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The Issa Valley

By Czeslaw Milosz
Series: Penguin Modern Classics
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Brief Description
Set in a vanished rural world of ghosts and devils, this is a beautiful coming-of-age novel from the Polish Nobel Laureate. The Issa Valley begins with, 'Thomas was born in the village of Gine at that time of year when a ripe apple thumps to the... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Set in a vanished rural world of ghosts and devils, this is a beautiful coming-of-age novel from the Polish Nobel Laureate.

The Issa Valley begins with, 'Thomas was born in the village of Gine at that time of year when a ripe apple thumps to the ground during an afternoon lull.' So a boy's life begins in a winding river valley on the Polish-Russian border where time is measured by seasonal rhythms and ancient songs.

For Thomas, the ghosts in the forest are as real as the magical water-snakes that live in the Issa; in the village he is entranced by the women with their cinched waists and the men in their long boots. But when he is shown a map, he discovers a kingdom all his own and starts to dream of leaving the valley behind.

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241773925

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 May 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by Louis Iribane

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 21.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 246g

Pages: 336

Collections

Classic Fiction Czeslaw Milosz Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics Series: Penguin Modern Classics

About the Author

Czeslaw Milosz (1911-2004) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1980. Born in Lithuania while it was still part of the Russian Empire, he lived much of his life in Poland or exiled in California. He was the author of one of the definitive books on totalitarianism, The Captive Mind, but also wrote with extraordinary vividness and moral authority on his childhood, his experiences under Nazism and on the tragedy of Central Europe.

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