Published in 2003,[1] the book received general acclaim, appearing on the long list for the Man Booker Prize and garnering the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award[2] the following year.

Gradually it becomes clear that the hole is to be a mass grave for the villagers gathered nearby under the guard of a group of soldiers.

Topics include Genghis Khan, the Battle of Little Bighorn, Sun Tzu's The Art of War, and the bombing of Dresden.

Isobel Montgomery of The Guardian gave Schopenhauer's Telescope a positive review, writing, "Donovan's ear for dialogue and his sense of pace make it impossible to forget that this discussion [between the Baker and the Teacher] has a deadly serious purpose.

"[4] A book reviewer for the Irish Independent wrote, "When I read Schopenhauer's Telescope, it took my breath away with its elegance and intelligence and the profundity of its emotional compass.