New Releases by Hilary Mantel

Now a major TV series The Sunday Times bestseller Shortlisted for the Women''s Prize for Fiction Longlisted for the Booker Prize ''It is a book not read, but lived'' Telegraph ''Her Cromwell novels are, for my money, the greatest English novels of this century'' Observer ''If you cannot speak truth at a beheading, when can you speak it?'' The Mirror & The Light begins after the death of Anne Boleyn. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Thomas Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith''s son has knocked down everyone in his path: established at the right hand of Henry VIII, he is the second man in England. But what will you do, an astute witness asks, when the king turns on you, as sooner or later he turns on everyone close to him? Heralded as the greatest English novels of this century, the Wolf Hall trilogy has won two Booker Prizes and been adapted into hugely successful stage plays. The first two books, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, were transformed into a BAFTA- and Golden Globe-winning BBC television series, starring Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis. The cast now returns in the long-awaited concluding series, Wolf Hall: The Mirror & the Light. A Guardian Book of the Year * A Times Book of the Year * A Daily Telegraph Book of the Year * A Sunday Times Book of the Year * A New Statesman Book of the Year * A Spectator Book of the Year Sunday Times Bestseller (08/03/2020)

THE FINAL BOOK FROM ONE OF OUR GREATEST WRITERS In addition to her celebrated career as a novelist, Hilary Mantel contributed for years to newspapers and journals, unspooling stories from her own life and illuminating the world as she found it. “Ink is a generative fluid,” she explains. “If you don’t mean your words to breed consequences, don’t write at all.” A Memoir of My Former Self collects the finest of this writing over four decades. Her subjects are wide-ranging, sharply observed, and beautifully rendered. She discusses nationalism and her own sense of belonging; our dream life popping into our conscious life; the mythic legacy of Princess Diana; the many themes that feed into her novels—revolutionary France, psychics, Tudor England; and other novelists, from Jane Austen to V.S. Naipaul. She writes about her father and the man who replaced him; she writes fiercely and heartbreakingly about the battles with her health that she endured as a young woman, and the stifling years she found herself living in Saudi Arabia. Here, too, is her legendary essay “Royal Bodies,” on our endless fascination with the current royal family. From her unusual childhood to her all-consuming interest in Thomas Cromwell that grew into the Wolf Hall trilogy, A Memoir of My Former Self reveals the shape of Hilary Mantel’s life in her own luminous words, through “messages from people I used to be.” Filled with her singular wit and wisdom, it is essential reading from one of our greatest writers.

Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience - classics which will endure for generations to come.

Anglia, mai 1536. Anne Boleyn a murit decapitată de un călău adus anume din Franța. În timp ce rămășițele ei sunt deja sortite uitării, Thomas Cromwell sărbătorește cu învingătorii. Fiul fierarului din Putney iese întărit din baia de sânge din acea primăvară, continuându-şi ascensiunea spre putere și înavuțire, pe când formidabilul lui stăpân, Henric al VIII-lea, se bucură de o fericire conjugală efemeră cu a treia sa regină, Jane Seymour. Cromwell nu se poate bizui decât pe inteligența lui; nu are sprijinul vreunei mari familii și nici o armată privată. Deși Anglia este pradă unei răscoale violente, trădătorii complotează în străinătate și amenințarea unei invazii pare iminentă, toate acestea punând la grea încercare domnia lui Henric, imaginația fecundă a lui Cromwell vede o nouă țară în oglinda viitorului. E însă posibil ca o națiune – sau o persoană – să se descotorosească de trecut ca de o piele? Oare morții ies tot timpul din morminte? „Ce vei face când regele se va întoarce împotriva ta?“, îl întreabă ambasadorul spaniol pe Cromwell. Cu Oglinda și lumina, Hilary Mantel încununează splendid trilogia pe care a început-o cu Wolf Hall și O regină pe eșafod, descriind ultimii ani din viața lui Thomas Cromwell, băiatul de nicăieri care urcă până pe culmile puterii, creând un portret definitoriu al prădătorului și al prăzii, al unei înfruntări feroce între prezent și trecut, între viziunea regală și cea a unui om de rând; portretul unei națiuni moderne care se făurește prin conflict, pasiune și curaj. „Cu un deceniu în urmă, Wolf Hall a oferit o caracterizare de personaj senzațională care a aruncat o nouă lumină asupra unei perioade istorice intens studiate. Oglinda și lumina marchează un final triumfător al acestei povești captivante.“ NPR „Îți taie pur și simplu răsuflarea... Intriga este construită la fel de meticulos ca într-un thriller de cea mai bună calitate... Cu această trilogie, Mantel a redefinit anvergura romanului istoric... Luate împreună, cărțile ei despre Cromwell constituie, în opinia mea, cel mai bun ciclu romanesc apărut în Anglia în acest secol.“ The Guardian

