The English Years

The English Years

by Anthea Bell (Translator), NorbertGstrein (Author)

Synopsis

A literary masterpiece, a reclusive author and a war-time mystery. Gabriel Hirschfelder is a literary icon, his book an acknowledged masterpiece. He is living out his days in Southend-on-Sea. But fame has come at a price. He fled Vienna shortly before the outbreak of war, and in 1940 he was classified an undesirable alien and sent to a camp with other internees on the Isle of Man. The friends he made there changed his life for ever. Who were Lomnitz and Ossovsky? And who was the fourth man, Harrasser? Was he really deported to Canada or was he murdered? What happened on the Isle of Man to haunt Hirschfelder to his dying day? After his death, a young woman happens to meet his third and last wife and her curiosity is aroused. Her own ex-husband was obsessed with Hirschfelder, so she already knows a little bit about him. But now she feels impelled to make contact with the other women in his life. Her search brings to light many surprises as she uncovers a story with far-reaching implications for Hirschfelder's posthumous reputation. The English Years is a brilliant novel which combines the literary invention of Paul Auster with the European cultural sensibility of W.G. Sebald.

$24.54

Quantity

2 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 300
Publisher: The Harvill Press
Published: 17 Oct 2002

ISBN 10: 1860469469
ISBN 13: 9781860469466
Book Overview: A literary masterpiece, a reclusive author and a war-time mystery.

Media Reviews
Norbert Gstrein is not only an impeccable stylist and meticulous researcher but also a mathematically minded designer of complicated plots Rudiger Gorner, TLS; The English Years stands not only at the apex of the craftsman's art, but at the apex of its time. A towering performance Hubert Winkels, Die Zeit; This novel about the destiny of an emigrant Austrian Jew during the Second World War is a crime story of great poetic force Andrea Kohler, Focus; This novel is among the most interesting works of literature written in German in recent years Eberhard Rathgeb, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Author Bio
Norbert Gstrein was born in 1961 in Mils in the Austrian Tyrol. He is the author of four earlier novels that have established his considerable reputation.