Paul kingsnorths debut novel, the wake, won the gordon burn prize. The wake by paul kingsnorth was a surprising literary hit of 2014. Written in what kingsnorth describes as a shadow version of old english, the wake is an interesting book about the aftermath of the norman invasion of england, as well as the saxon resistance. Kingsnorth is a green activist, author of an attack on corporate control and blandness called real england, and his first novel has a fierceness about it that gives it real heft. The wake is an unlikely hit in an imaginary language mpr news. The wake will satisfy motivated readers of history, ecology and the persistent pull of the old gods. The wake reminds us that we cant find our way out of our crisis as easily as many think. Congratulations to paul kingsnorth, and thank you to. Shelf awareness powerful eloquence, a brusque beauty, that moves and convinces. Buy the wake by kingsnorth, paul from amazons fiction books store. Paul kingsnorth selfpublished the wake, his tale of the 11thcentury norman conquest of england, written in a pastiche of old and modern english. The wake npr coverage of the wake by paul kingsnorth. What sharply distinguishes it is its disorienting use of.
The wake has been longlisted for the man booker prize 2014, won the gordon burn prize 2014, was longlisted for the folio prize 2015, shortlisted for the goldsmiths prize 2014, won the bookseller industry book of the year award 2015 and has been longlisted for the desmond elliot prize 2015. How a novel in a madeup language became a hit mpr news. Sep 01, 2015 in the wake, a postapocalyptic novel set a thousand years in the past, paul kingsnorth brings this dire scenario back to us through the eyes of the unforgettable buccmaster, a proud landowner bearing witness to the end of his world. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. With the wake, he set out to write a long book about england during and after the norman invasion of 1066 and to. Paul kingsnorths new novel, the wake a grim tale of medieval conquest and revenge became a hit against all odds in the u. December 8, 2015 the book concierge is back and all. The wake is an ageless story of the collapse of certainties and lives.
A personal journey through a nation whose character is being lost to the homogenising forces of globalisation and a topheavy state. Paul kingsnorth author paul kingsnorth is the author of two nonfiction books, one no, many yeses 2003 and the highly acclaimed real england 2008, as well as a collection of poetry, kidland 2011. Dec 31, 2015 and kingsnorth has just finished the second novel in what he says will be a trilogy that begins with the wake. He is also the author of two nonfiction books, one no, many yeses and real england, and a.
Buy the wake by paul kingsnorth from waterstones today. Accompanied by a band of likeminded men, buccmaster is determined to seek revenge on the invaders. Through the highways and waterways of my home nation, via threatened street markets and squatted cafes, privatised city centres and occupied boatyards, ancient orchards and giant shopping malls, i tell the story of a country losing its identity and the people. Ever since a great black bird with eyes of fire and a mans fingers at the ends of its wings flew over his land, the protagonist of paul kingsnorths novel the wake has known something would come. Apr 03, 2014 the wake by paul kingsnorth is an offbeat tale. Most history buffs recognize this year as the norman invasion of england by william the conqueror, or rather, duc guillame of normandy or the bastard, as the readers will encounter him in the pages of the wake the story follows one buccmaster of holland, an egotistical man who repeatedly reminds us that he is. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures.
Kingsnorth used a crowdfunding platform called unbound to fund the book because he couldnt get any mainstream publishers to bite. Kingsnorths solution to this problemand his success is one of the startling pleasures of this dark and gripping bookkingsnorths daring. English society was broken apart, its systems turned on their head. Paul kingsnorths new novel, the wake, imagines a farmer wandering through 11thcentury england after the norman conquest. The entire book is written in a madeup language and comes with. Paul kingsnorths books paul kingsnorth average rating. In a shadow tongue, the wake tells of bloody battles and.
