Knowledge (XXG)

Something to Answer For

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whether his mother is alive. He imagines that Elie is still alive, or that he is watching the burial at sea. He meets an Egyptian Jew, Leah, who is married and repels his attentions though apparently she later becomes his lover and develops an obsession for him. Townrow walks through scenes of mob unrest, is arrested as a spy, and watches bloody gunfights between Egyptian and British troops with bemused detachment. He imagines digging up Elie's grave to make certain he is really dead, then apparently actually does so.
183:, Townrow makes a joke about marrying Mrs Khoury for her money to an immigration officer, which leads to him being interrogated. He is kept in a cell and is released once his train has departed. Townrow doesn't go straightaway to see Mrs Khoury when he arrives in Port Said, instead opting to stay in a hotel. Here he considers having no one who really cares about him in his life. 206:
After the discussion with Christous and Townrow's subsequent blackout, the novel becomes much more dream-like and at times surreal, with Townrow a very unreliable narrator who cannot remember his nationality (though he asserts that he is Irish as part of a scam he tries to run on Mrs Khoury) nor
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Townrow visits a bar he used to frequent while serving here as a sergeant. The owner of the bar, Christous, recognises him and kicks out his clientele for some privacy. Townrow asks about Elie's death. Christous tells him that Mrs Khoury, with great difficulty, took her husband's body back to
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At the end of the novel, though it is uncertain how much of what was related actually took place or how much was a fever or drunken dream, Townrow comes to believe that a citizen is not responsible for the morality of his government and has only himself and his own actions to answer for.
29: 203:'s. Townrow is not sure whether to believe any of this and gets so drunk he blacks out. He awakens naked and alone, and is attacked by a passing camel-driver, causing his head and one eye to be bandaged for most of the remainder of the novel. 300: 149:
Townrow is a fund distributor stealing from the fund he is in charge of. He is contacted by the widow of an old friend, Elie Khoury. They had met ten years previously, in 1946, in
1129: 278: 248: 1336: 1147: 98: 1294: 169: 1356: 896: 1010: 992: 1351: 1346: 594: 1276: 321: 271: 780: 137:, which would go on to become one of the major literary awards in the English-speaking world. It was reissued by 710: 549: 1341: 1253: 1142: 974: 825: 423: 160:
After thinking it through, Townrow accepts Mrs Khoury's offer of a plane ticket to Cairo. He stops over in
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in 2008 in the "Faber Finds" line, in 2011 as paperback and in 2018.
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after he had been thrown from a horse in front of the Khourys'
133:. Its chief claim to fame is that in 1969 it won the inaugural 33:
First edition dustjacket; design reused in 2018 with added text
