The Bulgari Connection
| Author | Fay Weldon |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Flamingo Press |
Publication date | 2001 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 224 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-00-712126-1 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 59550660 |
The Bulgari Connection is a 2001 novel by Fay Weldon that became notorious for its commercial tie-in: in exchange for £18,000 from the jeweler Bulgari, Weldon was required to mention the name of the jeweler at least 12 times - which was more than exceeded by the author. The 34 mentions appear in sentences such as "'A Bulgari necklace in the hand is worth two in the bush', said Doris" or "They snuggled together happily for a bit, all passion spent; and she met him at Bulgari that lunchtime".[1][2] Such heavy use of product placement was not only a novelty in literature but also unprecedented for a published, established author (The Bulgari Connection was her 23rd novel), and a front-page article was published about it in the New York Times, quoting such writers as Rick Moody, J. G. Ballard, Michael Chabon, and Jeanette Winterson.
The story concerns a character named Grace McNab Salt, and her re-integration into high society after ending a term in prison that she served for attempting to run her husband's mistress Doris Dubois over with her car.
External links
- Article in Salon.com about controversy
- Article in Slate.com
- Reid, Carol (2001-09-10). "Weldon's Bulgari Product Placement Raises Eyebrows". Publishers Weekly. 248 (37).
- "The Bulgari Connection". Publishers Weekly.
References
- ↑ Kirkpatrick, David D. (3 September 2001). "Words From Our Sponsor: A Jeweler Commissions a Novel". New York Times.
- ↑ Arnold, Martin (13 September 2001). "Placed Products, and Their Cost". New York Times.