Two interests intersected for me with this book. I’m a fan of Nicholas Hoare and his writings about whales and the sea, and was just re-introduced to Durer in an art class I’m taking.

So, I was delighted to discover that Hoare wrote Albert and the Whale, which is not only a recounting of the journey Durer made in vain, attempting to see a beached whale, but also about the influence Durer had on German novelist Thomas Mann and the New York City-based poet Marianne Moore (and her mother), as well as W.H. Auden and others, like Durer biographer Erwin Panofsky and his son Wolfgang, who helped build the first atomic bomb.

And, because the book is written by Hoare, it is also replete with whales, the sea, and himself. The book can feel a bit confusing if you don’t know what you’re in for (I read a review after I started the book, which helped frame it for me), as Hoare moves from time frame to time frame.

I could have spent less time (much less time) with Mann, but mostly the book works incredibly well and I walked away feeling like the connections between Durer and others in the book were, in a way, timeless.

The book concludes on a deeply personal note that links the author back to his subject, Durer, in a way that resonates and feels both personal and universal. A rich and rewarding book that I greatly appreciated (and would benefit from re-reading).