The Pine Islands
Published on 21. March 2019
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-78816-091-9 (ISBN)
Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2019
AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
When Gilbert wakes one day from a dream that his wife has cheated on him, he flees - immediately and inexplicably - for Tokyo, where he meets a fellow lost soul: Yosa, a young Japanese student clutching a copy of The Complete Manual of Suicide. Together, Gilbert and Yosa set off on a pilgrimage to see the pine islands of Matsushima, one looking for the perfect end to his life, the other for a fresh start.
Playful and profound, The Pine Islands is a beautiful tale of friendship, transformation and acceptance in modern Japan.
AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
When Gilbert wakes one day from a dream that his wife has cheated on him, he flees - immediately and inexplicably - for Tokyo, where he meets a fellow lost soul: Yosa, a young Japanese student clutching a copy of The Complete Manual of Suicide. Together, Gilbert and Yosa set off on a pilgrimage to see the pine islands of Matsushima, one looking for the perfect end to his life, the other for a fresh start.
Playful and profound, The Pine Islands is a beautiful tale of friendship, transformation and acceptance in modern Japan.
Reviews / Votes
Miraculous ... Poschmann has all the air of uncovered greatness -- John Self * Guardian * A remarkably tender exploration of modern life ... Poschmann reveals the still beauty to be found in life beneath a mask of black humour. -- Mia Colleran * Irish Times * A blackly funny novel, in which the rhythms of modern life slowly give way to the restorative poetry of the natural world. -- Claire Allfree * Daily Mail * If you've ever wondered how a writer of imagination and wit might blend Murakami-style mysticism with black-humoured realism, this diverting novel will tell you everything you need to know. * Big Issue * A funny, strange and sad read ... Marion Poschmann's writing - translated into English by Jen Calleja - is deliciously vivid ... this is a refreshing book for the curious reader * Herald * Really fascinating ... on the face of it a simple story with a sort of surreality to it, a playfulness as well ... interesting, left-field ... we absolutely loved it ... a comic confrontation with mortality -- Bettany Hughes, chair of the 2019 Man Booker International Prize judges Absurdly delightful * Straits Times * A masterpiece * Die Zeit * Clever, poetic, funny * Tagesspiegel * A dazzling little novel * Sueddeutsche Zeitung * Profoundly serene, flawlessly beautiful * TAZ * Ravishingly funny * Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung * Simply wonderful * Stern *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Profile Books Ltd
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 204 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
275 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78816-091-9 (9781788160919)
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Persons
Marion Poschmann was born in Essen in 1969. A prize-winning poet and novelist, she has won both of Germany's premier poetry prizes and the Berlin Prize for Literature. Poschmann has been shortlisted for the German Book Prize on three occasions and won the 2013 Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize.