WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2013 'It's the most marvellous discovery for everyone who loves literature' Ian McEwan, BBC Radio 4 Colum McCann once called Stoner one of the great forgotten novels of the past century, but it seems it is forgotten no longer – in 2013 translations of Stoner began appearing on bestseller lists across Europe. Forty-eight years after its first, quiet publication in the US, Stoner is finally finding the wide and devoted readership it deserves. Have you read it yet? William Stoner enters the University of Missouri at nineteen to study agriculture. A seminar on English literature changes his life, and he never returns to work on his father's farm. Stoner becomes a teacher. He marries the wrong woman. His life is quiet, and after his death his colleagues remember him rarely. Yet with truthfulness, compassion and intense power, this novel uncovers a story of universal value. Stoner tells of the conflicts, defeats and victories of the human race that pass unrecorded by history, and reclaims the significance of an individual life. A reading experience like no other, itself a paean to the power of literature, it is a novel to be savoured.

Stoner

[CDATA[William Stoner wird 1891 als Sohn armer Farmer in Missouri geboren. Das Landwirtschaftsstudium lässt er ohne Reue hinter sich, als er seine Liebe zur Literatur entdeckt. Hart arbeitet er für seinen Aufstieg, bringt es bis zum Professor. Doch sonst ist sein Leben enttäuschungsreich: Seine Ehefrau entpuppt sich als gefühlskalte Intrigantin, die seine enge Beziehung zur Tochter zerstört, die leidenschaftliche Liebe zu einer Studentin muss er aufgeben. Und ein Widersacher an der Uni setzt alles daran, Stoners Reputation zu beschädigen. Ein großartiger Roman über einen Mann, der seine Würde durch alle Widernisse rettet.]]

William Stoner bliver i slutningen af det 19. århundrede født ind i en fattig bondefamilie i Missouri, USA. Som ung går han på landbrugsskole, men drages af litteraturens verden. Han vender aldrig hjem til forældrenes gård og vælger i stedet det akademiske liv, hvor bøgerne og litteraturen forbliver hans faste holdepunkt – også når konflikter og skuffelser truer med at ødelægge hans tilværelse. Bogen blev første gang udgivet i 1965, siden genudgivet i 2006 i USA, hvorefter mange forlag verden over fik øjnene op for romanen. Den er nu en international bestseller. "Stoner" er et fascinerende, velskrevet og rørende portræt af en helt almindelig mand, hvis liv man ikke kan undgå at blive berørt af. Det er en roman om identitet, om livet, om de valg, vi træffer.

Brought to you by Penguin. BY THE AUTHOR OF STONER Will Andrews is no academic. He longs for wildness, freedom, hope and vigour. He leaves Harvard and sets out for the West to discover a new way of living. In a small town called Butcher's Crossing he meets a hunter with a story of a lost herd of buffalo in a remote Colorado valley, just waiting to be taken by a team of men brave and crazy enough to find them. Will makes up his mind to be one of those men, but the journey, the killing, harsh conditions and sheer hard luck will test his mind and body to their limits. ©2023 John Williams (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Butcher's Crossing

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The Harry Potter Piano Anthology

Neljän miehen uhkarohkea retkikunta lähtee matkaan preerian halki. Raskas matka saa kuin saakin täyttymyksensä, kun miehet jäljittävät biisonilauman ja pääsevät tappamisen makuun. Ajantaju unohtuu, ja talvi pääsee yllättämään miehet. Williams kunnioittaa lännentarinan perinteitä ja tavoittaa jälleen paljaan ihmisyyden kuvauksen. Kirjan pelkistetty kerronta vavahduttaa lukijaa. Kansas, 1870. Nuori Will Andrews jättää yliopiston kesken ja saapuu pieneen Butcher’s Crossingin kaupunkiin keskelle ei mitään. Hän haluaa kokea Ralph Waldo Emersonin innoittamana alkuperäisen suhteen luontoon, mutta keskilännen kovapintaisten miesten kansoittama onnenonkijoiden kaupunki vaikuttaa tylyltä. Andrews tutustuu pian mieheen, joka saa hänet vakuuttuneeksi Coloradon vuoristossa majailevasta valtavasta biisonilaumasta, jota kukaan ei ole löytänyt. Butcher’s Crossing julkaistiin alun perin vuonna 1960. John Williamsin ylistetyn Stonerin tavoin se on löydetty ja saavuttanut menestyksen vasta nyt, vuosikymmeniä myöhemmin. Tarina kulkee Butcher’s Crossingissa toiseen suuntaan kuin Stonerissa, yliopistomaailma vaihtuu karkeaan, kovaan elämään lähellä luontoa.

