Manituana: Book summary and reviews of Manituana by Wu Ming

Manituana Summary

A book of dazzling scope, Manituana is the latest from the collective of four young Italian writers who call themselves Wu Ming. Set during the Revolutionary War, Manituana blends fact and fiction in a story that centers around a New World family of mixed British and Native American descent. The Johnson-Brandt clan lives in a world that is familiar but not immediately of its time: hunter-gathering and Indian cosmology are part of a way of life that also includes violin-playing and living in stone houses rather than teepees.

With fleeting glimpses of historical figures, set-piece battle narratives and epic wilderness scenes, Manituana weaves the chaos of the civil war and the founding of a new nation into a story on the heroic scale of The Last of the Mohicans, and with a cult appeal similar to Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves.

Manituana Reviews

"Though this is a more cumbersome read than Wu Ming's previous (and more enthralling) works, the vivid scenery, well-developed characters and crisp translation are immensely satisfying." - Publishers Weekly

"A worthy treatment of a history too little known, though nowhere near as delightful or as quirky as Q and '54." - Kirkus Reviews

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Wu Ming Author Biography

Wu Ming means "no name"-and therefore "anonymous"-in Mandarin Chinese. Four of the five members of the Wu Ming Foundation wrote the novel Q under the pseudonym Luther Blissett. They live in Bologna. A few words from Wu Ming:

In January 2000, a fifth person joined the four authors of Q and a new band of authors was born, Wu Ming (chinese for "anonymous"). Since then, we have authored further novels and essays. So far, our major collective effort has been 54, a novel set in 1954, with dozens of lead characters (including actor Cary Grant), also translated in English and several European languages. The book was an inspirational source for the Italian folk-rock band Yo Yo Mundi whose concept album (also titled 54) was released at the beginning of 2004.

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