Hilary Mantel and Ben Miles'' exhilarating stage adaptation of The Mirror and the Light, one of 2021''s must-see theatrical events, and the long awaited conclusion to the Oliver Award-winning Wolf Hall Trilogy.

Desde que o encontramos pela primeira vez, Thomas Cromwell vem tentando precisamente lutar contra os mortos e impedir que continuem determinando o presente e o futuro dos vivos. Em Wolf Hall e Tragam os corpos, assistimos à ascensão desse plebeu que se tornou o principal ministro de Henrique 8o, ajudando-o a se divorciar de Catarina de Aragão e guiando a Inglaterra em seu rompimento com a Igreja de Roma. Transcorrido entre 1536 e 1540, O espelho e a luz começa no ponto exato em que o segundo volume acabou: no cadafalso ensanguentado onde jaz o corpo de Ana Bolena. Após auxiliar o rei a se livrar de mais uma esposa indesejada, Cromwell alcança o auge de sua glória. Mas há velhas sombras e novos obstáculos em seu caminho. No Norte da Inglaterra, rebeldes marcham em defesa do catolicismo; no exterior, os inimigos do rei conspiram para destroná-lo. Além de frustrar esses planos, o múltiplo ministro de Henrique 8o precisa lidar com o caótico temperamento do monarca, que fica mais feroz conforme ele envelhece. O maior adversário de Cromwell, contudo, será sua própria consciência. À medida que sua aventura se aproxima do fim, ele terá de arcar com o peso das vidas que destruiu (e dos princípios que escamoteou) em sua missão de reformar a Inglaterra.

O Livro Negro foi distinguido com o prestigiado Man Booker Prize em 2012, tornando Hilary Mantel o primeiro autor britânico e a primeira mulher a receber por duas vezes este importante prémio literário. Em 1535, Thomas Cromwell é o primeiro-ministro de Henry VIII. A situação favorável em que se encontra coincide com a ascensão de Ann Boleyn, a nova mulher do rei. Mas como Anne não consegue dar um herdeiro ao rei, Cromwell acaba por assistir, vigilante, ao enamoramento de Henry por Jane Seymour. Thomas Cromwell tem de encontrar uma solução que satisfaça o rei, mas que também proteja a nação e ao mesmo tempo assegure a sua carreira. Mas nem ele nem o rei sairão incólumes da encenação sangrenta que marca os últimos dias de Anne Boleyn. Um estrondoso feito literário, O Livro Negro narra a história de um dos mais terríveis acontecimentos da História, contada por uma das grandes romancistas do nosso tempo.

A stunning collection of essays and memoir from twice Booker Prize winner and international bestseller Hilary Mantel, author of The Mirror and the Light

La sorprendente conclusión de la trilogía de Thomas Cromwell,la mejor serie de novela histórica del siglo XXI.El esperado regreso tras ocho años de Hilary Mantel, dos veces ganadora del Premio Man Booker. Inglaterra. Mayo de 1536. Ana Bolena ha muerto, decapitada en un abrir y cerrar de ojos, a manos de un verdugo francés. Mientras sus restos descansan bajo tierra, Thomas Cromwell desayuna con los vencedores y continúa su ascenso al poder y a la riqueza. Su maestro, Enrique VIII, se conforma con una felicidad a corto plazo en los brazos de su tercera reina, Jane Seymour. Cromwell sabe que sólo puede confiar en sí mismo. No tiene una gran familia que lo respalde, ni un ejército privado. Y a pesar de la rebelión interna, de los traidores que se multiplican en el extranjero y de la amenaza de invasión que pone a prueba el reinado de Enrique VIII, Cromwell busca convertir Inglaterra en un nuevo país que se mire en el espejo del futuro. Pero ¿puede realmente una nación, o una persona, desprenderse de su pasado como si fuera piel muerta? «¿Qué haréis –le pregunta el embajador español a Cromwell– cuando el rey se vuelva contra vos como hace tarde o temprano contra todos los que están próximos a él?»