Uudelleenlöydetty klassikko John Williams kuvaa romaanissaan Stoner on mestarillinen eleettömästi elämässään pettyvän miehen tuntoja, rakkautta työtä ja kirjallisuutta kohtaan ja hauraita onnen hetkiä. Syvän inhimillinen tarina koskettaa armottoman täsmällisellä kuvauksellaan, ja hieno ajankuva kantaa nykypäivään. William Stoner kasvaa Yhdysvaltojen Keskilännessä maatilan poikana mutta hylkää juurensa ja elää hiljaista yliopistonopettajan elämää. Avioituminen parempiin piireihin ei tuo onnea, ja yliopistomaailmassa hänet yritetään nujertaa. Williams kuvaa yhden ihmisen elämän, ei enempää eikä vähempää, mutta tekee sen vakuuttavan viisaasti. Williamsin romaani ilmestyi alun perin vuonna 1965 mutta ei herättänyt tuolloin suurta huomiota. Vuonna 2006 alkoi Stonerin uusi tuleminen, kun kirjasta otettiin uusia painoksia, se käännettiin useille kielille ja ympäri maailmaa se voitti kriitikot ja lukijat puolelleen.

Ein literarisches Juwel neu entdeckt Das Leben des jungen Arthur Maxley schwankt zwischen Müßiggang und einem nie verwundenen Trauma aus der Kindheit. Einen Abend und eine Nacht lang folgen wir ihm: zunächst zu einem Dinner mit seinem Vater, den er viele Jahre nicht gesehen hat. Schuld und Scham lasten auf dieser Begegnung, deren abruptes Ende einen Vorgeschmack bietet auf das verheerende Finale dieser Nacht. Die Straßen und Bars des nächtlichen Los Angeles sind die Kulisse, vor der sich Arthurs innerer Abgrund auftut, während er der sinnlichen Verführung einer fremden Schönen nachgibt.Alexander Fehling gibt der Sehnsucht nach dem Zustand der Unschuld eine Stimme, die noch lange im Hörer nachhallen wird. (Laufzeit: 4h 4)

Nichts als die Nacht

Das neue Meisterwerk von John Williams Verbündete, Gegner, Feinde – ein Herrscherleben in all seinen Facetten Octavian ist neunzehn, sensibel, wissbegierig und will Gelehrter werden. Doch als Großneffe und Adoptivsohn Julius Cäsars fällt ihm nach dessen Ermordung ein gewaltiges Erbe zu: Ihm, der von schwächlicher Konstitution, aber enormer Willenskraft ist, wird es durch Glück, List, Intelligenz und Entschlossenheit gelingen, das riesige Römische Reich in eine Epoche des Wohlstands und Friedens zu führen. Die besten deutschsprachigen Schauspielerstimmen lassen in fiktiven Briefen, Erinnerungen und Senatsprotokollen die Person eines gottgleichen Herrschers lebendig werden. Am Ende aber, von Frau und Tochter entfremdet, sieht er dem Tod so ungeschützt entgegen wie jeder andere Mensch auch.Zu hören sind Christian Redl, Hanns Zischler, Jens Wawrczeck, Corinna Kirchhoff, Ulrich Noethen, Felix von Manteuffel u. a. (Laufzeit: 14h 11)

Augustus

[CDATA[Kansas, 1870: Der Student Will Andrews kehrt Harvard den Rücken, um im Wilden Westen sein Glück zu finden. Er landet in Butcher’s Crossing, einem Ort mitten im Nirgendwo. Dort wimmelt es von rastlosen Männern, Huren und zwielichtigen Gestalten. Auf der Suche nach Geld und Abenteuern schließt sich Andrews einer Gruppe von Büffeljägern an. Nach einer strapaziösen Reise gelangen sie ans Ziel und geraten, besessen vom Töten der Büffel, in einen Blutrausch. Bald holt der Winter sie ein. Erst im Frühjahr, halb wahnsinnig durch Hunger und Kälte, können sie heimkehren. Doch was sie erwartet, ist eine Welt, die sich genauso endgültig verändert hat wie sie selbst.]]

