Magnus (Dedalus Europe 1992 -2012) [Paperback]

Sylvie Germain (Author), Christine Donougher (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Dedalus Europe 1992 -2012 | Publication Date: May 31, 2008

A moving and enigmatic novel which deals with the Holocaust and a man's search for his own identity. Magnus pieces together the complex puzzle of his life, which turns out to be closer to a painting by Edward Munch than the romantic tale of family heroism and self-sacrifice on which he was nurtured by the woman he believed was his mother.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Close to the end of the Second World War, a young boy afflicted with memory loss flees Nazi Germany with his mother and father. A teddy bear named Magnus is the boy’s only tangible possession, the one item linking him to moments he can no longer remember. After his father vanishes and his mother becomes mentally unstable, the boy is sent to live with relatives in England. While at university, he journeys to Mexico, where he uncovers a dark secret from his family’s past, propelling him thereafter to take the alias Magnus. As he continues a life journey that spans continents and years, this restless, inquiring soul matures, learns, and loves, all the while yearning to unravel the mystery of his true self. Magnus’ story is told through “fragments,” “notes,” and “resonances,” which gradually piece together the nonlinear periods of his life. Award-winning French writer Germain’s vibrant narrative is interspersed with poetry by Paul Celan and Shakespeare and slices of prose by Juan Rulfo, which makes for a mystical and passionate mosaic of identity, myth, and memory. --Leah Strauss

Review

"Sylvie Germain is the Vincent Gogh of our age." -- Le Monde

"Germain is endowed with extraordinary narrative and descriptive abilities. She excels in portraits of emotional intensity and the gritty realism of raw emotions." -- The Independent

"...controlled brilliance..." -- Edward Platt in The Sunday Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Dedalus Limited; 1st. edition (May 31, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903517621
• ISBN-13: 978-1903517628
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be 10 stars!, August 10, 2008

By 

Margaret Dybala "too many books, too little time" (Pearland, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Magnus (Dedalus Europe 1992 -2012) (Paperback)

Who am I? Who are you? Who goes there? These most important questions that all of us ultimately ask -- the answers to which we so rarely adequately receive -- this novel is, on one level, about those questions. On another level, it is about a person, from early childhood till middleage, and his life as he tries to find the answer to who he truly is. We first see him as apparently the young son of an SS nazi doctor, then as a young man in England, Mexico, California, then back to Europe as he deals with guilt (that is certainly not his), a growing understanding of who he is not, but not who he is. Many of his greatest discoveries come in the midst of the griefs that life sometimes brings.

So, yes, it is a good novel in terms of the story. But in terms of the writing itself, this transcents good and becomes great. This is a truly great novel. This is nobel prize great. I love Sylvie Germain, and it truly grieves me that there are 3000 reviews for some pop books, and only my inadequate one for this work of brilliant art.