Description
Set in Romania at the height of Ceausescu's reign of terror, The Land of Green Plums tells the story of a group of young students, each of whom has left the impoverished provinces in search of better prospects in the city. It is a profound illustration of a totalitarian state which comes to inhabit every aspect of life; to the extent that everyone, event the strongest, must either bend to the oppressors or resist them and perish.
Widely regarded as Muller's best novel, The Land of Green Plums is a beautifully written and unflinching portrayal of life under the totalitarian regime of Ceausescu's Romania.
About the Author
Born in Romania in 1953, Herta Muller lost her job as a teacher and suffered repeated threats after refusing to cooperate with Ceausescu's Secret Police. She succeeded in emigrating in 1987 and now lives in Berlin. A renowned novelist, poet and essayist, Muller won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009.
Reviews
A powerful autobiographical account, The Land of Green Plums ... will linger on in the mind and Michael Hofmann's translation is a marvel * Guardian *
The Land of Green Plums is a miracle, a fearless human testimony which operates through the combined force of Muller's tight, understated eloquence and Hofmann's deft, atmospheric translation * Irish Times *
If W. G. Sebald's The Emigrants suggested there are still new ways of writing about exile and the Holocaust, The Land of Green Plums promises similar possibilities for the literature of the Iron Curtain * Literary Review *
Compelling reading * Sunday Times *
... genuinely moving. The book ... develops an almost hypnotic power over the reader * Sunday Telegraph *
Herta Muller ... is among the finest writers of protest ... The Land of Green Plums is a miracle * Irish Independent *
Muller's clarity and compassion leaves all the weeping to the reader * New Statesman *
taut, marvellously translated * Observer *
Poetic and powerful * Express *
This book cannot fail to impress * Big Issue in the North *
No number of re-readings will lessen the impact of Muller's ... terrifying masterpiece * The Irish Times *
Since publication the novel's reputation has been steadily growing * Irish Independent *
As a depiction of a world where you have to be very careful what you say, The Land of Green Plums works hauntingly, disturbingly well -- Nick Lezard * Guardian *
Nothing I have read brings home more the horror of a society which combined agrarian backwardness with the monstrosities of the one-party state -- Anne McElvoy * Evening Standard *
Awards
Winner of International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
Book Information
ISBN 9781862072602
Author Herta Muller
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Granta Books
Publisher Granta Books
Weight(grams) 175g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 14mm
Widely regarded as Muller's best novel, The Land of Green Plums is a beautifully written and unflinching portrayal of life under the totalitarian regime of Ceausescu's Romania.
About the Author
Born in Romania in 1953, Herta Muller lost her job as a teacher and suffered repeated threats after refusing to cooperate with Ceausescu's Secret Police. She succeeded in emigrating in 1987 and now lives in Berlin. A renowned novelist, poet and essayist, Muller won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009.
Reviews
A powerful autobiographical account, The Land of Green Plums ... will linger on in the mind and Michael Hofmann's translation is a marvel * Guardian *
The Land of Green Plums is a miracle, a fearless human testimony which operates through the combined force of Muller's tight, understated eloquence and Hofmann's deft, atmospheric translation * Irish Times *
If W. G. Sebald's The Emigrants suggested there are still new ways of writing about exile and the Holocaust, The Land of Green Plums promises similar possibilities for the literature of the Iron Curtain * Literary Review *
Compelling reading * Sunday Times *
... genuinely moving. The book ... develops an almost hypnotic power over the reader * Sunday Telegraph *
Herta Muller ... is among the finest writers of protest ... The Land of Green Plums is a miracle * Irish Independent *
Muller's clarity and compassion leaves all the weeping to the reader * New Statesman *
taut, marvellously translated * Observer *
Poetic and powerful * Express *
This book cannot fail to impress * Big Issue in the North *
No number of re-readings will lessen the impact of Muller's ... terrifying masterpiece * The Irish Times *
Since publication the novel's reputation has been steadily growing * Irish Independent *
As a depiction of a world where you have to be very careful what you say, The Land of Green Plums works hauntingly, disturbingly well -- Nick Lezard * Guardian *
Nothing I have read brings home more the horror of a society which combined agrarian backwardness with the monstrosities of the one-party state -- Anne McElvoy * Evening Standard *
Awards
Winner of International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
Book Information
ISBN 9781862072602
Author Herta Muller
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Granta Books
Publisher Granta Books
Weight(grams) 175g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 14mm