Sono gli anni Settanta dell'Ottocento. Will Andrews, dopo tre anni a Harvard, lascia il Massachusetts e, pieno di vaghi sogni e aspirazioni emersoniane verso la Natura Selvaggia, va all'Ovest. Si trova così a Butcher's Crossing, poco più che un rozzo accampamento ai margini del nulla abitato da uomini duri, sempre in cerca di un modo per fare soldi, o per scialacquarli. È proprio uno di questi individui che racconta all'ex studente di una meravigliosa valle nascosta tra le Rocky Mountains, popolata di immense mandrie di bisonti che non hanno mai conosciuto l'odore, o il fucile, dell'uomo. Aspettano solo di essere cacciati e scuoiati da uomini abbastanza coraggiosi, o abbastanza folli, da riuscire a scovarli. Andrews sarà uno di loro. Ma la realtà di ciò che lo attende, ciò che scoprirà su di sé e sul suo Paese, non è quello che aveva immaginato. Lirico e spietato, epico e dissacrante, Butcher's Crossing è un potente romanzo di formazione e la cronaca della fine di un'epoca; il racconto di una trasformazione personale e collettiva; ma soprattutto una riflessione, di penetrante profondità, sul rapporto tra essere umano e natura.

Butcher's crossing

Stoner - pubblicato per la prima volta nel 1965 - è stato per parecchio tempo uno dei grandi romanzi dimenticati della letteratura americana. John Williams racconta la vita di un uomo, Stoner appunto, che, nato in una famiglia di contadini poveri, finisce per scoprire dentro di sé una passione struggente per la letteratura e diventa professore. È la storia di un uomo che conduce una vita semplice al limite della frugalità. Una vita che lascia poche tracce. Ma Stoner è molto molto di più: è un romanzo sull'amicizia, sul matrimonio, un romanzo di ambiente universitario, un romanzo sociale e - last but not least - un romanzo sulla fatica. Sul duro, implacabile lavoro nelle fattorie, sull'impegno che richiede la vita matrimoniale, sulla difficoltà di allevare con paziente empatia una figlia all'interno di una famiglia avvelenata, e sul tentativo di avvicinare alle meraviglie della letteratura studenti universitari spesso insensibili. Ma, al fondo, Stoner è soprattutto un romanzo sull'amore: sull'amore per la poesia, per la letteratura e anche sull'amore romantico. È un romanzo su cosa significa essere umani. Alla luce di questa centralità dell'amore per la letteratura e per la poesia, abbiamo pensato di pubblicare in questo volume, insieme al romanzo, una raccolta di poesie di John Williams, inedita in Italia, dal titolo La necessaria menzogna, uscita nello stesso anno in cui venne pubblicato Stoner e quindi vicinissima ai temi che più stavano a cuore a Williams in quel periodo. In questo modo vogliamo offrire ai tantissimi lettori innamorati di quel romanzo un elemento ulteriore, sconosciuto, inedito, che è in grado di articolare e approfondire meglio proprio quel "Mistero della Mente e del Cuore" di cui scriveva John Williams.

