The Anatomy Lesson [Paperback]

A single day in Amsterdam, 1632. The Surgeons’ Guild has commissioned a young artist named Rembrandt to paint Dr. Nicolaes Tulp as he performs a medical dissection. In the swirl of anticipation and intrigue surrounding the event, we meet an extraordinary constellation of men and women whose lives hinge, in some way, on Dr. Tulp’s anatomy lesson. There is Aris the Kid, the condemned coat thief whose body is to be used for the dissection; Flora, his pregnant lover; Jan Fetchet, the curio dealer who acquires corpses for the doctor’s work; the great René Descartes, who will attend the dissection in his quest to understand where the human soul resides; and the Dutch master himself, who feels a shade uneasy about this assignment.
       As the story builds to its dramatic conclusion, circumstances conspire to produce a famous painting—and an immortal painter. Vividly rendered, masterfully written,The Anatomy Lessonis a story of mind and body, death and love—and redemptive power of art.

“A literary page-turner that captures a story behind a masterpiece. . . . [An] intricate work of historical fiction.”—Oprah.com

“Fascinating. . . . Conveys the pomp, graft, bustle and rough justice of 17th-century Holland through a multitude of voices.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Siegal succeeds in the task she has set herself—to transmute her material into a work of art.” —The New Yorker
 
“Nina Siegal’s lovely novel dissects the dissection, evocatively translating the painted narrative into words.” —Russell Shorto, author ofAmsterdam

“Brilliantly structured. . . . Filled with vivid characters. . . . Dazzling.” —Margot Livesey, author ofThe Flight of Gemma Hardy

“Once in a rare while, you get to read a story of such breathtaking blÓ.