Review "War and Turpentine is the astonishing result of Hertmans' reckoning with his grandfather's diaries. It is a book that lies at the crossroads of novel, biography, autobiography and history... It seems aching to be called 'Sebaldian', and earns the epithet glowingly... In McKay's lyrical translation, every detail has the heightened luminosity of poetry... War and Turpentine has all the marking of a future classic." -- Neel Mukherjee Guardian "Masterpiece, an accolade often casually bestowed, really does describe this magnificent book... A haunting blend of fact and fiction... Page after page holds you rapt with admiration for both Hertmans' writing and his hero." -- Peter Kemp Sunday Times, Book of the Year "Hertmans writes with an eloquence reminiscent of W.G. Sebald... a masterly book about memory, art, love and war." New York Times 10 Best Books of 2016 "A lovingly reimagined life of an ordinary man whose life was for ever marked by the First World War. Fine prose." The Economist, Book of the Year "Wonderful, full of astonishingly vivid moments of powerful imagery... Hertmans's book is something else again: it has a quietly resonant personal epic quality that dwarfs all around it." -- David Mills Sunday Times About the Author Stefan Hertmans (Author) Stefan Hertmans is the prizewinning author of many literary works, including poetry, novels, essays, plays, short stories and a handbook on the history of art. He has taught at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, at the Sorbonne, and at the Universities of Vienna and Berlin. His first novel to be translated into English, War and Turpentine, was longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize, and was chosen as a book of the year in The Times, Sunday Times, and The Economist, and as one of the ten best books of the year in the New York Times.
多**書
Not what I was expecting
I didn't know a great deal about this book when I bought it, so my less than stellar review will doubtless come from that.The book follows the life of the author's grandfather, one Urbain (Urbann) Martien, and his life leading up to, during, and after the first world war. The first third of the book deals with his early life and childhood growing up in Belgium. The second is a first person retelling of his time fighting and getting injured (three times, no less) at the front during WWI. And the final third is a recount of life life after the war, and his artistic exploits.The retelling of Urbain's WWI experiences was easily the best part of the book. It was beautifully written, and there was no dancing around the disgusting details of life in a trench. Piles of feces, dismembered limbs, and bullet wounds are all described in loving detail.The first and final thirds of the book were weak points for me. The "narrative" (is it even a narrative? It sometimes reads like a collection of blog posts) jumps from present tense, to past, from first person to third, and describes snippets of Urbain's life, and then other snippets about the journey his grandson takes to uncover the secrets of this life. All of this is interspersed with detailed descriptions of paintings and pieces of classical music. On the whole, I found it a bit messy.I guess it wasn't what I thought it would be, which would be a memoir of someone's experiences during WWI, so my not-so-great view of the book comes from the fact that I'm comparing it to what "I thought it should be" rather than what it actually is. For what it is, it's "something a bit different" and should probably be applauded for that. But it just wasn't for me.The translation is beautiful though, and the translator should rightfully be praised for producing what is, despite its flaws, a very elegantly written book.
B**W
Words translate into pictures
I liked the way in which a memoir,of the author’s grandfather, was recounted in such a visual way. This was entirely appropriate as his grandfather and great grandfather were artists. The language, correspondingly, was also beautiful in what must be a very good translation.The history was very interesting covering the Belgian involvement in WW1 with interesting detail about use of facilities in this country, a hospital in Liverpool , convalescence in the Lake District. Art history also threads throughout the book, including famous works which his grandfather copied as well as family portraits.I recommend to those who enjoy memoir and art history.
R**T
honouring his grandfather
Sorry to say I was bored and struggling but only because the author could not decide in which tense to write and it lacked dialogue. It was all in monotone. I think it would have made a good 'factional' novel, but I do admire the author for wanting to honour his grandfather.
C**I
Ok
The book was ok I have read better books about ww1.
M**A
War and Turpentine
It was an excellent read. Bit like three stories in one. Don’t usually read books on war. Beautifully trasnslated.
D**H
One of the best Great War stories
Beautifully written book about the life of a talented man following his appalling war experiences and the loss of his true love
A**R
Five Stars
brilliant
G**H
A moving masterpiece about war, family, art and repression
This beautifully written book is not exactly a novel. About half of it is the author's excavation and reflection on his Ghent-born grandfather's life from his birth in 1891 to his death in 1981, while the other half is a novelised retelling of his grandfather's experience in World War I based on his own notebooks about it written in his 80s. It's an exceptionally evocative, gorgeously written and expertly translated book for anyone interested in the First World War and its long afterlife, not to mention the life of one 'ordinary' man and how he was shaped by the experience. Highly recommended.
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