
469:
366:
78:
52:
85:
555:
452:
67:
446:
436:
37:
56:
41:
540:
429:
409:
336:
92:
182:
518:
481:
235:
223:
298:
Ron
Hastings, a student of Peter's who appears in his dreams and who may also know Amaryllis
487:
463:
458:
441:
405:
393:
321:
549:
475:
382:
361:
320:, related to deadly nightshade, and Lenore is explicitly linked with her namesake in
264:
260:
256:
178:
152:
138:
332:
535:
505:
357:
Many other writers and musicians are mentioned or quoted in the novel, including:
308:
gradually – and they are haunted by the danger of repeating their past mistakes.
415:
399:
276:
parties struggle to overcome the emotional effects of previous failed romances.
26:
492:
373:
325:
317:
286:
242:
420:
295:
Lenore, Peter's former girlfriend, an artist with emotional problems
312:
424:(which includes the line ‘to sport with Amaryllis in the shade’)
20:
343:
comments on the ‘odd empty spaces’ in his work. Peter muses:
236:
292:
Amaryllis, who has the power to ‘tune in’ to people's dreams
335:
plays an important role in the book after Peter visits the
508:, the book has been optioned by Doppelganger Films.
234:
222:
214:
206:
196:
188:
174:
166:
158:
148:
345:
289:of the novel, an artist in his early thirties
8:
316:full of meaning: Amaryllis is linked to the
131:
389:(which the characters enter during a dream)
55:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
536:Description at The Head of Orpheus fansite
137:
130:
119:Learn how and when to remove this message
7:
53:adding citations to reliable sources
353:Allusions/references to other works
331:The hypothetical object known as a
14:
478:'s story "The Beckoning Fair One"
25:
566:2001 speculative fiction novels
470:Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries
1:
576:British magic realism novels
318:botanical genus of Amaryllis
259:, incorporating elements of
581:Bloomsbury Publishing books
457:The self-help ‘life coach’
453:Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
16:2001 novel by Russell Hoban
597:
447:The Bridge of San Luis Rey
410:There is a Balm in Gilead
136:
68:"Amaryllis Night and Day"
435:The prisons etchings of
162:Will Webb/Jeff Cottenden
132:Amaryllis Night and Day
561:Novels by Russell Hoban
367:A Walk on the Wild Side
252:Amaryllis Night and Day
571:British romance novels
350:
517:2001, UK, Bloomsbury
337:London Science Museum
49:improve this article
556:2001 British novels
484:'s poem ‘Fare Well’
255:is a 2001 novel by
183:speculative fiction
133:
525:, trade paperback
482:Walter de la Mare
285:Peter Diggs, the
271:Plot introduction
248:
247:
207:Publication place
159:Cover artist
129:
128:
121:
103:
588:
468:The 1930s song "
238:
198:Publication date
141:
134:
124:
117:
113:
110:
104:
102:
61:
29:
21:
596:
595:
591:
590:
589:
587:
586:
585:
546:
545:
541:Guardian review
532:
514:
512:Release details
502:
464:Barbara Strozzi
459:Anthony Robbins
442:Thornton Wilder
406:Negro spiritual
394:Sleeping Beauty
378:Walking Spanish
355:
322:Edgar Allan Poe
305:
282:
273:
199:
144:
125:
114:
108:
105:
62:
60:
46:
30:
17:
12:
11:
5:
594:
592:
584:
583:
578:
573:
568:
563:
558:
548:
547:
544:
543:
538:
531:
530:External links
528:
527:
526:
513:
510:
501:
498:
497:
496:
485:
479:
473:
466:
461:
455:
450:
439:
433:
425:
413:
402:
397:
390:
380:
370:
354:
351:
304:
301:
300:
299:
296:
293:
290:
281:
278:
272:
269:
246:
245:
240:
232:
231:
226:
220:
219:
216:
212:
211:
208:
204:
203:
200:
197:
194:
193:
190:
186:
185:
176:
172:
171:
168:
164:
163:
160:
156:
155:
150:
146:
145:
142:
127:
126:
33:
31:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
593:
582:
579:
577:
574:
572:
569:
567:
564:
562:
559:
557:
554:
553:
551:
542:
539:
537:
534:
533:
529:
524:
523:0-7475-5285-1
520:
516:
515:
511:
509:
507:
504:According to
499:
495:
494:
489:
486:
483:
480:
477:
476:Oliver Onions
474:
471:
467:
465:
462:
460:
456:
454:
451:
449:
448:
443:
440:
438:
434:
432:
431:
426:
423:
422:
417:
414:
412:
411:
407:
403:
401:
398:
395:
391:
388:
384:
383:Edward Hopper
381:
379:
375:
371:
369:
368:
363:
362:Nelson Algren
360:
359:
358:
352:
349:
344:
340:
338:
334:
329:
327:
323:
319:
314:
309:
302:
297:
294:
291:
288:
284:
283:
279:
277:
270:
268:
266:
262:
261:magic realism
258:
257:Russell Hoban
254:
253:
244:
241:
239:
233:
230:
229:0-7475-5285-1
227:
225:
221:
217:
213:
210:Great Britain
209:
205:
201:
195:
191:
187:
184:
180:
179:Romance novel
177:
173:
169:
165:
161:
157:
154:
153:Russell Hoban
151:
147:
143:First edition
140:
135:
123:
120:
112:
101:
98:
94:
91:
87:
84:
80:
77:
73:
70: –
69:
65:
64:Find sources:
58:
54:
50:
44:
43:
39:
34:This article
32:
28:
23:
22:
19:
503:
491:
445:
428:
419:
408:
386:
385:'s painting
377:
365:
356:
346:
341:
333:Klein bottle
330:
310:
306:
303:Major themes
274:
251:
250:
249:
115:
106:
96:
89:
82:
75:
63:
47:Please help
35:
18:
500:Adaptations
400:Brer Rabbit
550:Categories
430:Dreamscape
280:Characters
192:Bloomsbury
79:newspapers
493:Moby-Dick
427:The film
396:fairytale
374:Tom Waits
326:The Raven
324:'s poem "
189:Publisher
109:June 2021
36:does not
506:fansites
488:Melville
437:Piranesi
348:happens.
287:narrator
243:45306473
167:Language
421:Lycidas
265:romance
170:English
93:scholar
57:removed
42:sources
521:
416:Milton
149:Author
95:
88:
81:
74:
66:
376:song
313:dream
215:Pages
175:Genre
100:JSTOR
86:books
519:ISBN
404:The
392:The
372:The
263:and
237:OCLC
224:ISBN
202:2001
72:news
40:any
38:cite
490:'s
444:'s
418:'s
387:Gas
364:'s
328:."
218:176
51:by
552::
267:.
181:,
472:"
122:)
116:(
111:)
107:(
97:·
90:·
83:·
76:·
59:.
45:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