August 27, 2015 paul kingsnorth selfpublished the wake, his tale of the 11thcentury norman conquest of england, written in a pastiche. By paul kingsnorth a postapocalyptic novel set in 1066 the night was clere though i slept i seen it. The wake by paul kingsnorth overdrive rakuten overdrive. What is little known is that a fractured network of guerrilla fighters took up arms against the french occupiers. A novel by kingsnorth, paul and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. For the wake, a novel set in 11thcentury lincolnshire during and after the norman invasion, paul kingsnorth has adopted another solution. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. And then a hairy star, a comet, can be seen in the sky. And kingsnorth has just finished the second novel in what he says will be a trilogy that begins with the wake. Sep 01, 2015 paul kingsnorth selfpublished the wake, his tale of the 11thcentury norman conquest of england, written in a pastiche of old and modern english and was startled when it became a smash hit.
A work that is as disturbing as it is empathetic, as beautiful as it is riveting. Kingsnorth has brought forth a remarkable narrator through whom we can see and smell and taste the burnt fields and bodies, the skeletal trees and smoldering firesa world sickly similar to so many. Buccmaster of holland fancies himself a cassandra character doomed to have his prophecies discounted, disbelieved, ignored. Paul kingsnorth born 1972 in worcester is an english writer and thinker. Eleanor catton, winner of the 20 man booker prize a book unlike any other, brilliant in its rarity and brutal, ugly truth. Sep 06, 2015 the wake, paul kingsnorths atmospheric first novel, reminds us that in various times and places, civilizationending disaster has also been a historical experience. More than a mere novel, the wake is really a medieval epic poem to an english way of life that would be erased forever. In the wake, a postapocalyptic novel set one thousand years in the past, paul kingsnorth brings this dire scenario back to us through the eyes of the unforgettable buccmaster, a proud landowner bearing witness to the end of his world. Gabino iglesias, npr like all the best books, savage gods is a wail sent up from the heart of one of the intractable problems of the human condition.
The wake is an unlikely hit in an imaginary language. Congratulations to paul kingsnorth, and thank you to everyone who pledged to make this project happen. What sharply distinguishes it is its disorienting use of high literary experiment and its insistence on uncertainty. Written in an imaginary language, a kind of hybrid between old english and modern english, it tells of buccmaster of holland, an anglosaxon freeman forced to come to terms with the effects of the norman invasion of 1066, during which his wife and sons were killed. The wake by paul kingsnorth is a historical novel set in 1066 angland. It takes a while to get into the flow of the language, though its worth the effort, but that effort is an obstacle to easy reading. Sep 21, 2015 buccmaster of holland fancies himself a cassandra character doomed to have his prophecies discounted, disbelieved, ignored.
Npr like tolkiens and martins books, the wake presents the reader with an immersive experience. The setting is england in the throes of the dark ages. Set in the three years after the norman invasion of 1066, the wake will tell the story of a fractured band of guerilla fighters who take up arms against the invaders. History may be written by the winners, but this book makes a hero of historys grim casualties, celebrating the valor of the longvanquished in a language that. Not a literary hit in that it sold millions of copies and wasnt asinine, but a literary hit in that it was a novel published by unbound, the crowdfunded publishers, and managed to win one literary prize, make it on to the bookers longlist and be one of six novels on the shortlist for the goldsmiths prize. He is a former deputyeditor of the ecologist and a cofounder of the dark mountain project. He is also the author of two nonfiction books, one no, many yeses and real england, and a poetry collection, kidland. In a shadow tongue, the wake tells of bloody battles and old gods september 6, 2015 paul kingsnorth invented a whole new language for his novel about the norman invasion of england in 1066.
Oct 15, 2012 set in the three years after the norman invasion of 1066, the wake will tell the story of a fractured band of guerilla fighters who take up arms against the invaders. In the wake, a postapocalyptic novel set a thousand years in the past, paul kingsnorth brings this dire scenario back to us through the eyes of the unforgettable buccmaster, a proud landowner bearing witness to the end of his world. The wake, paul kingsnorths atmospheric first novel, reminds us that in various times and places, civilizationending disaster has also been a historical experience. The wake is a 2014 debut novel by british author paul kingsnorth. August 27, 2015 paul kingsnorth selfpublished the wake, his tale of the 11thcentury norman conquest of england, written in a pastiche of old and modern english and was startled when it. He cofounded the dark mountain project, a global network of writers, artists, and thinkers in search of new stories for a world on the brink.