The Death of Bunny Munro
Encyclopedia
The Death of Bunny Munro is the second novel
written by Nick Cave
, best known as the lead singer of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
. His first novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel
, was published in 1989.
The novel deals with Bunny Munro, a middle aged lothario whose constant womanising and alcohol abuse comes to a head after the suicide
of his wife. A travelling door to door beauty product salesman, he and his son go on an increasingly out of control road trip around Brighton
, over which looms the shadow of a serial killer
making his way towards Brighton, as well as Bunny's own mortality. The novel is set in Brighton in 2003, around the time the West Pier was destroyed by fire. Many of the locations and street names used in the book relate to real places close to Cave's own home.
The novel was also released as an audiobook, using a 3D audio effect
produced and sound directed by British artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard
, with a soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
and in a number of Ebook formats including an Enhanced Editions iPhone application that synchronises the audiobook with the text, and includes exclusive videos of Nick reading. A series of live events took place in late 2009 to promote the book under the title of "A Night with Nick Cave", combining music, readings and a Q&A session with the audience.
, Neil Labute
and David Peace
have all touted the novel - providing back-cover reviews. Moreover, "The Death of Bunny Munro" has received strong reviews from the British media: Graeme Thomson (writing in The Observer
, 6 September 2009) awarded the novel four stars. Likewise, the Saturday Times
(on the 5th of September 2009) stated, in a very positive review, that the novel "reads like a good indie movie".
The novel was nominated for the Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction Award
, but did not win.
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....
written by Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, best known as the lead singer of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
. His first novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel
And the Ass Saw the Angel
And the Ass Saw the Angel is the first novel by the musician and singer Nick Cave, originally published in 1989 by Black Spring Press in the United Kingdom and Harper Collins in the United States. It was re-published in 2003 by 2.13.61...
, was published in 1989.
The novel deals with Bunny Munro, a middle aged lothario whose constant womanising and alcohol abuse comes to a head after the suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of his wife. A travelling door to door beauty product salesman, he and his son go on an increasingly out of control road trip around Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, over which looms the shadow of a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
making his way towards Brighton, as well as Bunny's own mortality. The novel is set in Brighton in 2003, around the time the West Pier was destroyed by fire. Many of the locations and street names used in the book relate to real places close to Cave's own home.
The novel was also released as an audiobook, using a 3D audio effect
3D audio effect
3D audio effects are a group of sound effects that attempt to widen the stereo image produced by two loudspeakers or stereo headphones, or to create the illusion of sound sources placed anywhere in 3 dimensional space, including behind, above or below the listener.There are several types of 3D...
produced and sound directed by British artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard
Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard
Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard are British artists who create re-enactments of cultural and art historical events. Forsyth was born in Manchester in 1973, Pollard in Newcastle in 1972.-Life and work:...
, with a soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis (musician)
Warren Ellis is an Australian multi-instrumentalist and composer, best known for his work with Dirty Three, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman and his soundtrack scores with Nick Cave. He plays violin, piano, bouzouki, guitar, flute, mandolin, and tenor guitar...
and in a number of Ebook formats including an Enhanced Editions iPhone application that synchronises the audiobook with the text, and includes exclusive videos of Nick reading. A series of live events took place in late 2009 to promote the book under the title of "A Night with Nick Cave", combining music, readings and a Q&A session with the audience.
Reception
Irvine WelshIrvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh is a contemporary Scottish novelist, best known for his novel Trainspotting. His work is characterised by raw Scottish dialect, and brutal depiction of the realities of Edinburgh life...
, Neil Labute
Neil LaBute
Neil N. LaBute is an American film director, screenwriter and playwright.-Early life:LaBute was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Marian, a hospital receptionist, and Richard LaBute, a long-haul truck driver. LaBute is of French Canadian, English and Irish ancestry, and was raised in Spokane,...
and David Peace
David Peace
David Peace is an English author. Known for his novels GB84, The Damned Utd, and Red Riding Quartet, Peace was named one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta in their 2003 list...
have all touted the novel - providing back-cover reviews. Moreover, "The Death of Bunny Munro" has received strong reviews from the British media: Graeme Thomson (writing in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, 6 September 2009) awarded the novel four stars. Likewise, the Saturday Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(on the 5th of September 2009) stated, in a very positive review, that the novel "reads like a good indie movie".
The novel was nominated for the Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction Award
Literary Review
Literary Review is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at Edinburgh University. Its offices are currently on Lexington Street in Soho, London, and it has a circulation of 44,750. Britain's principal literary monthly, the magazine was...
, but did not win.
Publication history
- 2009, UK, Canongate BooksCanongate BooksCanongate Books is a Scottish independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh; it is named for The Canongate, an area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prizewinner Life of Pi...
, ISBN 978-1847673763, 3 Sep 2009, hardcover, 304pp - 2009, USA Faber & Faber, ISBN 978-0865479104, 1 Sep 2009, hardcover, 288 pp
External links
- Official book website
- Enhanced Editions iPhone App
- Listening to Nick Cave read The Death of Bunny Munro Audiobook review