The Recognitions

Wyatt Gwyon’s desire to forge is not driven by larceny but from love. Exactingly faithful to the spirit and letter of the Flemish masters, he produces uncannily accurate ‘originals’ – pictures the painters themselves might have envied. In an age of counterfeit emotion and taste, the real and fake have become indistinguishable; yet Gwyon’s forgeries reflect a truth that others cannot touch – cannot even recognize. Contemporary life collapses the distinction between the ‘real’ and the ‘virtual’ world, and Gaddis’ novel pre-empts our common obsessions by almost half a century. This novel tackles the blurring of perceptual boundaries, The Matrix and Bladerunner pale in comparison to this epic novel.