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The Apprentice (book)
Encyclopedia
The Apprentice is a novel
by Lewis Libby, former Chief of Staff to U.S.
Vice President
Dick Cheney
, first published in hardback
in 1996, reprinted in trade paperback in 2002, and reissued in mass market paperback in 2005 after Libby's indictment in the CIA leak grand jury investigation
. It is set in northern Japan
in winter 1903, and centers on a group of travelers stranded at a remote inn due to a smallpox
epidemic. It has been described as "a thriller ... that includes references to bestiality
, pedophilia
and rape
." It is the first and only novel that Libby has written.
(St. Paul, Minnesota) in August 1996 (now out of print), it was published as a trade paperback by St. Martin's Thomas Dunne Books
in February 2002, and then reissued as a mass market paperback reprint of 25,000 copies by St. Martin's Griffin
imprint in December 2005, after Libby's indictment that October, as a result of the CIA leak grand jury investigation
.
promoting his novel's first publication in paperback, King asked Libby: "Are you a novelist working part-time for the vice president?" Libby told King, "Well, I've never quite figured that out. ... I'm a great fan of the Vice President. I think he's one of the smartest, most honorable people I've ever met. So, I'd like to consider myself fully on his team, but there's always a novel kicking around in the back somewhere." After hearing a brief plot summary, King wondered why Libby had set the novel in Japan, and Libby responded:
At that time, Libby also appeared on The Diane Rehm Show
on National Public Radio to talk about the novel. Libby said that he had chosen to set the novel in Japan in 1903, because it was a pivotal time in its history that had intrigued him.
on October 28, 2005, for obstruction of justice
, perjury
, and making false statements to federal investigators
in Special Counsel
Patrick Fitzgerald
's CIA leak grand jury investigation
, relating to the Plame affair
, after the novel was reissued and promoted by its publisher and Libby in media interviews and the subject of subsequent reviews, it gained renewed attention.
Notably, The Apprentice and Lewis Libby were the focus of the following week's New Yorker
"Talk of the Town" column, by Lauren Collins, entitled "Scooter's Sex Shocker". Observing that "Libby has a lot to live up to as a conservative author of erotic fiction
," Collins compares the novel to other so-called "sex shockers" written by conservative politicians and pundits and discusses themes of homoeroticism
and incest
in The Apprentice. She documents her view that "Like his predecessors, Libby does not shy from the scatological" with quotations from the book, regarding it as "Libby’s 1996 entry in the long and distinguished annals of the right-wing
dirty novel."
, pedophilia
, prostitution
, biastophilia
, and voyeurism
in just three sentences—has received wide attention:
Another sentence in the book introduces necrophilia
in addition to zoophilia, as a hunter copulates with a freshly killed deer: "The man called out to the others that the deer was still warm. He asked if they should fuck the deer" (127).
In his June 7, 2007 Wall Street Journal op-ed
calling for Presidential
pardon
of Scooter Libby, conservative academic Fouad Ajami
praised The Apprentice as a "remarkably lyrical novel ... [which] bears witness to an eye for human folly and disappointment."
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Lewis Libby, former Chief of Staff to U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
, first published in hardback
Hardcover
A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
in 1996, reprinted in trade paperback in 2002, and reissued in mass market paperback in 2005 after Libby's indictment in the CIA leak grand jury investigation
CIA leak grand jury investigation
The CIA leak grand jury investigation was a federal inquiry "into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a Central Intelligence Agency employee's identity," a possible violation of criminal statutes, including the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982, and Title 18, United States Code,...
. It is set in northern Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in winter 1903, and centers on a group of travelers stranded at a remote inn due to a smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic. It has been described as "a thriller ... that includes references to bestiality
Zoophilia
Zoophilia, from the Greek ζῷον and φιλία is the practice of sex between humans and non-human animals , or a preference or fixation on such practice...
, pedophilia
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
." It is the first and only novel that Libby has written.
Publication history
After being published in hardback by Graywolf PressGraywolf Press
Graywolf Press is an independent, non-profit publisher located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Founded on a dedication to the creation and promotion of thoughtful and imaginative contemporary literature essential to a vital and diverse culture, Graywolf Press publishes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.Now...
(St. Paul, Minnesota) in August 1996 (now out of print), it was published as a trade paperback by St. Martin's Thomas Dunne Books
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
in February 2002, and then reissued as a mass market paperback reprint of 25,000 copies by St. Martin's Griffin
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
imprint in December 2005, after Libby's indictment that October, as a result of the CIA leak grand jury investigation
CIA leak grand jury investigation
The CIA leak grand jury investigation was a federal inquiry "into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a Central Intelligence Agency employee's identity," a possible violation of criminal statutes, including the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982, and Title 18, United States Code,...
.
