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The Last Summer
Până la Ricarda Huch
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A psychological thriller by the pioneering German writer Ricarda Huch. A novel of letters from the last century – but one with an astonishingly modern feel. Now for the first time in English..
Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. To counter student unrest, the governor of St Petersburg closes the state university. Soon afterwards he arrives at his summer residence with his family and receives a death threat. His worried wife employs a young bodyguard, Lju, to protect her husband. Little does she know that Lju sides with the students – and the students are plotting an assassination.
Why Peirene chose to publish this book:
'I came upon this novel in the original German a year ago. And I loved it. It’s a proper epistolary novel. Even though written more than 100 years ago, it feels as relevant now as then. The Last Summer asks how people can be trapped by an ideology? A topical story. An enjoyable read. A gem.'Meike Ziervogel, publisher
‘I was gripped by this remarkable short novel, a cavalcade of individual voices emerge with great freshness from the shadow of revolution. It is both a work of its time, and a timeless work.’ Imogen Robertson
'She is the First Lady of Germany. No, she is probably the First Lady of Europe.’ Thomas Mann
‘The very model of the stylish female troublemaker... a social revolutionary in the deepest sense.’ Clive James
Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. To counter student unrest, the governor of St Petersburg closes the state university. Soon afterwards he arrives at his summer residence with his family and receives a death threat. His worried wife employs a young bodyguard, Lju, to protect her husband. Little does she know that Lju sides with the students – and the students are plotting an assassination.
Why Peirene chose to publish this book:
'I came upon this novel in the original German a year ago. And I loved it. It’s a proper epistolary novel. Even though written more than 100 years ago, it feels as relevant now as then. The Last Summer asks how people can be trapped by an ideology? A topical story. An enjoyable read. A gem.'Meike Ziervogel, publisher
‘I was gripped by this remarkable short novel, a cavalcade of individual voices emerge with great freshness from the shadow of revolution. It is both a work of its time, and a timeless work.’ Imogen Robertson
'She is the First Lady of Germany. No, she is probably the First Lady of Europe.’ Thomas Mann
‘The very model of the stylish female troublemaker... a social revolutionary in the deepest sense.’ Clive James
Acțiuni carte
Începeți să citițiInformații despre carte
The Last Summer
Până la Ricarda Huch
Descriere
A psychological thriller by the pioneering German writer Ricarda Huch. A novel of letters from the last century – but one with an astonishingly modern feel. Now for the first time in English..
Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. To counter student unrest, the governor of St Petersburg closes the state university. Soon afterwards he arrives at his summer residence with his family and receives a death threat. His worried wife employs a young bodyguard, Lju, to protect her husband. Little does she know that Lju sides with the students – and the students are plotting an assassination.
Why Peirene chose to publish this book:
'I came upon this novel in the original German a year ago. And I loved it. It’s a proper epistolary novel. Even though written more than 100 years ago, it feels as relevant now as then. The Last Summer asks how people can be trapped by an ideology? A topical story. An enjoyable read. A gem.'Meike Ziervogel, publisher
‘I was gripped by this remarkable short novel, a cavalcade of individual voices emerge with great freshness from the shadow of revolution. It is both a work of its time, and a timeless work.’ Imogen Robertson
'She is the First Lady of Germany. No, she is probably the First Lady of Europe.’ Thomas Mann
‘The very model of the stylish female troublemaker... a social revolutionary in the deepest sense.’ Clive James
Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. To counter student unrest, the governor of St Petersburg closes the state university. Soon afterwards he arrives at his summer residence with his family and receives a death threat. His worried wife employs a young bodyguard, Lju, to protect her husband. Little does she know that Lju sides with the students – and the students are plotting an assassination.
Why Peirene chose to publish this book:
'I came upon this novel in the original German a year ago. And I loved it. It’s a proper epistolary novel. Even though written more than 100 years ago, it feels as relevant now as then. The Last Summer asks how people can be trapped by an ideology? A topical story. An enjoyable read. A gem.'Meike Ziervogel, publisher
‘I was gripped by this remarkable short novel, a cavalcade of individual voices emerge with great freshness from the shadow of revolution. It is both a work of its time, and a timeless work.’ Imogen Robertson
'She is the First Lady of Germany. No, she is probably the First Lady of Europe.’ Thomas Mann
‘The very model of the stylish female troublemaker... a social revolutionary in the deepest sense.’ Clive James
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Recenzii
This was published in 1910, but my copy was a recent translation into English. And the cover blurb is right, it does have relevance to the world we live in.This is set in Russia, which is experienecing upheaval. There has been some incident in the university (we are not sure exactly what) that has caused the university to be suspended and the chancellor has recieved threats on account of this action. He has retreated, with his wife and 3 children, to his country house and the book is set there. The letters on this come from the 5 of the family plus the young man hired as a bodyguard come secretary to protect the chancellor. An epistolary novel, we don't get to read all of the correspondance that is happening, so you're never quite sure of eveything that is going on. All of the letters in this come from 6 people and are (mostly) outwards going, which adds to an air of opression, you see very little of the world outside. There's a lot that is left unsaid. We're never sure of exactly what happened, only that it has divided the population, and divides, to some extent, the family as well. There is a marked difference between those who hold a view and those who hold it strngly enough to actually act upon it, and that is made clear in the letters, but, of course, those are not seen by the people in the house. It ends very abruptly, and the aftermath of the actions taken are not explored. What happens next it left entirely to your imagination and speculation. This was a most intriguing read and the blurb is right, this is a book that continues to have relevance even after the passge of time.
Rating: 4