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Paul Kingsnorth

Auteur van The Wake

17+ Werken 1,461 Leden 50 Besprekingen Favoriet van 2 leden

Over de Auteur

Paul Kingsnorth was born in 1972 in Worcester. He is an English writer who was former deputy -editor of the Ecologist and a co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project. He was educated at St. Anne's College, Oxford, where he studied modern history. During this period he became involved in the British toon meer road protest movement at sites including Twyford Down and Solsbury Hill London. In 2004, he was one of the founders of the Free West Papua Campaign, which campaigns for the secession of the provinces of Papua and West Papua from Indonesia. In recent years, he has written for or contributed to the Guardian, Independent, Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, Le Monde, and New Statesman. His first book, One No, Many Yeses, an investigative journey through the 'anti-globalisation' movement, was published in six languages in thirteen countries. His second book, Real England, was published by Portobello Books in 2008. His first collection of poetry, Kidland and other poems, was published by Salmon in 2011.He won the Poetry Life National Competition in 1998, and was named BBC Wildlife Poet of the Year in the same year. In 2012, he won the Wenlock Prize.His first novel, The Wake, published in April 2014, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Folio Prize, shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize and won the Gordon Burn Prize. It also won the inaugural Book of the Year at UK Bookseller Industry Awards. (Bowker Author Biography) toon minder
Fotografie: Kingsnorth protesting the construction of a bypass near Bath in 1994

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2014 Booker Prize longlist: The Wake in Booker Prize (augustus 2014)

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This was much more of an experience than merely a book. I was never able to read the language fluently, but I was able to work through it at a faster pace at the end than the beginning. It's a very good story as well, with characters (including the land) that I felt like I got to know, at least a bit.
 
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danielskatz | 36 andere besprekingen | Dec 26, 2023 |
Disappointing. Subject matter was interesting - England around the time of the Norman conquest. The much touted USP of the book is that it is written in an approximation of Olde English. That takes a bit of effort, but I actually enjoyed that aspect - unfortunately the plot really doesn't repay the reader. The protagonist is intensely dislikeable, and is taken with sitting around forests and fens - away from the remains of English civilization, and from the French that conquered them. It's a strange decision for a historical novel, to show as little as possible of the time in which it's set. The theme of the old pagan Gods being supplanted by Christianity was interesting, and the atmosphere was generally effective. But, overall, that was insufficient to counter the repetitive scenes, unengaging characters and aimless plot.… (meer)
 
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thisisstephenbetts | 36 andere besprekingen | Nov 25, 2023 |
I do not usually read historical fiction, but I chose to pick this book up because I was intrigued by its use of language. It is written in modern English, but with some vocabulary & syntax lifted from Old English. This initially made the book challenging to read, but once I got used to the language, I was able to read nearly at my normal pace. I found this language effective in emphasizing how different this world was from our own. However, I imagine this would be incredibly difficult (if not near impossible) to read for someone who is not fluent in English.

This story is told from the first-person point of view of Buccmaster, a farmer living in England during the Norman Invasion. More than anything else, this is a story about him as he grapples with these events. We also learn about his past, which aids in explaining why he is the way that he is. The other characters were not as strong - but this makes sense, because Buccmaster as the narrator is going to focus primarily on himself. What I found especially effective was that, while Buccmaster tried to make himself out to be some great hero to the reader, the author still was able to show us his (numerous) flaws.

The plot itself is rather meandering. I felt this made sense, given Buccmaster's character. There were certainly some exciting moments, but the focus was much more on Buccmaster.

I have only just found out that this is the start of a trilogy. I think this book stands strongly on its own, but I would be interested in reading the other books as well
… (meer)
 
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brp6kk | 36 andere besprekingen | Sep 4, 2023 |
If this novel's protagonist, Buccmaster of Holland, was really the average English rebel against the Norman invasion in 1066, no wonder England never rose up successfully. Also, if this man was typical of followers of the old gods, they must have all despaired of their followers!
I did enjoy the pseudo Old English, even though it made reading the book more difficult. It was at one and the same time a pleasure and a nuisance. favourite word: wyrmfleoge - dragonfly.
also, Buccmaster was a fuccan esol.… (meer)
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zizabeph | 36 andere besprekingen | May 7, 2023 |

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17
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3
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1,461
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#17,584
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½ 3.6
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