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Newby 22:Something to Answer For 1357:Faber & Faber books 975:The Inheritance of Loss 826:The God of Small Things 424:The Siege of Krishnapur 346:Something to Answer For 122:Something to Answer For 1076:The Sense of an Ending 685:The Remains of the Day 308:The Best of the Booker 172:of failing to prevent 129:by the English writer 766:Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha 315:The Golden Man Booker 1184:Lincoln in the Bardo 1058:The Finkler Question 459:Ruth Prawer Jhabvala 1352:Novels set in Egypt 1347:1968 British novels 1290:Shehan Karunatilaka 1225:Bernardine Evaristo 1094:Bring Up the Bodies 741:The English Patient 565:Midnight's Children 519:Penelope Fitzgerald 439:The Conservationist 23: 1230:Girl, Woman, Other 942:The Line of Beauty 882:The Blind Assassin 361:The Elected Member 287:Recipients of the 170:British government 1324: 1323: 937:Alan Hollinghurst 927:Vernon God Little 726:The Famished Road 670:Oscar and Lucinda 444:Stanley Middleton 249:978-0-571-34827-5 233:Faber & Faber 139:Faber & Faber 118: 117: 77:Publication place 61:Faber & Faber 1364: 1317: 1299: 1281: 1263: 1234: 1206: 1188: 1170: 1152: 1134: 1125:Richard Flanagan 1116: 1098: 1080: 1062: 1033: 1015: 997: 979: 961: 946: 931: 916: 901: 886: 860: 845: 830: 815: 800: 785: 770: 755: 736:Michael Ondaatje 730: 715: 689: 674: 659: 644: 629: 614: 599: 584: 569: 554: 550:Rites of Passage 528: 513: 509:The Sea, The Sea 498: 483: 468: 453: 428: 413: 398: 383: 365: 350: 324: 317: 310: 303: 281: 274: 267: 258: 251: 243: 241: 239: 225: 108: 68:Publication date 31: 24: 1372: 1371: 1367: 1366: 1365: 1363: 1362: 1361: 1327: 1326: 1325: 1320: 1302: 1284: 1266: 1248: 1237: 1215:Margaret Atwood 1209: 1191: 1179:George Saunders 1173: 1155: 1137: 1119: 1101: 1083: 1065: 1053:Howard Jacobson 1047: 1036: 1018: 1011:The White Tiger 1000: 982: 964: 949: 934: 919: 904: 889: 877:Margaret Atwood 874: 863: 848: 833: 818: 803: 788: 773: 758: 733: 718: 703: 692: 677: 662: 650:Penelope Lively 647: 632: 625:The Bone People 617: 602: 587: 580:Schindler's Ark 575:Thomas Keneally 572: 557: 545:William Golding 542: 531: 516: 501: 486: 471: 456: 434:Nadine Gordimer 431: 416: 401: 394:In a Free State 386: 370:1970 Lost Prize 368: 353: 338: 327: 320: 313: 306: 299: 291: 285: 255: 254: 237: 235: 227: 226: 222: 217: 147: 69: 34: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1370: 1368: 1360: 1359: 1354: 1349: 1344: 1342:English novels 1339: 1329: 1328: 1322: 1321: 1319: 1318: 1300: 1282: 1264: 1254:Douglas Stuart 1245: 1243: 1239: 1238: 1236: 1235: 1220:The Testaments 1207: 1189: 1171: 1153: 1135: 1117: 1112:The Luminaries 1107:Eleanor Catton 1099: 1081: 1063: 1044: 1042: 1038: 1037: 1035: 1034: 1016: 998: 980: 962: 947: 932: 917: 902: 887: 871: 869: 865: 864: 862: 861: 846: 831: 816: 801: 796:The Ghost Road 786: 771: 756: 746:Barry Unsworth 731: 716: 700: 698: 694: 693: 691: 690: 680:Kazuo Ishiguro 675: 660: 645: 640:The Old Devils 630: 615: 605:Anita Brookner 600: 585: 570: 560:Salman Rushdie 555: 539: 537: 533: 532: 530: 529: 514: 499: 484: 469: 454: 429: 414: 399: 384: 366: 356:Bernice Rubens 351: 335: 333: 329: 328: 326: 325: 318: 311: 304: 296: 293: 292: 286: 284: 283: 276: 269: 261: 253: 252: 219: 218: 216: 213: 193:Colonel Nasser 146: 143: 116: 115: 110: 102: 101: 96: 90: 89: 86: 82: 81: 80:United Kingdom 78: 74: 73: 70: 67: 64: 63: 58: 54: 53: 50: 46: 45: 40: 36: 35: 32: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1369: 1358: 1355: 1353: 1350: 1348: 1345: 1343: 1340: 1338: 1335: 1334: 1332: 1315: 1314: 1309: 1305: 1301: 1297: 1296: 