Being Dead by Jim Crace
Signed by author. Their bodies had expired, but anyone could tell - just look at them - that Joseph and Celice were still devoted. For while his hand was touching her, curved round her shin, the couple seemed to have achieved that peace the world denies, a period of grace, defying even murder. Anyone that found them there, so wickedly disfigured, would nevertheless be bound to see that there was something of their love that had survived the death of cells. The corpses were surrendered to the weather and the earth, but they were still man and wife, quitely resting; dead, but not departed yet. About the Author Jim Crace is the author of five novels, most recently QUARANTINE which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the Whitbread Novel of the Year Prize. He is also a past winner of the Whitbread First Novel Prize, the E.M.Forster Award and the Guardian Fiction Award. Jim Crace lives in Birmingham with his wife and two children. Excerpt. ? Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. When Being Dead, my novel of love, sex and mortality in a world without gods, was first published, some ...programmer on Radio 4's Front Row came up with the wheeze of having the book reviewed by a Home Office criminal pathologist. (Play this game at home: Lord of the Flies found wanting by an SAS survival expert, perhaps, or Jaws considered by a dentist.) The dead don't tell lies, and this poor radio critic had evidently spent too much time with truth-telling corpses and too little time with fiction. This novel is a gross distortion, he said, while he reflected on the bodies of my bludgeoned protagonists. Jim Crace has either spent his time with some very strange people, or he has simply made it up! The pathologist, of course, was correct on both counts. I have mixed with some very strange people (I live in Birmingham) And I did simply make it all up. I have not hung out in morgues, as some critics believe. Nor have I worked as a grave digger or mortician. Indeed, I have seen only one human corpse in my life, my father's, and that was for three seconds with my eyes screwed up. But I am familiar with non-human corpses, as are most of my readers. Every country walk I take seems to discover the putrefying body of a pigeon, fox or lamb. I do not hurry by. Sometimes I turn the body with my toe or stoop to see the ribcage grinning through the fur, the insects feeding on the flesh, the magpie wounds. I do not find these bodies undignified or gruesome. Au contraire, as the French say in their foppish fashion. And so, with Being Dead, I simply borrowed this more measured, natural response to mortality and applied it to the human corpses of my novel. And then I added those transcendent touches which dignify all good fiction by telling a few big lies. I created flesh-eating swagflies. I conjured up some smells and colours unassociated with the dead. I fantasised. I gave my corpses a period of grace, defying even murder. That's something that post mortems never find. This is my claim: invented narrative is often better at defining the great truths than slavish, factual text. Every novelist and every reader of fiction knows that. Pathologists and radio presenters who require a book to merely hold up a shiny, unresponding mirror to the world should stick to shopping lists and catalogues.
Publication Details
Title:
Author(s):
Illustrator:
Binding: Paperback
Published by: Penguin: , 2000
Edition:
ISBN: 9780140239751 | 0140239758
224 pages.
Book Condition: Good
Cover worn. Text tanned.
Pickup currently unavailable at Book Express Warehouse
Product information
Â
New Zealand Delivery
Shipping Options
Shipping options are shown at checkout and will vary depending on the delivery address and weight of the books.
We endeavour to ship the following day after your order is made and to have pick up orders available the same day. We ship Monday-Friday. Any orders made on a Friday afternoon will be sent the following Monday. We are unable to deliver on Saturday and Sunday.
Pick Up is Available in NZ:
Warehouse Pick Up Hours
- Monday - Friday: 9am-5pm
- 35 Nathan Terrace, Shannon NZ
Please make sure we have confirmed your order is ready for pickup and bring your confirmation email with you.
Rates
-
New Zealand Standard Shipping - $6.00
- New Zealand Standard Rural Shipping - $10.00
- Free Nationwide Standard Shipping on all Orders $75+
Please allow up to 5 working days for your order to arrive within New Zealand before contacting us about a late delivery. We use NZ Post and the tracking details will be emailed to you as soon as they become available. There may be some courier delays that are out of our control.Â
International Delivery
We currently ship to Australia and a range of international locations including: Belgium, Canada, China, Switzerland, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, United States, Hong Kong SAR, Thailand, Philippines, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden & Singapore. If your country is not listed, we may not be able to ship to you, or may only offer a quoting shipping option, please contact us if you are unsure.
International orders normally arrive within 2-4 weeks of shipping. Please note that these orders need to pass through the customs office in your country before it will be released for final delivery, which can occasionally cause additional delays. Once an order leaves our warehouse, carrier shipping delays may occur due to factors outside our control. We, unfortunately, can’t control how quickly an order arrives once it has left our warehouse. Contacting the carrier is the best way to get more insight into your package’s location and estimated delivery date.
- Global Standard 1 Book Rate: $37 + $10 for every extra book up to 20kg
- Australia Standard 1 Book Rate: $14 + $4 for every extra book
Any parcels with a combined weight of over 20kg will not process automatically on the website and you will need to contact us for a quote.
Payment Options
On checkout you can either opt to pay by credit card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express), Google Pay, Apple Pay, Shop Pay & Union Pay. Paypal, Afterpay and Bank Deposit.
Transactions are processed immediately and in most cases your order will be shipped the next working day. We do not deliver weekends sorry.
If you do need to contact us about an order please do so here.
You can also check your order by logging in.
Contact Details
- Trade Name: Book Express Ltd
- Phone Number: (+64) 22 852 6879
- Email: sales@bookexpress.co.nz
- Address: 35 Nathan Terrace, Shannon, 4821, New Zealand.
- GST Number: 103320957 - We are registered for GST in New Zealand
- NZBN:Â 9429031911290
Â
We have a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unread.Â
To start a return, you can contact us at sales@bookexpress.co.nz. Please note that returns will need to be sent to the following address: 35 Nathan Terrace, Shannon, New Zealand 4821.Â
If your return is for a quality or incorrect item, the cost of return will be on us, and will refund your cost. If it is for a change of mind, the return will be at your cost.Â
You can always contact us for any return question at sales@bookexpress.co.nz.
Â
Damages and issues
Please inspect your order upon reception and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.
Â
Exceptions / non-returnable items
Certain types of items cannot be returned, like perishable goods (such as food, flowers, or plants), custom products (such as special orders or personalised items), and personal care goods (such as beauty products). Although we don't currently sell anything like this. Please get in touch if you have questions or concerns about your specific item.Â
Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on gift cards.
Â
Exchanges
The fastest way to ensure you get what you want is to return the item you have, and once the return is accepted, make a separate purchase for the new item.
Â
European Union 14 day cooling off period
Notwithstanding the above, if the merchandise is being shipped into the European Union, you have the right to cancel or return your order within 14 days, for any reason and without a justification. As above, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused, with tags, and in its original packaging. You’ll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.
Â
Refunds
We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method within 10 business days. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.
If more than 15 business days have passed since we’ve approved your return, please contact us at sales@bookexpress.co.nz.
Â