Regungslos verfolgt Cromwell die Hinrichtung der Königin, um dann mit den Siegern zu frühstücken. Der Sohn des Schmieds aus Putney taucht aus dem Blutbad des vergangenen Frühlings auf, um seinen Aufstieg zu Macht und Reichtum fortzusetzen. Zur selben Zeit gibt sich Henry VIII., der mehr und mehr zum unberechenbaren Gebieter wird, dem kurzlebigen Glück mit seiner dritten Königin hin, die schon bald bei der Geburt des lang ersehnten männlichen Thronfolgers sterben wird. Cromwell kann sich nur auf seinen Verstand verlassen, denn er hat weder eine starke adlige Familie noch eine private Armee hinter sich. Der Kampf mit dem Papst und der katholischen Welt Europas droht England zu zerreißen. Da sind die religiösen Rebellen im eigenen Land und die Verräter aus den eigenen Reihen, die sich im Ausland mit den Feinden verbünden. Und da ist der König, den nichts so sehr interessiert wie die Sicherung der Thronfolge. Trotz alldem sieht der weitsichtige Cromwell ein neues England im Spiegel der Zukunft – und ist für diese Vision zu jedem Opfer bereit. Doch kann eine Nation oder eine Einzelperson ihre Vergangenheit abwerfen wie eine Schlange ihre Haut? Was wird er tun, wenn die Toten sich nicht abschütteln lassen, wenn der König ihm sein Vertrauen entzieht? In ›Spiegel und Licht‹ zeichnet Hilary Mantel die letzten Lebensjahre des Thomas Cromwell nach und entwirft ein eindrucksvolles Porträt von Jäger und Gejagtem, von dem erbitterten Wettstreit zwischen Gegenwart und Vergangenheit, zwischen königlichem Willen und der Vision eines einfachen Mannes: der Vision einer modernen Nation, die sich durch Konflikt, Leidenschaft und Tapferkeit selbst erschafft. Der lang erwartete dritte Band der Tudor-Trilogie! Für ›Wölfe‹ (2009) und ›Falken‹ (2012) wurde Hilary Mantel jeweils mit dem renommierten Booker Prize ausgezeichnet.

The brilliant #1 New York Times bestseller Named a best book of 2020 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, The Guardian, and many more With The Mirror & the Light, Hilary Mantel brings to a triumphant close the trilogy she began with her peerless, Booker Prize-winning novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power, offering a defining portrait of predator and prey, of a ferocious contest between present and past, between royal will and a common man’s vision: of a modern nation making itself through conflict, passion and courage. The story begins in May 1536: Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith’s son from Putney emerges from the spring’s bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour. Cromwell, a man with only his wits to rely on, has no great family to back him, no private army. Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry’s regime to the breaking point, Cromwell’s robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. All of England lies at his feet, ripe for innovation and religious reform. But as fortune’s wheel turns, Cromwell’s enemies are gathering in the shadows. The inevitable question remains: how long can anyone survive under Henry’s cruel and capricious gaze? Eagerly awaited and eight years in the making, The Mirror & the Light completes Cromwell’s journey from self-made man to one of the most feared, influential figures of his time. Portrayed by Mantel with pathos and terrific energy, Cromwell is as complex as he is unforgettable: a politician and a fixer, a husband and a father, a man who both defied and defined his age.