Det här är berättelsen om William Stoner, som föds i den amerikanska mellanvästern i slutet av 1800-talet. Hans liv ligger utstakat – han ska slita på föräldrarnas gård med den torra jorden. Men Stoner har läshuvud och skickas till universitetet för att bli agronom. När han hamnar på ett seminarium i litteratur ändrar hela hans liv riktning. Så börjar den mödosamma resan mot att skapa sig en egen tillvaro. Han arbetar på sin avhandling i engelsk litteratur, träffar en kvinna och gifter sig, börjar undervisa. Äktenskapet blir en katastrof. Stoners tillflykt blir det inre livet; han arbetar hårt och blir en omtyckt lärare. Hans idealism gör honom allt ensammare – men så möter han sent i livet kärleken och förstår för första gången vilken kraft som bor i mötet mellan två människor. Stoner är en gripande roman om en mans livsresa. Utåt är han oansenlig, men inom honom ryms en värld av sorger, förhoppningar och besvikelser. Williams förmåga att gestalta de känslotillstånd som är allra svårast att sätta ord på får romanen att glöda som ett varmt bloss i den kalla natten. Vi är alla Stoner. John Williams (1922–1994) föddes i Texas. Han arbetade som universitetslärare, skrev poesi och tre romaner; Stoner, Butcher’s Crossing och Augustus, för vilken han vann National Book Award 1973. Stoner utgavs första gången 1965. Den fick fina recensioner och upplagan om 2 000 ex sålde slut. 2003 återutgavs den av New York Review of Books förlag och sakta spred sig nyheten om en fantastisk bortglömd bok – tio år efter författarens död. 2014 är Stoner en bästsäljare över hela Europa. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ”Stoner är en djupt gripande roman som fick mig att uppleva vad riktigt stor litteratur kan innebära.” Ingalill Mosander, Aftonbladet ”Det är en stillsamt berättad historia om ett liv bland alla andra, men ändå andlöst spännande eftersom dramaturgin är så väl genomförd. /…/ Jag har satt Stoner i händerna på människor som försvunnit bort ett dygn, för de kan inte släppa boken för nåt annat. Sen kommer de tillbaka och vill - måste! - prata om det de just varit med om. Alla säger samma sak: de är skakade och sorgsna men väldigt lyckliga att de läst boken.” Åsa Linderborg, Aftonbladet ”Allra sista meningen i Stoner är så bra att det händer något i kroppen: jag slår ihop boken, pressar den mot ansiktet och silar luften mellan tänderna som om jag plötsligt blivit intensivt generad. Men inget är genant - sista meningen i romanen är bara så fruktansvärt bra. Den ger en liten smula hopp inför döden, sluter livscirkeln, stänger berättelsen och gör litteraturen oförgänglig.” Malin Ullgren, DN ”Det är en märkligt liten, stor roman. Så anspråkslös i tilltalet men med så djupa och svårfångade känslotillstånd. /…/ Stoner föds, lever, dör. Det är bara ett liv. Men Williams lyckas skriva fram en magisk, storslagen melankoli. En mästerlig författare.” Fredrik Virtanen, Aftonbladet ”Det John Williams gör är att han skriver fram ett helt liv, så stilla där på platsen, lika mättat av inre tankar och närvaro som emellanåt frånvarande i den så kallade verkligheten. /…/ Och det jag känner är att jag i min tur blir lite förtrollad när jag läser Stoner, påmind om min egen livslånga och djupa förälskelse i litteraturen. Om den där hängivenheten som bär kulturen, berättar livet, men som idag dessvärre ifrågasätts till och med inom kulturredaktioner.” Anneli Dufva, Kulturnytt ”På ytan händer det ganska lite i William Stoners liv. /…/ Ändå läser jag den i ett svep, just på grund av Williams förmåga att gestalta Stoners liv - klassresan, otryggheten i borgerligheten, kärleken till lärdom - från en punkt som är i exakt jämnhöjd med subjektet. Vi ser det han ser, delar hans små stunder av lycka och stora, avgörande besvikelser, känslan av att blev det inte mer?” Jens Liljestrand, Expressen ”Det är ett gripande porträtt” Ulf Eriksson, Göteborgs-Posten ”Stoner är helt enkelt en av de bästa böcker jag läst. Det är inte ramberättelsen som gör Stoner till en så läsvärd bok. Nej, det är sättet på vilket John Williams har lyckats skapa en alldeles fullständigt trovärdig människa av kött och blod. Vi ser Stoner framför oss, vi lever med honom, han blir en del av oss själva. Vi blir upprörda när han fattar fel beslut, vi gläds när det går honom väl. Williams själv kallade sina böcker för ”en flykt in i verkligheten” och bättre kan det kanske inte sägas. Att läsa Stoner är dessutom en njutbar upplevelse rent språkligt och en lysande översättning.” Johan Erlandsson, Kommunalarbetaren ”Stoner är en rysligt vacker roman om bildning. Jag slår vad om succé även i Sverige.” Björn af Kleen, Dagens Nyheter ”Det är en underbar bok.” David Stenbeck, Kristianstadsbladet ”Man kan inte annat än älska den ödmjuke och lågmälde Willam Stoner /…/ [Hans] liv kan i det stora hela ses som ganska händelselöst, men John Williams gestaltningar gör varje sida betydelsefull.” Solveig Lundmark, Norrländska socialdemokraten ”Ett allvar som drabbar. Det handlar om att uthärda och om att förstå vilka förväntningar som är rimliga på en till många delar okontrollerbar och förvirrande stund på jorden.” Olof Åkerlund, Sydsvenskan ”Det väcker en mild glädje som bara riktigt bra böcker kan åstadkomma” Pauli Olavi Kuivanen, Norrköpings tidningar ”Jag är förbluffad över att en roman som är så här bra har undgått uppmärksamhet under så många år.” Ian McEwan ”En briljant, vacker, obönhörligt sorglig, vis och elegant roman.” Nick Hornby En djupt gripande roman som fick mig att uppleva vad riktigt stor litteratur kan innebära Ingalill Mosander, Aftonbladet

