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Wretchedness

By Andrzej Tichý
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3.44 goodreads logo

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Wretchedness is set in Malm, Sweden, where a cellist encounters a drug addict, sparking a descent into fragmented memories intertwined with avant-garde music. The narrative journeys through sprawling housing projects, underground clubs, and squat parties, capturing the chaotic rhythms of youth and the harsh realities beneath Europe's urban surface.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This novel will captivate readers interested in gritty, musical explorations of urban life and social marginalisation, particularly those who appreciate experimental storytelling and contemporary European settings.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Beauty and poverty; violence, addiction and brotherhood. Written with unstoppable flow, Wretchedness mixes high and low culture in an inimitable way.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2021

Malmö, Sweden. A cellist meets a spun-out junkie. That could have been me. His mind starts to glitch between his memories and the avant-garde music he loves, and he descends into his past, hearing all over again the chaotic song of his youth. He emerges to a different sound, heading for a crash.

From sprawling housing projects to underground clubs and squat parties, Wretchedness is a blistering trip through the underbelly of Europe's cities. Powered by a furious, unpredictable beat, this is a paean to brotherhood, to those who didn't make it however hard they fought, and a visceral indictment of the poverty which took them.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781911508762

Publisher: And Other Stories

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 June 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: And Other Stories

Contributors:

  • Translated by Nichola Smalley

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 200g

Pages: 176

Collections

Andrzej Tichý Education & Reference Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction

About the Author

Andrzej Tich was born in Prague to a Polish mother and a Czech father. He has lived in Sweden since 1981. The author of five novels, two short story collections and a wide range of non-fiction and criticism, Tich is widely recognised as one of the most important novelists of his generation. Wretchedness (Elndet) was shortlisted for the 2016 August Prize and won the 2018 Eyvind Johnson Prize.


A translator of Swedish and Norwegian literature, Nichola Smalley is also publicist at And Other Stories and an escaped academic in 2014 she finished a PhD at UCL exploring the use of contemporary urban vernaculars in Swedish and UK rap and literature. Her translations range from Jogo Bonito by Henrik Brando Jnsson (Yellow Jersey Press), a Swedish book about Brazilian football, to the latest novel by Norwegian superstar Jostein Gaarder, An Unreliable Man (Weidenfeld & Nicolson).

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