Irgendwo im nördlichen England der Fünfzigerjahre: Fetherhoughton ist ein gottverlassenes Nest, eine Enklave der Ignoranz und des Aberglaubens. Father Angwin ist hier der Gemeindepriester, ein Zyniker, der längst seinen Glauben verloren hat und nur noch in Ruhe gelassen werden will; vor allem von dem neuen Bischof, der die Region in moderne Zeiten führen will. Die zweite Heimsuchung des Priesters ist Mutter Perpetua, die ihr Kloster mit eiserner Hand führt und jede Abweichung vom Pfad des Glaubens hart bestraft. Sie hat es vor allem auf die freiheitsliebende junge Nonne Philomena abgesehen. Eines Abends taucht ein Fremder an der Tür des Pfarrhauses auf und bietet Father Angwin seine Dienste an. Ist er ein Spion des Bischofs, wie Angwin glaubt? Ist er ein Engel, der den Priester wieder glauben lässt und Philomena die Liebe lehrt? Oder gar der Teufel selbst? Trockener Humor, hervorragende Charakterzeichnung und ein bissiges Porträt der Kirche im England der Fünfzigerjahre. »Der Roman ist leicht, geistreich, scharfsinnig und lustig; dabei behandelt er ernsthaft die Frage, was gut und was böse ist.« EVENING STANDARD

Dalla più grande scrittrice inglese del nostro tempo, prima e unica donna a ricevere due volte il Man Booker Prize, dopo il grande successo della trilogia sui Tudor ecco un romanzo contemporaneo, una commedia nera perfettamente riuscita, maliziosa, divertente e cupa al tempo stesso. Nella grigia periferia inglese, dove il cibo è insapore e la vita è offuscata dalla nebbia del disincanto, la corpulenta Alison si guadagna da vivere come medium, interpellando i morti durante affollate sedute. La sua assistente è Colette, donna scheletrica dal cuore di pietra, cinica quasi quanto lei e reduce dalla rottura con l’inetto marito. A completare il quadro c’è Morris, fantasma volgare, lascivo e dispettoso, sempre tra i piedi. In un bizzarro viaggio on the road lungo le desolate tangenziali del Sudest, i tre si spostano di spettacolo in spettacolo, di motel in motel, dando vita a una serie di performance architettate ad hoc per soddisfare i clienti. Alison sa bene come coniugare le sue doti di deduzione psicologica con la credulità del pubblico, eppure non è una ciarlatana: sa leggere davvero nella mente delle persone ed è davvero in contatto con il mondo degli spiriti, il luogo «al di là del nero». Lei stessa è perseguitata dai suoi demoni: inquietanti figure maschili, spauracchi di un passato di cui porta ancora le cicatrici, che s’impadroniscono della sua casa, del suo corpo e della sua anima, e più cerca di liberarsene, più loro acquistano forza e cattiveria... La sapiente penna di Hilary Mantel confeziona un romanzo unico, che scorre lungo quella linea sottile tra paradiso e inferno, veglia e sonno, vita e morte. «Divertente, strano, toccante». John Banville «Straordinario». «The Guardian» «Un capolavoro di spirito». «The Indipendent» «Di un’eleganza memorabile». «The Sunday Telegraph» «Estremamente divertente e spesso inquietante». «The Literary Review» «Un grande romanzo comico». «The New York Times»

Winners of the Man Booker Prize and hugely successful stage plays in London''s West End and on Broadway, Hilary Mantel''s Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies bring history to life for a whole new audience having now been adapted into a six-part television series by the BBC and PBS Masterpiece. England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe oppose him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, master of deadly intrigue, and implacable in his ambition.

Hilary Mantel, una de las autoras más aclamadas y prestigiosas de las letras inglesas, nos ofrece una brillante colección de relatos contemporáneos. El asesinato de Margaret Thatcher es el relato central e inédito en el nuevo libro de la autora británica que deslumbra por su calidad literaria y que comparten el gusto por lo insólito, el sentido, a veces sangrante y siempre muy sutil de la ironía británica y la capacidad de síntesis. En cada historia la autora nos ofrece una pieza magistral de su peculiar arte y de su manera de relatar, con una sonrisa cómplice, lo ridículo de cada momento. «La manera de narrar de Mantel urge al lector a suspender completamente su vida normal hasta haber finalizado el libro» The Sunday Times. «Una escritora genialmente vívida e ingeniosa» The Times.

