Martin Marten: A Novel - Softcover

BRIAN DOYLE (1956-2017) was the longtime editor of Portland Magazine at the University of Portland, in Oregon. He is the author of six collections of essays, two nonfiction books, two collections of “proems,” the short story collection Bin Laden’s Bald Spot, the novella Cat’s Foot, and the novels Mink River, The Plover, and Martin Marten. He is also the editor of several anthologies, including Ho`olaule`a, a collection of writing about the Pacific islands.

Doyle’s books have seven times been finalists for the Oregon Book Award, and his essays have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Orion, The American Scholar, The Sun, The Georgia Review, and in newspapers and magazines around the world, including The New York Times, The Times of London, and The Age (in Australia). His essays have also been reprinted in the annual Best American Essays, Best American Science & Nature Writing, and Best American Spiritual Writing anthologies.

Among various honors for his work is a Catholic Book Award, three Pushcart Prizes, the John Burroughs Award for Nature Essays, Foreword Reviews' Novel of the Year award in 2011, and the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2008 (previous recipients include Saul Bellow, Kurt Vonnegut, Flannery O’Connor, and Mary Oliver).

“Doyle is a born storyteller. . . . Life in the Northwest woods may be fanciful in Martin Marten, but the characters emerge true as rain.” ―The Seattle Times

“A rich, wise tale of two creatures from different species whose lives run parallel to each other.” ―Shelf Awareness

“Flows along absorbingly, avoiding sentiment while imparting a quiet acceptance of the rhythms of the natural and human worlds. Highly recommended; even city slickers can love.” ―Library Journal (starred review)

“Brian Doyle seeks that magical connection with the reader and, in Martin Marten, is wonderfully successful in his effort.” ―Portland Book Review

“[Doyle’s] a guy with a penchant for piquant detail, and possibly a cosmic agenda. When you finish reading a novel by Doyle, you’re bound to feel more attuned to the universe.” ―Kitsap Sun

“Martin Marten is a joyous celebration of the complexities of life told by a master storyteller. You will want to share it with your family and friends.” ―Neil Abramson, author of Unsaid

“Martin Marten is a daring and delightful creation. As well as any novelist working today, Brian Doyle blends animal and human kingdoms into a seamless hopeful narrative overflowing with the wonderment of life. So artfully does he weave the feelings and impulses of his imagined people and wildlife that Doyle himself must be half-man, half-critter. Martin Marten should be required reading for all humans.” ―Jim Lynch, author of the novels Truth Like the Sun, Border Songs, and The Highest Tide

“Brian Doyle's gorgeous new novel is a hypnotic, luxurious journey through our natural world--a mind-bending celebration of how sweet each day can be. Martin Marten is composed with musical prose and sparkling, quirky characters who remind us that humanity is still capable of great good, and bliss might well lie just beyond our own back doors. A modern day Siddhartha set in the lush Pacific Northwest, Martin Marten awakens readers to the interconnected worlds that define the landscape of one glorious mountain, and the common boundaries of its infinite souls.” ―Carol Cassella, author of Gemini

“Behold a tale both wonderful and wise about the mysteries of adolescence, the interconnectedness of the natural world, and the nature of existence itself. Insightful, heartwarming, and beautifully written, Brian Doyle's Martin Marten will have you cheering for characters across the species divide.” ―Brian Payton, author of The Wind Is Not a River