Читать книгу Thirty Days - Annelies Verbeke - Страница 5

-

AUTHOR

‘There was a moment when I wondered if the novel’s premise was believable enough—would people really spill their secrets as soon as an emphatic handyman arrived in their home? The answer came rather serendipitously when I met Alphonse’s real-life counterpart—a Senegalese decorator and former musician—he said, “Secret-sharing is exactly what happens to me; it makes me so happy. People tell me everything and they cry.”’

TRANSLATOR

‘One of the great joys of translating this book was the challenge of conveying the dry, often absurdist humor. It was particularly important not to normalize the unexpected (a severed finger, a friendly skylark) but instead to retain the balance and contrast between the ridiculous or counter-productive things people do and the melancholy landscape of the Westhoek with its tragic history. Every sentence had to be perfectly pitched to retain that balance.’

PUBLISHER

‘Annelies Verbeke can do it all. She can interweave a variety of stories and at the same time maintain a strong sense of unity throughout. She can write about heavy themes in a lighthearted tone. She can move you to tears and make you laugh out loud. She is a great European writer.’