En 1535, Thomas Cromwell, el hijo del herrero, está ya muy lejos de sus humildes orígenes. Como primer ministro de Enrique VIII, su fortuna ha florecido, como también la de Ana Bolena, segunda esposa del rey por cuyo amor Enrique ha roto con Roma y ha creado su propia Iglesia. Pero las decisiones del rey están provocando un peligroso aislamiento político de Inglaterra, y además Ana no ha cumplido su promesa, procurar un heredero que asegure la línea Tudor. Durante la visita de Enrique a Wolf Hall, Cromwell observa los amores del rey con la sibilina y silenciosa Jane Seymour. El ministro comprende que lo que está en juego es mucho más que el placer del rey: está en juego la seguridad de la nación. Así que a medida que despeja el camino de Enrique entre la corte y su miasma de chismes, negocia una «verdad» que satisfaga al rey y asegure su propia carrera. Pero ni ministro ni rey saldrán indemnes del teatro sangriento de los últimos días de Ana. Uno de los episodios más desconcertantes y aterradores de la historia de Inglaterra: la destrucción de Ana Bolena. Una novela absolutamente vívida y audaz acerca de la Inglaterra de los Tudor que arroja luz sobre el mundo moderno.

The New York Times bestselling collection, from the Man Booker prize-winner for Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, that has been called "scintillating" (New York Times Books Review), "breathtaking" (NPR), "exquisite" (The Chicago Tribune) and "otherworldly" (Washington Post). "A new Hilary Mantel book is an Event with a ‘capital ‘E.''"—NPR "A book of her short stories is like a little sweet treat."—USA Today (4 stars) "[Mantel is at] the top of her game."—Salon "Genius."—The Seattle Times One of the most accomplished, acclaimed, and garlanded writers, Hilary Mantel delivers a brilliant collection of contemporary stories In The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, Hilary Mantel''s trademark gifts of penetrating characterization, unsparing eye, and rascally intelligence are once again fully on display. Stories of dislocation and family fracture, of whimsical infidelities and sudden deaths with sinister causes, brilliantly unsettle the reader in that unmistakably Mantel way. Cutting to the core of human experience, Mantel brutally and acutely writes about marriage, class, family, and sex. Unpredictable, diverse, and sometimes shocking, The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher displays a magnificent writer at the peak of her powers.

A brilliant collection of short stories from the double Man Booker Prize-winning author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

"Giving up the Ghost is award-winning novelist Hilary Mantel''s uniquely unusual five-part autobiography. Opening in 1995 with A Second Home, Mantel describes the death of her stepfather which leaves her deeply troubled by the unresolved events of her childhood. In Now Geoffrey Don''t Torment Her Mantel takes the reader into the muffled consciousness of her early childhood, culminating in the birth of a younger brother and the strange candlelight ceremony of her mother''s ''churching''. In Smile, an account of teenage perplexity, Mantel describes a household where the keeping of secrets has become a way of life. Finally, at the memoir''s conclusion, Mantel explains how through a series of medical misunderstandings and neglect she came to be childless and how the ghosts of the unborn like chances missed or pages unturned, have come to haunt her life as a writer."--Publisher''s description.

Now a major TV seriesWinner of the Man Booker Prize 2009Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2012Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2012Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2013Shortlisted for the the Orange Prize 2009Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2009

Thomas Cromwell er bølle og sjarmør, humanist og slåsskjempe, melankoliker og politisk geni. Folk viker unna ham. Tragedien leder ham fram til Henrik 8s side. Sammen vil de bryte alle lover for å skape et nytt England. Aldri har tudortidens England stått tydeligere for oss: maktens skjønnhet og brutalitet, hofflivets redsler og gleder, hverdagens lukter og smaker. Hilary Mantel regnes som en av de viktigste nålevende engelskspråklige forfattere. Med Ulvetid har hun fått sitt store internasjonale gjennombrudd: Boken har fått en rekke store litterære priser, og lå i toppen av bestselgerlistene både i USA og Storbritannia.