This isn’t a story about autism. It’s a story about a young boy who happens to have autism, and there is a difference. John Williams is a stand-up comedian. He is also a single father and full-time carer for his son, who has autism and cerebral palsy. This is their incredible story. In 2012, John started a blog called My Son’s Not Rainman, a heartfelt and uplifting account of everyday life for him and ‘The Boy’. Following on from the blog’s amazing success, John felt there was still much more of their life, past and present, that he wanted to share. And not only of the challenges of bringing up a child who for too long was just dismissed as ‘difficult’, but also of the joy of living with someone who looks at the world in a unique way. My Son’s Not Rainman radiates warmth, care and passion, not to mention laugh-out-loud humour, on every page. It is a brilliantly different story about a brilliantly different boy.

My Son's Not Rainman

This is the story how a 13 year old boy who was born the night the Empire fell and for critical hours was ;left alone on Space Station Quark. Not willing to be adopted, he finds adventure and romance with the new breed of space settlers. Aboard an ex battle station, Space Station Quark, Johnny at 13, meets another boy at the swimming pool, a place he always goes to mix and find friends though mostly distinctly unsuccessful and for this reason easily falls for a boy of the same age named Robbie who confirms feelings Johnny never knew existed and they spend the night together. In the morning Robbie disappears and Johnny determined to find his first love, leaves SS Quark in the belief is no longer aboard and leaves with a wild privateer into a fleet of metal asteroids, pirate bases. But all is not lost, Johnny wakes up in bed with Robbie, though Johnny believes it was not a normal dream but some out of body experience that served as warning now he had found his true yearning, his life would no longer be sheltered.

Johnny Angel Space Station Quark Boy Loves Boy

AUGUSTUS en storslået og velskrevet roman, der lægger sig op ad ‘Jeg, Claudius’ af Robert Graves. Den er en fascinerende og hæsblæsende fortælling om en række historiske personer fra det gamle Rom. Octavius Cæsar (Augustus) var blot 18 år gammel, da hans onkel Julius Cæsar blev myrdet. I en alt for ung alder skulle Augustus overtage styret og magten over den romerske republik. Han var omgivet af magtsyge mænd, der med alle midler kæmpede om magten - Cicero, Brutus, Cassius og Markus Aurelius - og den unge Augustus måtte modstå det magtfulde romerske rænkespil for at sikre sig positionen som den første romerske kejser. På baggrund af grundig research tegnes et fascinerende portræt af kejser Augustus og hans enestående historie. John Williams benytter sig af brevformen, og de mange stemmer tegner et inciterende portræt af hovedpersonen Augustus. En betagende fortælling af forfatteren til STONER og BUTCHER’S CROSSING. John Williams modtog National Book Award for romanen i 1972.

