A whimsical and often humorous narration of the overland (with sea-crossing section) transport of an elephant from Lisbon to Vienna in the mid 16th century, peppered with digressions and authorial commentary, and with more than a bit of the air of a fable. Has more in common with Death at Intervals than Blindness, but is different again from either of those; I can't remember exactly why Alice lent it to me, but it had something to do with the amusing way that it steps out the various organisational and logistical elements of the journey.