The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear : : Being the Demibiography of a Seagoing Bear, With Numerous Illustrations and Excerpts From the 'Encyclopedia of the Marvels, Life Forms and Other Phenomena of Zamonia and the its Environs,' by Professor Abdullah Nightingale

Locations
Call Number: Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Moers, Walter, Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Moers, Walter
On Shelf At: Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Moers, Walter	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Moers, Walter	4-week checkout	Due 05-03-2024
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Moers, Walter	4-week checkout	Due 05-11-2024

Translation originally published: London : Secker & Warburg, 2000.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Nautical Demiautobiography submitted by JoelReinstein on December 23, 2011, 6:15pm It's commonly thought that stories, when translated into another language, lose something of their Original Essence. This might be true in most cases. Most food, given enough time, decays into something we wouldn't want to eat. "The Thirteen and 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear," however, is more like wine or stinky tofu: through two layers of translation, it can only grow and refine.

The book was originally written in Zamonian by its eponymous author. The only direct translation we have is in the German of preeminent cartoonist and writer Walter Moers, whose translations from Zamonian include "Rumo & Die Wunder im Dunkeln" and "Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher." An English version of Moers' translation has come to us through John Brownjohn, winner of the Schlegel-Tieck and Kurt Wolff prizes for his work in German-to-English translation.

In this tome, Captain Bluebear - that peerless paragon of the nautical arts, greatest Congladiator to ever be called "King of Lies," interdimensional traveler, and all-around gentleman - has graciously bestowed upon us a narrative description of his first 13 and 1/2 lives. It provides a peek at what life is like on the continent of Zamonia, a strange and terrible place peopled by obscenely miraculous beings and impossibly fantastic geographical features. Seven-brained gnomes, microscopic pirates, a city inside a permanent tornado and pterodactyls who are professional rescuers are just some of the wonders encountered by the esteemed Captain on his travels.

While not for the faint of heart, "Captain Bluebear" performs well as a children's tale for adults that is incidentally appropriate for all ages. Some have compared it to Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," but their similarities are limited. Where Adams produced biting satire, Bluebear's account is more of an imaginative romp - and, of course, a demiautobiography.

"The Thirteen and 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear' is not for everyone, but I can recommend it to anyone who reads. If you happen to be such a person, then "Captain Bluebear" is for you.

-Joel Antonio di Libraria Ann Arbor

Amazing submitted by j.carbon06 on July 2, 2012, 2:52pm This is simply a fantastic book. As epic a saga as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but not as boring, and with an even more extensive and incredible world containing an enormous variety of fantastic people, creatures, and places.

The books is an autobiography written by Captain Bluebear. It tells of his first 13 1/2 lives. Each life is a great adventure, and each is more exciting then the last.

An added bonus is the fact that the book includes many excerpts from the "Encyclopedia of the marvels, life forms and other phenomena of Zamonia and the its environs", by Abdullah Nightingale itself a fantastic work, also highly recommended.