Året er 1873, og Will Andrews opgiver sine universitetsstudier ved Harvard og drager vestpå. Han ender i Butcher's Crossing, en lille, gudsforladt flække i Kansas. Butcher's Crossing er fuld af rastløse mænd, der kun tænker på at tjene hurtige penge og bruge dem lige så hurtigt, blandt dem Miller. Han og Andrews bliver venner, og Andrews fascineres af Millers historie om en enorm bisonflok, der kun venter på at blive nedslagtet, godt gemt af vejen i en smuk dal i Rocky Mountains i Colorado. Andrews lader sig overtale til at deltage i - og financiere - en ekspedition, der bringer ham og Miller og to andre mænd langt ind i bjergene, hvor de skal slagte bisonerne, flå dem og bringe skindet tilbage. Rejsen er anstrengende og ekstremt krævende for de fire mænd og deres heste, men da de endelig når frem, er det et sted af paradisisk skønhed og rigdom, der møder dem. De kaster sig ud i en orgastisk nedslagtning af de tusindvis af bisoner, og bliver så opslugt af mødet med dyrene, at de mister al fornemmelse af tid. Netop som de er klar til at rejse tilbage til Butcher’s Crossing med store mængder bisonskind, stopper naturen dem. Vinteren har sneget sig ind på dem, og de sner inde i bjergene, i månedsvis. Foråret kommer, og de genoptager hjemrejsen, nedbrudte af kulde og sult. I Butcher’s Crossing finder de en verden, der er dramatisk forandret, fuldstændig lige som dem selv. ANMELDERNE SKREV "Det vilde vesten skildres prunkløst og uromantisk i »Stoner«-forfatteren John Williams' roman »Butcher's Crossing«. Meget bedre kan det ikke gøres (...) De læsere, der holdt af »Stoner«, kan godt finde bøffelskindspungen frem og bevæge sig mod boghandlen, for »Butcher’s Crossing« er lige så gribende og velfortalt som »Stoner«." 5 stjerner, Berlingske "John Williams skriver med rolig uafvendelighed lige så meget fylde på sit skelet, som der er kød på en fuldvoksen bison." - Weekendavisen "' Butcher's Crossing' er en monumental fortælling i krydsfeltet mellem naturens magt og menneskets søgen og forfald. John Williams skriver så levende, at man smager bison-blodet, lugter slagternes skidne tøj og blændes af en pludselig snestorm." - Ekstra Bladet

John Williams was 26 toen zijn debuutroman Niets dan de nacht verscheen. In dit kleine, maar adembenemende verhaal onderzoekt Williams de impact van een vroeg-traumatische ervaring. Als kind was Arthur Maxley getuige van een gewelddadige gebeurtenis die zijn leven voorgoed zou tekenen. In Niets dan de nacht volgen we de inmiddels volwassen, eigenzinnige Arthur tijdens een veelbetekenende dag in zijn leven: de dag waarop hij zijn vader, die hij sinds die afschuwelijke nacht in zijn jeugd niet meer heeft gezien, zal ontmoeten. Het weerzien brengt Arthurs oude demonen weer tot leven.

Niets dan de nacht

De beste (anti-)western die ooit geschreven is, over de strijd van een man tegen de elementen, geschreven door de auteur van de bestseller Stoner. Amerika, 1873. De jonge Will Andrews stopt met zijn opleiding aan Harvard en trekt westwaarts op zoek naar avontuur, naar het echte Amerika. Als hij na een lange reis aankomt in het van God en iedereen verlaten dorp Butcher's Crossing in Kansas neemt Andrews een ingrijpend besluit: hij gaat mee op wat één van de laatste grote jachten op de bizon zal zijn, een dier dat vrijwel uitgeroeid is door de handel in huiden. De ervaren jager Miller leidt de expeditie naar een kudde van duizenden bizons in een verborgen vallei. Terwijl Miller als een bezetene in de weer is om elke nog levende bizon te doden, worden de mannen in het nauw gedreven door de snel invallende winter en leert Andrews meer van zijn land dan hij ooit had kunnen voorzien. John Williams (1922-1994) is wereldwijd herontdekt als schrijver van een uniek en hartverscheurend oeuvre. Alleen al in Nederland en Vlaanderen werden van Stoner, Butcher's Crossing en Augustus meer dan 450.000 exemplaren verkocht. Ook zijn debuutroman Niets dan de nacht, dat verscheen toen hij 26 was, is inmiddels opnieuw uitgegeven. 'Niet elk jaar lees je een boek dat zo meeslepend is dat je er bijna in verdwijnt en alles om je heen vergeet' - NRC Handelsblad - 5 sterren 'Butcher's Crossing zingt, in een andere toonsoort, maar mooier, hetzelfde sombere lied als Stoner. Ziedaar de verrassing van 2013' - de Volkskrant - 5 sterren 'Net zo sterk en verpletterend als de vergeten parel Stoner. Lees dit boek, het zal je niet berouwen' - De Standaard der Letteren - 4 sterren 'Een betoverend epos van een geweldige schrijver' - Het Parool - 5 sterren 'Als u een boek wilt lezen dat uw leven gaat veranderen, lees dan Stoner' - Arnon Grunberg

