Howard Norman’s The Bird Artist, the first book of his Canadian trilogy, begins in 1911. Its narrator, Fabian Vas, is a bird artist: he draws and paints the birds of Witless Bay, his remote Newfoundland coastal village home. In the first paragraph of his tale, Fabian reveals that he has murdered the village lighthouse keeper, Botho August. Later, he confesses who and what drove him to his crime—a measured, profoundly engrossing story of passion, betrayal, guilt, and redemption between men and women.
The Bird Artist is a 1994 National Book Award Finalist for Fiction.
Crime
Family
Smalltown
Betrayal
Psychological
Revenge
Historical Romance
Noir
Redemption
Coming of Age
Forbidden Love
Audiobook details
GenreGeneral Fiction, Historical Fiction
Length7 hrs 33 mins
Narrated byLiam Gerrard
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateSep 13, 2025
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1#1
7#7
2#2
8#8
3#3
9#9
4#4
10#10
5#5
11#11
Show all chaptersShow less
6#6
12#12
About the author
Howard Norman
Howard Norman is a three-time winner of National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and a winner of the Lannan Award for fiction. His novels The Northern Lights and The Bird Artist were nominated for the National Book Award. His books have been translated into twelve languages. He divides his time between East Calais, Vermont, and Washington, DC.View all by Howard Norman
