The most ambitious and daring novel novel yet from Booker Prize-shortlisted Philip Hensher.

'A novel that's almost fizzy to the touch ... A performance of extraordinary flair and majesty from a writer who seems capable of anything' Guardian

'The Emperor Waltz' is a single novel with three narrative strands: fourth-century Rome, 1920s Germany, and 1980s London. In each place, a small coterie is closely connected and separated from the larger world. In each story, the larger world regards the small coterie and its passionately-held beliefs and secrets with suspicion and hostility.

It is the story of eccentricity, its struggle, its triumph, its influence - but also its defeat.

About the Author

Philip Hensher is a columnist for the Independent, arts critic for the Spectator and a Granta Best of Young British novelist. He has written eight novels, including 'The Mulberry Empire' and the Booker-shortlisted 'The Northern Clemency', and one collection of short stories. He lives in South London.

Reviews

'A novel that is always a joy to read ... Read it and allow yourself to become a better person' Independent

'Important ... Glorious ... He might have the iconoclastic temperament of a Kandinsky, but he is an old master when he glimpses the cat asleep under the table or the curve of a woman's neck' The Times

'A glittering performance ... "The Emperor Waltz" has the depth and pleasurable density of a 19th-century fiction; I loved it' Ian Thomson, Evening Standard

'Splendidly thought out and extraordinarily readable' A S Byatt, Guardian

'A generous, courageous firework of a novel - a Roman candle, alive and fizzing in the hand' New Statesman

'A book as joyful as its musical source ... "The Emperor Waltz" is a beautiful book, both profound and funny. It is a powerful invocation to live a life of joy, surrounded by true friends' Telegraph

Book Information
ISBN 9780007459599
Author Philip Hensher
Format Paperback
Page Count 624
Imprint Fourth Estate Ltd
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 430g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 39mm