Een tijdloos verhaal over vriendschap, loyaliteit en de mechanismen van de macht. Door de auteur van Stoner en Butcher's Crossing. In zijn derde grote roman, winnaar van de National Book Award, vertelt John Williams het verhaal van de stichter van het Romeinse rijk, wiens grootsheid even legendarisch was als zijn grenzeloze ambitie: Augustus. Vanaf de moord op zijn oom Julius Caesar tot aan de laatste dagen van het keizerrijk volgen we Augustus op zijn tocht over het glibberige pad van de macht: niemand is te vertrouwen, de senaat wordt beheerst door eigenbelang en allianties zijn even snel gevormd als gebroken. Augustus is een meerstemmige roman: via de gefingeerde brieven, dagboekaantekeningen, memoires en reisverslagen van historische figuren als Marcus Antonius, de dichter Cicero en Augustus' dochter Julia, maar ook van een eenvoudige soldaat in de legers van de keizer, verrijst het levensechte beeld van een man die ervan droomt het corrupte Rome te bevrijden van het wispelturige juk van megalomane warhoofden en roofzuchtige rijken. Net als in Stoner en Butcher's Crossing onderzoekt Williams in Augustus waarden als de verantwoordelijkheid van het individu, vriendschap en de zucht naar macht, en weet hij de dilemma's in een mensenleven als geen ander invoelbaar te maken. 'Augustus is een meesterwerk' Los Angeles Times 'De lezer wordt diep in een wereld gezogen die in al haar complexiteit, luxe, politiek cynisme, publieke goedgelovigheid en geweld, verdacht veel op die van ons lijkt' The New Yorker John Williams (1922-1994) is wereldwijd herontdekt als schrijver van een uniek en hartverscheurend oeuvre. Alleen al in Nederland werden van Stoner en Butcher's Crossing samen meer dan 300.000 exemplaren verkocht. Over Butcher's Crossing schreef de pers: 'Niet elk jaar lees je een boek dat zo meeslepend is dat je er bijna in verdwijnt en alles om je heen vergeet. Butcher's Crossing is zo'n boek. Nog beter dan Stoner' nrc Handelsblad ***** 'Butcher's Crossing zingt, in een andere toonsoort, maar mooier, hetzelfde sombere lied als Stoner. Ziedaar de verrassing van 2013' de Volkskrant ***** 'Net zo sterk en verpletterend als de vergeten parel Stoner. Lees dit boek, het zal je niet berouwen' De Standaard der Letteren ****

William Stoner wordt aan het einde van de negentiende eeuw geboren als zoon van een arme boerenfamilie. Tot groot verdriet van zijn ouders kiest hij voor een carrière als docent Engels. Hij wijdt zijn leven aan de literatuur en aan de liefde - en faalt op beide fronten. Zijn huwelijk met een vrouw uit een gegoede familie vervreemdt hem verder van zijn ouders, zijn carrière verloopt moeizaam en zijn vrouw en dochter keren zich tegen hem. Een nieuwe liefdesrelatie wordt verbroken om een schandaal op de universiteit te voorkomen. Stoner sterft uiteindelijk in anonimiteit, zoals ook zijn hele leven zich in de marge heeft afgespeeld.

