A Clear Calling
Published on 4. February 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-0-224-09805-2 (ISBN)
Description
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE COMMONWEALTH WRITERS' PRIZE*
From when he was twelve years old Robert Radnor had been in love with the idea of being a sailor. And a sailor he became, at home on the sea as other men were on land. Until the year of 1948, on board the steamship Golden Delta, serving as first officer under Captain Peeke, when Radnor's uncanny intuition about the sea and its ways suddenly deserts him and he finds himself alone with the sea, with his fear and with his terrifying foreknowledge.
From when he was twelve years old Robert Radnor had been in love with the idea of being a sailor. And a sailor he became, at home on the sea as other men were on land. Until the year of 1948, on board the steamship Golden Delta, serving as first officer under Captain Peeke, when Radnor's uncanny intuition about the sea and its ways suddenly deserts him and he finds himself alone with the sea, with his fear and with his terrifying foreknowledge.
Reviews / Votes
This novel deserves to become a classic. * Telegraph * Austin's masterly account of a tortured soul is matched only by his rich portrayal of the terrible, untameable ocean. * Guardian * The briny sea in all its treacherous, glistening glory soaks through every page of this book... This is a superb novel that will be loved by all those who are drawn to the ocean. * Daily Mail * An impressively accomplished compelling and haunting homage to forces beyond understanding or control. * Glasgow Herald * A haunting work of literary fiction, this is an extraordinary first novel by a former seaman with a passion for his subject. * Choice * This author was a seaman and has a passion for the sea. This is a tale of a sailor who comes to be seen by his mates as a danger because there is something mysterious about him, enigmatic. Accidents and rumours of disaster gather around him. Anyone who has ever been drawn by the fascinations of the oceans and their secrets will love this book and its strong haunting prose. This is the best first novel I have read in years. -- Doris LessingMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
227 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-224-09805-2 (9780224098052)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
David Austin has been a sailor, an actor and a farmer. He lives in Norfolk.