The Zen Violinist - Diana Janney

The Zen Violinist - Diana Janney

Diana Janney

£9.99
Restocking

Order now for delivery in 1–2 weeks

On its way to us from the publisher. If it hasn’t reached us within 14 days we’ll email you and refund in full — you won’t need to chase us.

  • Pages · 448 pages
  • Publication Date · 01/10/2026
  • Genre · Poetry
Collect in store Pick it up free from the shop in Oxford's Covered Market, usually quicker than the post.
Delivery Standard tracked £1.99, free on orders over £20. Express tracked £2.99.
Book Lovers' Happy Hour Three cocktails matched to your taste, three books chosen for you, an hour and a half at the bar. £60 per person. Book a place →
The Zen Violinist is the compelling new novel by Diana Janney, author of A Man of Understanding, the Runner-up in The People's Book Prize. Suki Koyama, a talented English violinist, grew up in Japan from the age of four. When she returns as an adult to London, her birthplace, to pursue a musical career, she takes with her many influences from her years in Japan - the violin, classical music, poetry, writing, Zen. The two she values most are her violin playing and Zen nature, but on the brink of achieving her dream of success as a twenty-five-year-old soloist tragedy strikes and Suki fears she is losing both. A deepening relationship with enigmatic Rex Curtis intensifies her fear that her true nature is disappearing. How will she respond?Suki tells her moving story in lyrical prose, like a concerto in three movements, to compose a stunningly original and thought-provoking meditation on a life guided by the principles of music and Zen practice. The Zen Violinist resounds with the beauty of a work of art, the wisdom of Zen, and the complexities of love.

Only at Gulp Fiction

Book Lovers' Happy Hour

An hour and a half at the bar, with three cocktails matched to your taste and three books chosen for you. Tell us what you like when you book, and we'll have them waiting when you arrive.

  • 1½ hours
  • £60 per person
  • 3 cocktails, 3 books
Book Happy Hour

Up to four of you can come — book a place each and choose the same time slot, then tell us who you're with. For larger groups, email gulpfictionbooks@gmail.com and we'll arrange it.

Three customers at the window table in Gulp Fiction, cocktails in hand beside a stack of books, with Oxford's Covered Market visible through the glass

Collect in store

Order online and pick it up from the shop. It's free, and usually quicker than the post.

Find us

Units 28–29, Covered Market, Oxford OX1 3DU. Mon–Wed 10–5, Thu–Sat 10–10, Sun 11–4.

Book a table

The bar is open late Thursday to Saturday. Reserve a table for a drink among the books.