FOREIGN RIGHTS AUTUMN 2013 - Hanser Literaturverlage

F I C T I O N
ALEX CAPUS
Alex Capus’ new novel tells the story of three
reluctant heroes – a young man who dreams
of peace but ends up building bombs; a girl
who sets out to be a singer and winds up as
a spy; and an art student who travels to the
ancient city of Troy, where he becomes
the greatest forger of all time.
© Marco Grob
Jumped on the Bestseller List instantly after publication!
Reviews on Léon and Louise:
»With the lightness of touch of a French film, Capus has created not one, but three
characters to warm to. One almost hears the chansons of Charles Trenet in the
background to these snatched shared moments.« The Times Literary Supplement
Young pacifist Felix Bloch studies under Heisenberg in Leipzig, specialising in nuclear
physics. In 1933 he leaves Nazi Germany and flees to America – only to find himself
working at Los Alamos, helping Robert Oppenheimer build the first atomic bomb. Laura
D‘Oriano, the rebellious daughter of a musician, tries her hand at a singing career but is
forced to realise that she lacks the talent for stardom. At the outbreak of the war she moves
from Marseilles to Italy as an allied spy – what she doesn’t know is that Mussolini’s
agents are watching her every move. Art student Emile Gilliéron follows Schliemann to
Troy, where he designs vases and restores frescoes. He also fabricates reproductions on
commission – and comes to realise that it’s only a small step from there into the shady
realm of forgery.
The three protagonists could only have met once – in November 1924 at Zurich Central
Station, where the story begins. Their journeys take them onwards to separate destinies,
yet their fates remain strangely linked.
Alex Capus excels himself once again at his definitive melange of fact and fiction. With a
subtle blend of gentle, tongue-in-cheek humour, impeccable concision and his proverbial
deftness, he traces the scrupulously researched biographies of his heroes, who are forced
by circumstance to abandon their dreams – and yet manage to pluck victory from the jaws
of defeat.
Alex Capus
Der Fälscher, die Spionin
und der Bombenbauer
The Forger, the Spy and
the Bomb-Maker
Novel. 272 pages.
Hardcover
Publication date: July 2013
Alex Capus
was born in 1961 in
Normandy, and now lives in
Olten. In 1997 he published
his first novel Munzinger
Pasha, which was followed
by a further fourteen books
of short stories, novels and
reportage. His books Leon
und Louise (2011), Fast
ein bisschen Frühling (new
edition, 2012) and Skidoo:
Meine Reise durch die
Geisterstädte des Wilden
Westen have also been
published by Hanser.
»The most wonderful story…we all loved it.« BBC Radio
»The eccentric charm keeps you tearing through the pages.« Book of the Week in O, The Oprah Magazine
Sales to Foreign Countries
F (Actes Sud), UK/USA (Haus)
Léon und Louise: BR (Record), BG (Atlantis-KL), FIN (Atena), F (Actes Sud), IL (Armchair/ Yediot
Aharonot), I (Garzanti), ROK (Munhakdongne), NL (Mouria), N (Ganesa), PL (Weltbild Polska), SRB
(Laguna), E (Salamandra), S (Norstedts), SLO (Cankarjeva), UK/USA (Haus)
»A gem of a novel.« The New York Times
7 F I C T I O N
F O R E I G N R I G H T S HANSER
F I C T I O N 8
F O R E I G N R I G H T S HANSER