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A magnificently ambitious and enthralling novel that confirms Moring’s place as one of the most significant European novelists now at work.At the end of the Second World War, Jacob Noah emerges from the hole in the ground where he has been hiding for the past three years, and cycles madly back to his home town to find that his parents and brother have perished at the hands of the Nazis. Setting himself up as a shoemaker in the Dutch town of Assen, Noah patiently expands his business until he has become the most influential entrepreneur in the city.But however wealthy he becomes, nothing can console him for the loss of his family and the tragedy of history.In June 1980, on the eve of Assen's annual TT races, a despairing Noah sets off on a journey into the depths of his soul. Guided by a shabby, supernatural pedlar calling himself the 'Jew of Assen', he descends into the smoky heart of the town, a man-made hell modelled on Dis, the city in Dante's Inferno. In a rich and varied explosion of styles, fantasy and philosophical speculations, Marcel Möring leads us on a voyage through the dark heart of the twentieth century, and through a vivid exploration of loss and guilt.
After surviving the horrors of the Second World War in hiding, Jacob Noah attempts to rebuild his life as a successful entrepreneur, only to find himself haunted by the ghosts of his past. Driven by an overwhelming sense of loss and unresolved guilt, Noah embarks on a surreal, metaphysical descent into the depths of his own psyche. He is guided by a mysterious, supernatural figure through a landscape that mirrors the architecture of Dante's Inferno, forcing him to confront the dark history of the twentieth century. The narrative employs a complex, multi-layered structure that blends historical realism with philosophical inquiry and fantastical elements.
This work is characterized by its ambitious structural complexity and its willingness to engage with the heavy themes of European history through a lens of magical realism. The narrative suggests a focus on the intersection of personal grief and the broader, often incomprehensible, movements of the twentieth century. Readers likely encounter a dense, multi-layered prose style that prioritizes philosophical inquiry over straightforward plot progression. The text appears to function as a meditation on the impossibility of closure following catastrophic loss, utilizing the framework of a descent into hell to externalize the protagonist's internal state.
Page Count:
464
Publication Date:
2009-01-26
Publisher:
Fourth Estate
ISBN-10:
0007129661
ISBN-13:
9780007129669
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