1291: 1287: 1283: 1279: 1278: 1273: 1269: 1265: 1261: 1260: 1255: 1251: 1247: 1246: 1244: 1240: 1232: 1231: 1226: 1222: 1221: 1216: 1212: 1208: 1204: 1203: 1198: 1194: 1190: 1186: 1185: 1180: 1176: 1172: 1168: 1167: 1162: 1158: 1154: 1150: 1149: 1144: 1140: 1136: 1132: 1131: 1126: 1122: 1118: 1114: 1113: 1108: 1104: 1100: 1096: 1095: 1090: 1089:Hilary Mantel 1086: 1082: 1078: 1077: 1072: 1071:Julian Barnes 1068: 1064: 1060: 1059: 1054: 1050: 1046: 1045: 1043: 1039: 1031: 1030: 1025: 1024:Hilary Mantel 1021: 1017: 1013: 1012: 1007: 1006:Aravind Adiga 1003: 999: 995: 994: 993:The Gathering 989: 985: 981: 977: 976: 971: 967: 963: 959: 958: 953: 952:John Banville 948: 944: 943: 938: 933: 929: 928: 923: 918: 914: 913: 908: 903: 899: 898: 893: 888: 884: 883: 878: 873: 872: 870: 866: 858: 857: 852: 851:J. 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Newby 1331:Categories 1308:Paul Lynch 1197:Anna Burns 922:DBC Pierre 912:Life of Pi 836:Ian McEwan 791:Pat Barker 711:Possession 655:Moon Tiger 620:Keri Hulme 494:Staying On 489:Paul Scott 215:References 197:Suez Canal 125:is a 1968 1029:Wolf Hall 841:Amsterdam 195:took the 155:beach hut 151:Port Said 57:Publisher 856:Disgrace 721:Ben Okri 524:Offshore 379:Troubles 238:1 August 113:65294405 49:Language 1202:Milkman 957:The Sea 479:Saville 449:Holiday 332:1969–79 189:Lebanon 166:Israeli 52:English 1223:) and 950:2005: 935:2004: 920:2003: 905:2002: 890:2001: 875:2000: 849:1999: 834:1998: 819:1997: 804:1996: 789:1995: 774:1994: 759:1993: 744:) and 734:1992: 719:1991: 704:1990: 678:1989: 663:1988: 648:1987: 633:1986: 618:1985: 603:1984: 588:1983: 573:1982: 558:1981: 543:1980: 517:1979: 502:1978: 487:1977: 472:1976: 457:1975: 442:) and 432:1974: 417:1973: 402:1972: 387:1971: 354:1970: 339:1969: 247:  39:Author 1242:2020s 1041:2010s 868:2000s 697:1990s 536:1980s 201:Egypt 181:Cairo 127:novel 85:Pages 1304:2023 1286:2022 1268:2021 1250:2020 1211:2019 1193:2018 1175:2017 1157:2016 1139:2015 1121:2014 1103:2013 1085:2012 1067:2011 1049:2010 1020:2009 1002:2008 984:2007 966:2006 245:ISBN 240:2018 162:Rome 145:Plot 107:OCLC 94:ISBN 199:as 179:In 88:288 1333:: 1306:: 1288:: 1270:: 1252:: 1213:: 1195:: 1177:: 1159:: 1141:: 1123:: 1105:: 1087:: 1069:: 1051:: 1022:: 1004:: 986:: 968:: 409:G. 372:: 231:. 1316:) 1310:( 1298:) 1292:( 1280:) 1274:( 1262:) 1256:( 1233:) 1227:( 1217:( 1205:) 1199:( 1187:) 1181:( 1169:) 1163:( 1151:) 1145:( 1133:) 1127:( 1115:) 1109:( 1097:) 1091:( 1079:) 1073:( 1061:) 1055:( 1032:) 1026:( 1014:) 1008:( 996:) 990:( 978:) 972:( 960:) 954:( 945:) 939:( 930:) 924:( 915:) 909:( 900:) 894:( 885:) 879:( 859:) 853:( 844:) 838:( 829:) 823:( 814:) 808:( 799:) 793:( 784:) 778:( 769:) 763:( 754:) 748:( 738:( 729:) 723:( 714:) 708:( 688:) 682:( 673:) 667:( 658:) 652:( 643:) 637:( 628:) 622:( 613:) 607:( 598:) 592:( 583:) 577:( 568:) 562:( 553:) 547:( 527:) 521:( 512:) 506:( 497:) 491:( 482:) 476:( 467:) 461:( 452:) 446:( 436:( 427:) 421:( 412:) 406:( 397:) 391:( 382:) 376:( 364:) 358:( 349:) 343:( 280:e 273:t 266:v 242:.

Index


P. H. Newby
Faber & Faber
ISBN
0-571-08557-1
OCLC
65294405
novel
P. H. Newby
Booker Prize
Faber & Faber
Port Said
beach hut
Rome
Israeli
British government
the Holocaust
Cairo
Lebanon
Colonel Nasser
Suez Canal
Egypt
"Something to Answer For"
ISBN
978-0-571-34827-5
v
t
e
Booker Prize
List of winners and nominated authors

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