Other Books - Caleb Carr & The Alienist Books

Celebrating 30 Years of The Alienist – Part Five

Posted on October 18, 20241 Comment

View Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five of The Alienist 30th anniversary series.

With the year nearing its end, the time has come for the last post in our celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Alienist’s publication. To honor the novel and its author, we have so far discussed its origins and first/special editions (Parts One and Two), explored early attempts to adapt it to the screen (Part Three), and summarized the publication history of its sequel, The Angel of Darkness (Part Four). In order to complete our homage today, we now turn our attention to the novel’s many translations and consider its enduring legacy.

Translations

Perhaps one of the best markers of a novel’s success is how widely translated it has been, and The Alienist is no exception. Although our celebration so far has primarily focused on the novel’s reception in the United States, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to its status as a bestseller. As described in Part Two, The Alienist was a worldwide phenomenon upon its release. Since that time, millions of copies have been sold, and it has been translated into over two dozen languages.

While it is beyond the scope of this blog series to provide details about each and every translation, a very small subset of covers for translated editions can be viewed below. These include editions in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Czech, and Russian.

Continuation of the series

Over the past 20 years, perhaps the most frequently asked question I’ve received as the owner of 17th Street relates to whether the series will ever be continued. Although the idea of a third novel was floated on and off in interviews with Caleb Carr following The Angel of Darkness’ publication (see Part Four), it wasn’t until 2016 that the long-awaited announcement was made: Mulholland Books would be publishing two new Alienist novels intended to ‘bookend’ the series. More exciting still, the books would shed light on the two most enigmatic characters in the series: Miss Sara Howard and Dr. Kreizler himself.

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My Beloved Monster – Interviews & Reviews

Posted on April 13, 202418 Comments

For those who are finding the website through this post, please note that Caleb Carr passed away in May, 2024. See Remembering Caleb Carr (1955-2024) for 17th Street’s memorial to a beloved author.

Several new interviews and reviews have been released in the lead up to the publication of Caleb Carr’s new memoir My Beloved Monster on April 16. Perhaps most revealing was a pre-recorded interview Caleb gave to CBS Saturday Morning, offering in-depth insight into the writing of the memoir and his special relationship with Masha, along with sobering news about the current state of his health. The segment can be viewed below:

In addition, he gave an interview with Scott Simon on NPR about the memoir that you can read the transcript of or listen to here.

The book has also garnered several wonderful reviews. Chris Bohjalian in the Washington Post described the book as a “warm, wrenching love story,” concluding:

Like all good memoirs — and this is an excellent one — “My Beloved Monster” is not always for the faint of heart. Because life is not for the faint of heart. But it is worth the emotional investment, and the tissues you will need by the end, to spend time with a writer and cat duo as extraordinary as Masha and Carr.

Alexandra Jacobs of The New York Times similarly framed the memoir as “loving and lovely, lay-it-all-on-the-line explication of one man’s fierce attachment,” while a Booklist review called it “a love story of the best, most ethereal kind.” Publisher’s Weekly also praised the book as “lively and moving….even readers without their own furry friend will be moved.”

Caleb said in the CBS interview that for the latter years of Masha’s life, he would look at her and say, “Some day, I’m going to make you famous.” With My Beloved Monster currently trending #1 in memoirs and author biographies on Amazon, it certainly looks as though his promise is coming true. I’m sure many of Caleb’s loyal readers will be looking forward to meeting Masha and learning about the bond she and Caleb shared when the memoir is released on Tuesday — and, of course, wish him peace and strength as he fights his current health battle.

Kirkus Review of My Beloved Monster

Posted on February 10, 20242 Comments

In the lead-up to the release of Caleb Carr’s new memoir, My Beloved Monster, Kirkus Reviews have published a moving endorsement of the book. Describing the memoir as “one of the most powerful and beautiful grief narratives ever written, including all the memoirs about people,” the reviewer revealed some fascinating details and revelations from the memoir:

A Siberian Forest cat spends 17 years with her brilliant, reclusive, deeply unconventional human companion.

Within pages of starting this moving book, connoisseurs of fine prose may find themselves gasping with delight, as will cat lovers. Carr, best known for his 1994 novel The Alienist and also a distinguished military historian, reveals that he has always recognized himself to be an “imperfectly reincarnated” feline. When he was 5, he handed his mother a drawing of a boy with the head of a cat and said, “This is me before I was born.” You may well be convinced this is true by the end of Carr’s amazing tale of commitment, communication, self-discovery, and adventure with his cat, Masha, a half-tame “wildling” who loves the music of Richard Wagner. The author has had a life of exceptional pain and tragedy: His father, the Beat Generation figure Lucien Carr, was given to episodes of physical abuse that resulted in significant emotional and medical consequences. Also, despite Carr’s profound bonds with other beloved cats, several came to difficult ends he could not prevent. When he met Masha, who deftly ensured that he would take her home from the overwhelmed Vermont animal shelter where she landed after abuses of her own, he felt his redemption. The two become life partners and were never separated for more than a handful of nights, each of those for hospitalizations caused by Carr’s ever more dire physical condition. The story of their life together in the spacious house the author built for himself in Rensselaer County, New York, and in the woods and grounds surrounding it, in all seasons and weather, is a testament to both the human and feline spirits.

One of the most powerful and beautiful grief narratives ever written, including all the memoirs about people.
Kirkus Reviews

As noted previously, the memoir is currently available for preorder ahead of its release on April 16. For links to all sellers, I recommend visiting the publisher’s website.

Cover Release

Posted on September 10, 2023No Comments

Last month, the cover for Caleb Carr’s new memoir, My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-Wild Rescue Cat who Rescued Me, was released. It’s a lovely design that features Caleb’s much-loved Masha, the subject of the memoir. For anyone who may have missed it, this new memoir will be released on April 16, 2024 and is currently available for preorder. For links to all sellers, I recommend visiting the publisher’s website.