The Custodian's Journal

About the Book

Simon Walker has been keeping a journal of his last year living on the grounds of the university, the only home he has ever known. In it, he offers an account of his 'family', from kitchen-worker confidants to Nobelists and high-ranking university officials. Among these interlocking narratives, he explains his involuntary transfer to Harmony House, a home for the unfit and unwanted. His chronicle captures the politics of ambition, intrigue, and fame of those who surround him and his own curious contributions which will affect them all.

"A great talent."

-Ray Powers, Scott & Field

"An important satire on the culture of institutions and the uses of intellect . . . . rich in allegory"

-Walter Proctor

"Structurally ingenious."

-Jonathan Galassi, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

About the Author

Michael Gessner lives in Tucson, Arizona and directs the creative writing program at Central Arizona College. His work has appeared in books by Allyn & Bacon, C. V. Mosby, Times-Mirror, and St. Martin's Press, and in periodicals including The American Literary Review, The English Journal, The Kappan, Oxford Magazine, Pacific Review, and others.