4.0
Europe Central
ByPublisher Description
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
A daring literary masterpiece of historical fiction that weaves together the gripping stories of those caught in the web of authoritarian rule.
Through interwoven narratives that paint a portrait of 20th century Germany and the USSR and the monstrous age they defined, Europe Central captures a chorus of voices both real and fictional—a young German who joins the SS to fight its crimes, two generals who collaborate with the enemy for different reasons, and the tumultuous life of Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich amidst Stalinist oppression.
In this magnificent work of fiction, acclaimed author William T. Vollmann turns his trenchant eye on these two authoritarian cultures to render a mesmerizing perspective on human experience during wartime.
A daring literary masterpiece of historical fiction that weaves together the gripping stories of those caught in the web of authoritarian rule.
Through interwoven narratives that paint a portrait of 20th century Germany and the USSR and the monstrous age they defined, Europe Central captures a chorus of voices both real and fictional—a young German who joins the SS to fight its crimes, two generals who collaborate with the enemy for different reasons, and the tumultuous life of Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich amidst Stalinist oppression.
In this magnificent work of fiction, acclaimed author William T. Vollmann turns his trenchant eye on these two authoritarian cultures to render a mesmerizing perspective on human experience during wartime.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesEurope Central Reviews
4.0
“Described by Vollmann as “a series of parables featuring moral actors in the moment of choice”, I believe that he satisfactorily accomplished making the book about the people, and how the environment and events acted upon those people and how they, in turn, responded. Many of the stories are interesting and compelling, only 2 I could recall would be duds. The writing is acrobatic and impressive in its ability to capture different distinct voices, even if it does often give way to overdone descriptions that absolutely grind the pacing to a crawl. A unique and excellent look into the defining era of the 20th century.”
BelievableChange and growMemorableMinor characters stand outMorally ambiguousMultilayeredStrong relationshipsDisjointedEpic scopeNonlinear narrativeSatisfying conclusionSlow-pacedUneven pacingAtmosphericBleakDarkEerieGrittyHarshHistoricalRealisticVivid descriptionsDenseDescriptiveAbleismAbuseBigotryChild abuseDeathDomestic violenceExplicit sexual contentGriefHomophobiaMisogynyMurderRacismReligious intoleranceSexual assaultViolenceWar violence
About William T. Vollmann
William T. Vollmann is the author of ten novels, including Europe Central, which won the National Book Award. He has also written four collections of stories, including The Atlas, which won the PEN Center USA West Award for Fiction, a memoir, and six works of nonfiction, including Rising Up and Rising Down and Imperial, both of which were finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is the recipient of a Whiting Writers Award and the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His journalism and fiction have been published in The New Yorker, Harpers, Esquire, Granta, and many other publications.
Other books by William T. Vollmann
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