Fifteen Dogs Summary
André Alexis

Fifteen Dogs Overview

André Alexis's apologue, Fifteen Dogs, tells the mythic tale of 15 canine characters gifted with human intelligence by the Greek gods, Hermes and Apollo. Subject to the gods' drunken wager, each one of the dogs' responds to the sudden capacity to think and feel as humans in vastly different ways. After freeing themselves from their kennel, the dogs collectively and independently attempt to understand their new linguistic skills, the powers and dangers of human communication, and the possibilities of poetry and interspecies friendship. The apologue explores themes of love, intelligence, and power.