The Ascent
$29.59
- Paperback
400 pages
- Release Date
10 January 2023
Summary
The dazzling new novel by the author of the modern classic *War and Turpentine*
In the summer of 1979, Stefan Hertmans fell in love with a dilapidated house in Ghent. He rescued it from decay and it became his peaceful sanctuary. Decades on, he learns that a bust of Hitler once sat on the mantelpiece, and a war criminal and his family relaxed in its rooms.
This shocking discovery sends Hertmans to the archives, where he uncovers the secrets of the house and th…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781922458858 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1922458856 |
| Author: | Stefan Hertmans, David McKay |
| Publisher: | Text Publishing |
| Imprint: | The Text Publishing Company |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 400 |
| Release Date: | 10 January 2023 |
| Weight: | 508g |
| Dimensions: | 38mm x 234mm x 156mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
‘Reminiscent of W. G. Sebald, this intoxicating hybrid of a book combines memoir with fiction…[A] beautiful and cunning book.’
‘A powerful and humane reminder that the horrors of the past century are inexhaustibly fascinating and reverberate today.’ * Observer *
‘Hertmans brilliantly describes and imagines scenes in the house…There are memorable novelistic flourishes throughout the book as he imagines family life in the home that became his own.’ * Ian Sansom, Telegraph *
‘Riveting…Alive with the same investigative verve, psychological perception and narrative virtuosity as its two acclaimed predecessors, The Ascent is a compelling addition to them.’ * Sunday Times (UK) *
‘Stefan Hertmans…was handed the sort of gift novelists dream of when he discovered his house in Ghent was once occupied by Willem Verhulst…It’s a territory ripe for writerly investigation, and Hertmans sets about excavating it with the same interest in memory and history as the late great author W. G. Sebald.’ * Daily Mail *
‘Haunting and authentic…A sharp meditation on war and the nature of evil.’ * Sydney Morning Herald *
‘A very political project about the role of history in the present…confront[ing] a whole national story and mak[ing] sense of it.’ * ABC Radio National Bookshelf *
‘The writing is sparkling, and the story a strong one.’ * Canberra Times *
‘Anyone who has ever wondered about the secrets contained in an old house is sure to enjoy this one.’ * Australian *
About The Author
Stefan Hertmans
Stefan Hertmans is the prize-winning author of many literary works, including poetry, novels, essays, plays, short stories and a handbook on the history of art. His novel War and Turpentine was longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize, and was chosen as a book of the year in The Times, the Sunday Times and the Economist, and as one of the ten best books of the year in the New York Times.
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