The Burnt-out Town of Miracles
Author(s): Roy Jacobsen
Set in Finland in 1939, The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles is the story of one man who remains in his home town when everyone else has fled, burning down their houses in their wake, before the invading Russians arrive. Timo remains behind because he can't imagine life anywhere else, doing anything else besides felling the trees near his home. This is a novel about belonging - a tale of powerful and forbidden friendships forged during a war, of unexpected bravery and astonishing survival instincts. The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles is not a novel about war, but about the lives of ordinary people dragged into war, each of whom only wants to find the path back home. Roy Jacobsen uses the dramatic natural landscape of light and darkness, fire-blazing heat and life-robbing cold to spectacular effect. The (non-fiction) backstory is a the legendary military victory of a few thousand Finns who vanquish tens of thousands of Russians by donning white clothing and fighting on skis in -40C temps. A true story of surivival and heroism in extreme circumstances. It's beautifully written, unexpected, moving and long-lingering.From the author: With The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles I wanted to write about the cold because I have experienced it in both the forests and the Arctic as a fisherman, and so I know that hell is not hot but cold.
Product Information
Shortlisted for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2009.
'A strange, impressively understated novel ... a daunting, traditional narrative which asserts itself from page one and, like the winter cold, refuses to relax its hold.' -- Irish Times 'Jacobsen is a gifted writer, stylish, laconic and imaginative, and he is well served by his translators, Don Bartlett and Don Shaw ... a powerful and well-written account of an unfamilliar episode in the Second World War.' -- TLS 'An inventive wordsmith and a great storyteller, [Jacobsen] never sacrifices substance for style. His research is meticulous; he knows when to hold back and let the unspoken speak for itself, the hallmark of an author so familiar with his subject that he knows precisely where to let the reader fill in the gaps. As he often places his characters in the midst of historical events and social change, the reader feels more emotionally involved than a mere observer would: The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles is a gem of a novel. -- Independent
General Fields
- :
- : John Murray General Publishing Division
- : John Murray Publishers Ltd
- : 0.33
- : 01 December 0000
- : 206mm X 135mm X 22mm
- : United Kingdom
- : books
Special Fields
- : 208
- : Hardback
- : Roy Jacobsen
