The Blind Viper by J.A. Wainwright
A resonant new novel from the Guernica Prize-winning author of This Cleaving and This Burning
In The Blind Viper, his 8th novel, JA Wainwright (also the author of numerous volumes of poetry and non-fiction) has written a gripping account centred around ways of seeing, the creative impulse and the power of the mind to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
In the spring of 1971, Alex, a young Canadian poet and scholar, visits a Greek island in search of solitude and a creative spark. Soon after his arrival he finds himself in the company of a famous British painter, Leo Dalca, and Leo’s much younger companion, a Swedish model named Sofia. Leo is blind and yet can create stunning works of art that fetch enormous prices and hang in galleries around the world. For Alex, Leo, and Sofia become more than just a distraction, not least because of Sofia’s beauty, intelligence and sphinx-like Nordic poise, and Leo’s traumatic life story.
“Throughout The Blind Viper, the writing is lush and full-blooded…”
As a young man, artistically talented but unschooled, Leo was swept up in the anti-fascist movement of the 1930s. He and a friend, Irish poet Charlie Donoghue, along with hundreds of others, travelled to Spain to fight in the Civil War, where Charlie was killed and Leo blinded by shrapnel. Leo, still a young man, his life tragically altered, returned home and after struggling to find his footing, was working toward an unlikely and challenging career path. One that would allow him, though sightless, to use his sense of touch to provide his mind’s eye with a visual impression of the art he wanted to create. Through stubbornness, luck and hard work, Leo was able to develop his talent and propel himself to the pinnacle of the art world, where both he and his paintings were in high demand. By the 1960s, Leo Dalca’s stature was such that he could approach Sofia, a successful model, and ask her to pose for him, nude.
The action returns to 1971, Leo and Sofia are companions and lovers, though her role extends to guide and caregiver. But the presence of the young Canadian in their midst adds a complicating and intriguing wrinkle to their relationship when it becomes clear that Alex’s attraction to Sofia is reciprocated.
But The Blind Viper tells more than just a tale of sexual transgression. This is a complex story, global in scope, rich with historical detail and mythic implication. The novel is written from several perspectives and depicts various stages in the lives of the main characters.
The events of 1971 seed the core action. Stung by disappointment, Sofia leaves Leo. Alex returns to Canada alone to pursue his academic career. Years pass. Sofia and Leo maintain an irregular correspondence, until Leo, nearing ninety, wishing to make amends for acts of betrayal and manipulation, reaches out to Sofia urging her to visit before he dies. Back in Canada, upon learning of Leo’s death, Alex tracks down Sofia with the intention of digging into Leo’s life and writing his biography.
Readers of his previous books know that JA Wainwright is not just a disciplined creator of fictional worlds, but also an empathetic poet and inquisitive writer of non-fiction. Throughout The Blind Viper, the writing is lush and full-blooded, filled with lyrical flourishes, insightful observations on human nature and stunning visuals, and yet does not distract from a brilliantly paced and often suspenseful story. The action scenes set on the Spanish battlefield are particularly effective, as Leo and Charlie stare death in the face, both absorbed by their own memories and regrets.
The Blind Viper is about creativity, but it is also about life, love, compromise, and the hazards of self-absorption. It is a dazzling performance by one of our very best writers.
About the Author
J.A. WAINWRIGHT, McCulloch Emeritus Professor in English, has lived in Nova Scotia for over 50 years after growing up in Toronto. A specialist in Canadian and contemporary literature, he is a prolific author and has published 16 books, including fiction, poetry, nonfiction, a play, and an opera libretto. He now divides his time between Nova Scotia and Toronto.
About the Reviewer
Ian Colford was born, raised, and educated in Halifax. His reviews and stories have appeared in many print and online publications. He is the author of two collections of short fiction and two novels, and is the recipient of the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award for Evidence.
Book Details
Publisher : Mosaic Press
Publication date : May 22 2025
Language : English
Print length : 232 pages
ISBN-10 : 1771618000
ISBN-13 : 978-1771618007
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