First edition publicity
In 2002, during an interview on Larry King LiveLarry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
promoting his novel's first publication in paperback, King asked Libby: "Are you a novelist working part-time for the vice president?" Libby told King, "Well, I've never quite figured that out. ... I'm a great fan of the Vice President. I think he's one of the smartest, most honorable people I've ever met. So, I'd like to consider myself fully on his team, but there's always a novel kicking around in the back somewhere." After hearing a brief plot summary, King wondered why Libby had set the novel in Japan, and Libby responded:
At that time, Libby also appeared on The Diane Rehm Show
The Diane Rehm Show
The Diane Rehm Show is a National Public Radio call-in show based in the United States. In October, 2007, The Diane Rehm Show was named to Audience Research Analysis’ list of the top ten most powerful national programs in public radio – the only talk show on the list...
on National Public Radio to talk about the novel. Libby said that he had chosen to set the novel in Japan in 1903, because it was a pivotal time in its history that had intrigued him.
Plot summary
According to the description of the book by St. Martin's Press:Reprint publicity
Following his indictmentIndictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
on October 28, 2005, for obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
, perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
, and making false statements to federal investigators
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
in Special Counsel
United States Office of Special Counsel
The United States Office of Special Counsel is a permanent independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency whose basic legislative authority comes from three federal statutes, the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act and the Hatch Act...
Patrick Fitzgerald
Patrick Fitzgerald
Patrick J. Fitzgerald is the current United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and a member of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel...
's CIA leak grand jury investigation
CIA leak grand jury investigation
The CIA leak grand jury investigation was a federal inquiry "into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a Central Intelligence Agency employee's identity," a possible violation of criminal statutes, including the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982, and Title 18, United States Code,...
, relating to the Plame affair
Plame affair
The Plame Affair involved the identification of Valerie Plame Wilson as a covert Central Intelligence Agency officer. Mrs. Wilson's relationship with the CIA was formerly classified information...
, after the novel was reissued and promoted by its publisher and Libby in media interviews and the subject of subsequent reviews, it gained renewed attention.
Notably, The Apprentice and Lewis Libby were the focus of the following week's New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
"Talk of the Town" column, by Lauren Collins, entitled "Scooter's Sex Shocker". Observing that "Libby has a lot to live up to as a conservative author of erotic fiction
Erotic literature
Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of human sexual relationships which have the power to or are intended to arouse the reader sexually. Such erotica takes the form of novels, short stories, poetry, true-life memoirs, and sex manuals...
," Collins compares the novel to other so-called "sex shockers" written by conservative politicians and pundits and discusses themes of homoeroticism
Homoeroticism
Homoeroticism refers to the erotic attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female , most especially as it is depicted or manifested in the visual arts and literature. It can also be found in performative forms; from theatre to the theatricality of uniformed movements...
and incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
in The Apprentice. She documents her view that "Like his predecessors, Libby does not shy from the scatological" with quotations from the book, regarding it as "Libby’s 1996 entry in the long and distinguished annals of the right-wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
dirty novel."
Reception
Although the sexual passages and references make up only a few pages of the novel, one passage in particular — combining zoophiliaZoophilia
Zoophilia, from the Greek ζῷον and φιλία is the practice of sex between humans and non-human animals , or a preference or fixation on such practice...
, pedophilia
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
, prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, biastophilia
Biastophilia
Biastophilia and its Latin language-derived counterpart, raptophilia , also paraphilic rape, refer to a paraphilia in which sexual arousal is dependent on, or is responsive to, the act of assaulting an unconsenting person, especially a stranger.Some dictionaries consider the terms synonymous,...
, and voyeurism
Voyeurism
In clinical psychology, voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature....
in just three sentences—has received wide attention:
Another sentence in the book introduces necrophilia
Necrophilia
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
in addition to zoophilia, as a hunter copulates with a freshly killed deer: "The man called out to the others that the deer was still warm. He asked if they should fuck the deer" (127).
In his June 7, 2007 Wall Street Journal op-ed
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
calling for Presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
of Scooter Libby, conservative academic Fouad Ajami
Fouad Ajami
Fouad A. Ajami , is a MacArthur Fellowship winning, Lebanese-born American university professor and writer on Middle Eastern issues. He is currently a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution....
praised The Apprentice as a "remarkably lyrical novel ... [which] bears witness to an eye for human folly and disappointment."
External links
- The Apprentice at Google Book SearchGoogle Book SearchGoogle Books is a service from Google that searches the full text of books that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical character recognition, and stored in its digital database. The service was formerly known as Google Print when it was introduced at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October...
. ("Preview" includes scans of front and back covers; title page; copyright page (back of title page); and selected pages from chapters 2, 4 and 5, with excluded pages identified. This preview includes pages cited above.)