描述
For the denizens of mythical Primeval, its fields and forests bounded by two rivers, the world beyond is nothing more than a dream. Yet their stories – or Times – are a microcosm of the tumultuous recent history of the world. The fortunes of the family of Michal the miller, whom conscription carries away in 1914, punctuate nearly a century of war and occupation. The outcast Cornspike raises her daughter among the creatures and spirits of the forest. The squire Popielski loses his faith and becomes obsessed with a game where progress is attained only by dreaming the right kind of dream. Non-human beings – trees and mushrooms and archangels – have their Times too, as do inanimate objects, which may be ‘more important for the world than people’. Alongside bloodshed and betrayal, the dramas of Primeval’s daily life mark the birth, life, and decline of its little world and Time, making us consider afresh the stories that help us comprehend and navigate our own. Rich with the capaciousness and innovation that have brought Olga Tokarczuk to sustained international fame, Primeval and Other Times is yet another treasure for confirmed fans and new converts alike.
- Translated from Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.
- A revised translation of Olga Tokarczuk’s first ‘constellation’, or fragmentary, novel, a key book in the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature’s body of work.
- A novel set in the fictitious village of Primeval, chronicling the lives of its inhabitants over the twentieth century, and employing some elements of fantasy and magical realism.
- Olga Tokarczuk is Fitzcarraldo Editions’ bestselling author of all time, with over 400,000 print copies sold over five books since 2016.
Comps: Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor, The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck, tr. Susan Bernofsky.