The sequel to Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel''s Man Booker Prize winner and New York Times bestseller, Bring Up the Bodies delves into the heart of Tudor history with the downfall of Anne Boleyn. The basis for the TV show on BBC and PBS Masterpiece starring Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell. Though he battled for seven years to marry her, Henry is disenchanted with Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son and her sharp intelligence and audacious will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice. At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down. Over three terrifying weeks, Anne is ensnared in a web of conspiracy, while the demure Jane Seymour stands waiting her turn for the poisoned wedding ring. But Anne and her powerful family will not yield without a ferocious struggle. Hilary Mantel''s Bring Up the Bodies follows the dramatic trial of the queen and her suitors for adultery and treason. To defeat the Boleyns, Cromwell must ally with his natural enemies, the papist aristocracy. What price will he pay for Anne''s head? Named a top 10 Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and The Washington Post

Just after ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ author Hilary Mantel won the Man Booker for ‘Wolf Hall’, she fell gravely ill. This is her remarkable hospital diary.

Set during the French Revolution, this "riveting historical novel" ("The New Yorker") is the story of three young provincials who together helped destroy a way of life and, in the process, destroyed themselves.

An English couple''s life in Saudi Arabia told through the eyes of Frances, the wife. She describes the heat, the ugliness and the menace of Islamic law. Men stroll in the street with rifles and from the apartment upstairs comes sobbing. It is nothing her Arab friends tell her, simply a millionaire''s mistress, but Frances knows they are lying. Finally, there is murder.

Man schreibt das Jahr 1782, und Charles O''Brien flüchtet vor dem Hunger aus Irland nach London. O''Brien ist nicht nur von außerordentlicher Gestalt, er ist auch ein Barde, ein Mann der Balladen und Geschichten, der von den alten Mythen erzählt, von irischen Königen und Feen. In London, so verspricht ihm sein Freund und Impresario Joe, wird er eine Sensation sein - in jenem fernen glänzenden London der Geschäftemacher und der Wissenschaftler. Als ''der riesige O''Brien'' bietet er sich dar, und gegen gutes Geld begaffen ihn die sensationslüsternen Massen. Unter den Besuchern ist aber auch ein Mann, dessen scharfer Blick O''Brien Angst einjagt - es ist John Hunter, der Anatom und Sezierer, für seine Experimente berühmt und fieberhaft auf der Suche nach dem Geheimnis des Lebens. Als O''Brien eines Tages entdeckt, dass er erneut anfängt zu wachsen, weiß er, dass er nicht mehr lange zu leben hat. Und inzwischen hat sich auch das Publikum einer anderen, neuesten Kuriosität zugewendet, die Einna hmen bleiben aus. Wieder erscheint Hunter. Er bietet O''Brien Geld für das Recht an seiner Leiche. Ein makabrer Wettstreit um seine Knochen beginnt... Voller Atmosphäre zeichnet Hilary Mantel die bewegenden, teils bizarr komischen Schicksale und entfaltet die Geschichten ihrer Träume. Der auf historischen Fakten beruhende, brillant gezeichnete Zusammenstoß zweier Welten - von Mythos und Machbarkeitsglauben, von Kunst und Naturwissenschaft -, ist von verblüffender Aktualität.

One dark and stormy night in 1956, a stranger named Fludd mysteriously turns up in the dismal village of Fetherhoughton. He is the curate sent by the bishop to assist Father Angwin-or is he? In the most unlikely of places, a superstitious town that understands little of romance or sentimentality, where bad blood between neighbors is ancient and impenetrable, miracles begin to bloom. No matter how copiously Father Angwin drinks while he confesses his broken faith, the level of the bottle does not drop. Although Fludd does not appear to be eating, the food on his plate disappears. Fludd becomes lover, gravedigger, and savior, transforming his dull office into a golden regency of decision, unashamed sensation, and unprecedented action. Knitting together the miraculous and the mundane, the dreadful and the ludicrous, Fludd is a tale of alchemy and transformation told with astonishing art, insight, humor, and wit.