The mysterious circumstances surrounding the magnate Boy Staunton’s death are solved after an exploration of seemingly innocent actions that will reveal themselves as defining moments in the life of Paul Dempster, a child from Deptford whom Stauntaon had known during his childhood and who would eventually become Magnus Eisengrim, the most famous illusionist of his time. Eisengrim will narrate his life, offering his own particular vision of Staunton’s death, and explaining how he learned his trade and became a world-famous illusionist. His tale will reveal how the path to success can often be more difficult and tragic than it appears, and how a brilliant figure can also have a dark part. Although it can be read independently, this novel is the third installment of The Deptford Trilogy.

Eel misterio que rodea la muerte del magnate Boy Staunton es resuelto luego de la exploración de acciones en apariencia inocentes que se revelarán como acontecimientos decisivos en la vida de Paul Dempster, un niño de Deptford al que Staunton había conocido en su infancia y que se convertiría en Magnus Eisengrim, el prestidigitador más famoso de su época. Eisengrim narrará su vida, ofreciendo su particular visión de la muerte de Staunton, y explicando cómo aprendió su oficio y llegó a convertirse en un ilusionista de fama mundial. Su relato revelará hasta qué punto el camino hacia el éxito es más arduo y trágico de lo que parece a simple vista, y cómo una figura brillante puede contar también con un pasado oscuro. Aunque puede ser leída independientemente, esta novela es el tercer libro de la Trilogía de Deptford.

Robertson Davies, novelist, playwright, literary critic and essayist, was born in 1913 in Thamesville, Ontario. He was educated at Queen's University, Toronto, and Balliol College, Oxford. Whilst at Oxford he became interested in the theatre and from 1938 until 1940 he was a teacher and actor at the Old Vic in London. He subsequently wrote a number of plays. In 1940 he returned to Canada, where he was literary editor of Saturday Night, an arts, politics and current affairs journal, until 1942, when he became editor and later publisher of the Peterborough Examiner. Several of his books, including The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks and The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks, had their origins in an editorial column. In 1962 he was appointed Professor of English at the University of Toronto, and in 1963 was appointed the first Master of the University's Massey College. He retired in 1981, but remained Master Emeritus and Professor Emeritus. He held honorary doctorates from twenty-six universities in the UK, the USA and Canada, and he received numerous awards for his work, including the Governor-General's Award for The Manticore in 1973. It is as a writer of fiction that Robertson Davies achieved international recognition, with such books as The Salterton Trilogy (Tempest-Tost, Leaven Of Malice, winner of the Leacock Award for Humour, and A Mixture Of Frailties); The Deptford Trilogy (Fifth Business, The Manticore and World Of Wonders); The Cornish Trilogy (The Rebel Angels, What's Bred in the Bone, shortlisted for the 1986 Booker Prize, and The Lyre of Orpheus); Murther & Walking Spirits; and The Cunning Man. His other work includes One Half of Robertson Davies, The Enthusiasms of Robertson Davies, Robertson Davies: The Well-Tempered Critic, The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks, High Spirits, A Voice From The Attic and The Merry Heart, a posthumous collection of autobiography, lectures and essays. Many of his books are published by Penguin.

Robertson Davies died in December 1995. Malcolm Bradbury described him as 'one of the great modern novelists', and in its obituary The Times wrote: 'Davies encompassed all the great elements of life...His novels combined deep seriousness and psychological inquiry with fantasy and exuberant mirth.'

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"Robertson Davies is the sort of novelist readers can hardly wait to tell their friends about."  “Washington Post

"He is one of the most learned, amusing and otherwise accomplished novelists of our time. His novels will be recognized with the very best work of this century."  ?John Kenneth Galbraith, author, The Affluent Society

"Robertson Davies is one of the great modern novelists."  “Sunday Times

"Davies is author to one of the most consistent narrative works of the 20th century."  “La Vanguardia

"[T]he greatest comic writer since Dickens."  “John Irving, author, The Cider House Rules