Awake

Reviews

"A flawless and sparkling little monument to human life." — Information

"A slim novel of ideas, seemingly turning its back on the present, or rather illuminating from within a turn that leads to the very history of European mentality." — Svenska Dagbladet

"Book of the year." — Weekendavisen

"Reading and rereading this book remains a rare pleasure." — Susanna Nied, translator of Inger Christensen

"With a scholar’s knowledge and a poet’s playfulness, Harald Voetmann brings us into the mind and times of its protagonist, Pliny the Elder. Visceral and lyrical, entertaining and provoking, it evokes a dazzling world on the brink of destruction, resounding with our own conflicted age." — Sjón

"No one else can describe ancient life with such beauty and humor, while never sparing you from the gross and terrifying pain of being human." — Naja Marie Aidt

"Reading Voetmann’s books makes me feel so alive. His voice is like no other, his hold on his material masterful. You will never read anything like Awake—a hardcore, pulsating portrait of a first century Roman weirdo. A wonderful and unpleasant treasure." — Olga Ravn

"This strange novella concerns Pliny the Elder and his drive to catalog all of nature. The fluid prose owes much to translator Ottosen. One thematic thread is the contrast between the intellectual effort to rein in nature’s extraordinary variety and man’s ugly, ignorant cruelty...An interesting work and a good introduction to this unusual writer." — Kirkus

"Awake is original, piercing, and richly exhilarating. Voetmann’s text is a sharp reminder of how powerfully and succinctly well-chosen words can create a world, render experiences, and express thoughts—in short, transport us, to places and in ways we could not have imagined." — Claire Messud, Harper's

"Just like a human face, Awake is a novel like no other." — Barbara Graziosi, Times Literary Supplement