"Rreinnstadt is a place which exists nowhere...the conception of an 18th century prince who devotes his time, and that of his subjects, to laying down on paper the architecture and street-plans of this great, yet illusory city. Its inhabitants must also be devised: artists and authors, their fictional lives and works, all concocted by different departments. When Schenck, a worker in the Cartography Office, discovers the 'existence' of Pfitz, a manservant visiting Rreinnstadt, he sets about illicitly recreating Pfitz's life. Crumey is a daring writer: using the stuff of fairy tales, he ponders the difference between fact and fiction, weaving together philosophy and fantasy to create a magical, witty novel." The Sunday Times AUTHOR: Andrew Crumey was born in Glasgow in 1961. He read theoretical physics and mathematics at St Andrews University and Imperial College in London, before doing post-doctoral research at Leeds University on nonlinear dynamics. After a spell of being the literary editor at Scotland on Sunday he now combines teaching creative writing at Northumbria University with his writing. He lives in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. His first novel 'Music, in a Foreign Language'(1994) was awarded The Saltire Best First Book Prize. His second novel 'Pfitz' (1995) was one of the books of the year for The Observer and The New York Times. He published 'D'Alembert's Principle' to great acclaim in 1996. 'Mr Mee' (2000), 'Mobius Dick' (2004) and 'Sputnik Caledonia' (2008) followed. His novels have been translated into 13 languages.
