The Invisible Land
Published on 5. November 2020
Book
Hardback
144 pages
978-1-78378-602-2 (ISBN)
Description
Dinslaken, Germany. July 1945. The war is over, and the Allied forces are beginning to assess the damage. Among them is a war photographer. As the rest of the press corps return home, he finds himself reluctant to leave and, in the company of the young and sensitive driver he has been assigned, he sets out to photograph ordinary German people in front of their homes. As the pair continue their journey, it becomes clear that the young driver has his own reasons for not wishing to return home.
Told with Mingarelli's trademark restraint and elegance, this is a tense, tender story of the emotional and moral repercussions of violence.
Told with Mingarelli's trademark restraint and elegance, this is a tense, tender story of the emotional and moral repercussions of violence.
Reviews / Votes
This is pure, limpid prose which welcomes silence as music does... The "invisible land" is [revealed to be] a continent that exists in the depths of each person, in all its unfathomable mystery, its fragile and moving humanity * Le Courier Suisse * The poetry of Mingarelli's prose carries this subtle novel [...] between light and shadow * Page * Mingarelli writes beautifully about companionship and compassion, his absorbing gentleness shot through with the cruelty and trauma haunting this exquisite novel -- Alison Moore A stunning work that glimmers and unsettles... a memorable end to a career of quiet brilliance * Literary Review * [The Invisible Land] is all about complicity and guilt * Sunday Times * A timeless exploration of the way we seek to grapple with atrocity and how it haunts us... calm, quiet and expertly controlled * Daily Mail * A master of the laconic. Languid, cajoling and yet silently emotional; all these characteristics flow through his tender style ... In this extraordinary book Mingarelli shows us [...] that words can mean everything, and teaches us to savour every one * Big Issue * Eerie * Strong Words * Mingarelli describes [events] with devastating restraint... unexpected * Times * The writing style is very pared back, reminiscent of Hemingway * Historical Novel Society *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 8 mm
Weight
217 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78378-602-2 (9781783786022)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Hubert Mingarelli is the author of numerous novels, short story collections and fiction for young adults. Four Soldiers won the Prix Medicis and was longlisted for the 2019 Man Booker International. His novel A Meal in Winter was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. The Invisible Land was his last novel. He died in 2020.
Sam Taylor is a translator, novelist and journalist. His translated works include Laurent Binet's award-winning novel HHhH and Leila Slimani's Lullaby. His own novels have been translated in 10 languages.
Sam Taylor is a translator, novelist and journalist. His translated works include Laurent Binet's award-winning novel HHhH and Leila Slimani's Lullaby. His own novels have been translated in 10 languages.