Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man

First edition. 8vo. Pp. 233, [7]. Quarter-bound in grey textured paper over black paper-covered boards; lettered in silver to spine. Deckled fore-edge. Jacket design by Evan Gaffney, reproducing Kenneth Josephson's photograph, Untitled Chicago 1988.

An ageing writer sifts through the detritus of his life as he ponders the subject matter of his swan song. With a title evocatively mirroring Joyce's Künstlerroman A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the similarity is further reinforced if one reads the main character's name, "Pota", as an abbreviation of the afore-mentioned title. Heller's last novel, published posthumously. "A hugely enjoyable work – witty and erudite, tellingly and achingly full of truths about the frustrations of a life devoted to writing." –Susan Miron, The Miami Herald