| Translator | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Pages | 240 |
| US ISBN | 978-1-64286-012-2 |
| UK ISBN | 9789462380714 |
| Ebook ISBN | 978-1-64286-030-6 |
| Region | |
| US publication date | April 16, 2019 |
| UK publication date | November 17, 2016 |
| Price | $16.99, £10.99 |
His Name Is David
$16.99
Flanders, 1915. David Verbocht, sentenced to death as a deserter, stands before the firing squad and looks back on his short and turbulent life. As a young man, David was sent away by his parents, after a tragic accident in the family, to become a schoolteacher in the remote village of Elverdinge. There he develops a special bond with a sensitive young student, along with feelings for the boy’s mother—until fate strikes again and the history of loss and guilt seems to repeat. With His Name Is David Vantoortelboom has written a beautifully atmospheric novel about love and tenderness in the face of brutality and war, in a sober and intimate style that shimmers with a restrained sensuality.
Details
Author
Jan Vantoortelboom
Jan Vantoortelboom teaches English at The University of Applied Sciences in Vlissingen and lives with his family in rural Zeeland, the Netherlands. … Read more
Press Quotes
Press Quotes
“Jan Vantoortelboom’s His Name is David, a Dutch-language bestseller, is a tale of forbidden love set in World War I Flanders. Consisting of vignettes, the narrative unfolds as memories of a young Belgian school teacher as he faces a firing squad for desertion” —The Guardian
“For a relatively young writer, Vantoortelboom strikes a powerfully emotive chord” —Irish Examiner
“A book to get excited about” —NRC Handelsblad
“Intelligent and well-composed” —De Morgen
Why You Should Read This Book
Why You Should Read This Book
‘I wanted to write a book about the place where I grew up (Elverdinge), but set in the WWI period. The village was on the frontline and a lot of it was destroyed. This is a book about second and even third chances in a lifetime, and how, even with the best of intentions, you can screw them all up. It is also about guilt, and about having your own thoughts about the world around you.’
JAN VANTOORTELBOOM, the author
‘Translating His Name Is David was like being plunged into a completely different world—that of David, his youth in rural Flanders before the First World War, his life as a teacher and soldier, and his fruitless attempts to make amends for the tragic death of his devoted, inquisitive baby brother. A moving and enriching experience.’
VIVIEN D. GLASS, the translator
‘What struck me most about this beautifully crafted novel, was the intensity of its storytelling. Jan Vantoortelboom manages to create a universe full of tenderness, confusion, and loss. He suggests more then he explains, leaving the interpretation up to the reader, as only the best novels are able to do.’
JUDITH UYTERLINDE, the publisher