A Strange Country

by Muriel Barbery, Alison Anderson (Translator)

Overview

From the acclaimed author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, A Strange Country, the sequel to The Life of Elves and described as a 'strange and poetic fantasy similar to the work of Tolkien' by the San Francisco Book Review, will transport readers to a lost world and remind them of the power of poetry and imagination.

‘Bewitching’ … ‘[an] enchanting hero’s journey’ Foreword Reviews  

Alejandro de Yepes and Jesús Rocamora, young officers in the Spanish regular army, are stationed alone at Castillo when a friendly redhead named Petrus appears out of nowhere. There is something magnetic and deeply mysterious about him. Alejandro and Jesús are bewitched, and, in the middle of the sixth year of the longest war humankind has ever endured, they abandon their post to follow him across a bridge that only he can see. 

Petrus brings them to a world of lingering fog, strange beings, poetry, music, natural wonders, harmony and extraordinary beauty. This is where the fate of the world and all its living creatures is decided. Yet this world too is under threat. A long battle against the forces of disenchantment is drawing to a climactic close. Will poetry and beauty prevail over darkness and death? And what role will Alejandro and Jesús play? 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609455859
Publisher:	Europa Editions, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/14/2020
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Muriel Barbery is a former lecturer in philosophy and the author of four novels, including the IMPAC-shortlisted multimillion-copy bestseller The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Published in France in 2006 and in the UK in 2008, the novel was translated in 44 countries, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide, and was described by Le Figaro as ‘the publishing phenomenon of the decade’.

Alison Anderson is an author and the translator of around 100 books from French, including Muriel Barbery’s previous novels and works by Amélie Nothomb and J. M. G. Le Clézio.

Editorial Reviews

2020-01-13
Elves and humans unite to try to save their respective realms.

It's 1938, and Europe has been at war for six years. Gen. Alejandro de Yepes and Maj. Jesús Rocamora are holed up inside Alejandro's Extremadura castillo when three strange men appear inside the grand hall. One of them—a portly, affable redhead named Petrus—leads the other two to the wine cellar, where they proceed to get drunk. When Alejandro and Jesús follow, seeking answers, Petrus explains that he and his companions, Marcus and Paulus, are elves and that a fellow elf named Aelius is responsible for the conflicts plaguing both of their peoples. Petrus and company have a plan to defeat their mutual foe, whose goal is domination through mass annihilation, but it requires Alejandro and Jesús to decamp to the elves' world of mists. French author Barbery's sequel to The Life of Elves (2016) is broken into three parts: "Alliances," which encompasses Jesús' and Alejandro's origin stories; "Genesis," which provides Petrus' history; and "Ruin," which details their joint campaign. Barbery's fondness for her characters—the bravely bumbling Petrus, in particular—suffuses the first two sections, lending them a fairy-tale air enhanced by the omniscient third-person narration. Shared bottles of wine and pots of tea facilitate philosophical conversation; at its best, "this is the story of a few souls who, in war, knew the peace of encounter." Regrettably, come the book's climax, Barbery abandons nearly all pretense of plot in favor of opaque imagery and florid prose.

What starts as an elegiac meditation on fellowship devolves into an incoherent fever dream.

Kirkus Reviews

'The novel could be read as an allegory for the challenges that face our modern world, from the controversy surrounding our borders to climate change. Or, it may be seen as a strange and poetic fantasy similar to the work of Tolkien. In either case, it is a beautiful book about what it means to be brave and how we all must work to save ourselves and each other' San Francisco Book Review 

‘Bewitching’ … ‘[an] enchanting hero’s journey’ Foreword Reviews 

‘At its best, Barbery’s imaginative tale reads as a mix of J.R.R. Tolkien and Hayao Miyazaki, epic in scope yet grounded by humor’ Publishers’ Weekly

‘Readers who love meditative, dreamlike fiction will enjoy this translation, which rings with the music of the original French’  Booklist 

Praise for The Life of Elves

'A truly enchanting story, beautifully told and rich in meaning. (...) this book truly deserves to be read by story lovers of all ages' Irish Times 

'A beguiling fairy tale' New York Times 

'Vivid imagery and a thread of mystery draw readers into the timeless and ethereal world of these young girls with a destiny to fulfill' Booklist 

'An emotional, entertaining examination of magic in the modern world' France Today 

'...this fervent, idiosyncratic fable is undeniable evidence of a richly lyrical imagination' Kirkus Reviews 

From the Publisher