Football in Wind and Rain provides educational but entertaining bite-size accounts of the history of British football and its people – an essential bedside book for all fans. Filled with succinct observations and narrative stories, the book charts changes in the people, events and culture of the game from its origins in 1863 to the modern-day global dominance of the Premier League. Its short, episodic chapters highlight the unusual, the epic, the remarkable or simply vital lost detail. It includes the sporting lives and experiences of women right from the start. The voices of commentators, observers, fans, managers and players all feature, with topics such as fandom, stadia, great events, legal changes, memorable goals, players, managers, owners and regional differences given due coverage. Written by a retired academic sociologist who has spent his working life examining British football’s history and wider impact, this book is a ‘must’ for casual fans and serious football students alike.

Football in Wind and Rain

JOHNNY ANGEL LOKI BOY LOVES BOY Book list: JOHNNY ANGEL SPACE STATION QUARK, BEING JOHNNY ANGEL TIME BIT ELEMENT BOY LOVES BOY, JOHNNY ANGEL SEA OF PROSPERITY BOY LOVES BOY, JOHNNY ANGEL BOOK OF NUMERS, JOHNNY ANGEL PLANET SONST BOY LOVES BOY, JOHNNY ANGEL GREEN ALIEN, JOHNNY ANGEL HUNTER. Johnny Angel Johnny is still on the tropical island with William the autistic boy who has the gift of increasing other’s intelligence but when Loki another student disappears and evidence that pirates where the topic of the class it is suspected that the missing boy has come to harm as in ancient times, pirates where known to raid that island. Johnny is obliged to design a ship to take the class in a hunt for the lost boy. Mathew Someway Still on rich boy Virgil’s yacht with Michael, Virgil’s cousin, Mathew’s discovering during the night of a drowning solder, takes him to an underground school with trainee commando boys, their assignment; board a pirate capital ship and in the middle of the fight, discovers Michael has joined the other side. It is up to Mathew to convince his brain washed boy who he really is, not the son of a pirate commander, but a boy from a privileged wealthy family. Christopher Cross Chris is on the trail is sent back to a cave on Earth just in time to witness hunter Frank Black being attacked by a panther. Only when Chris calls on Jules, his mysterious and gifted friend is the hunter saved from certain death when he summons up an energy ball to kill the great cat but the hunter’s tale has only just begun. Simon Sevenson It is after a Friday afternoon class and Simon reads a book about marooned boys on a tropical island to his close friend Alfred Pointers, a boy who expresses his love. Taking a train to a place one of the boys, Alfie and made a discovery; a UFO, but in reality Simon’s ship prototype model dug out of the ground but when Simon uses his controller, Alfie is gone.

Johnny Angel Loki Boy Loves Boy

Johnny Angel Using Robby’s time band, Johnny falls from some height into the sea but is picked up by a drone and wakes up naked with a 12 year old Kieran’s luxury estate, someone he has an instant romance with but it is the issue of ten other boys who appear who Kieran claims where a result of Johnny’s time band. Mathew Someway In a weak moment, Mathew allows himself to be controlled by Mimi, who suspects is a bandit, something Mimi has no intention of denying which causes Mathew to subconsciously imitate which challengers his identity; who he really is. Christopher Cross Oliver is in crisis, but before Christopher could help, he is taken back to the jungle with the damned and the hunter Frank Black as a teenage boy, it’s then Christopher discovers how this boy became a hunter, a story dark as the jungle and just as dangerous. Simon Sevenson The adventurous boy Tuesday is able to trigger Simon’s controller which sends Simon back to someone from his past; Theodore, a year before back in his old school, found an alien boy in the swimming pool which leads to an adventure that explains how Simon’s life has evolved.

Johnny Angel Time Band Boy Loves Boy

JOHNNY ANGEL PLANET ANAMA BOY LOVES BOY This is the ninth book in the series. All books deal with a boy loves boy backdrop to highly imaginative science fiction. Johnny Angel In his initial class, Johnny is given a book of letters that form a face; his friend Jules. To his relief, Johnny finds Loki, a master of using the time/space medium; the book of numbers which Loki uses to take them both back to imperial times but are taken for pirates by an imperial patrol, but Johnny’s imperial uniform saves the day. Loki uses the book of numbers to take his class back but Johnny is sent somewhere else, with his William, the autistic boy on a jungle beach on the planet Anama where they join a class of mapping ship which immediately attracts pirate raiders; girls and Johnny will need all his luck as an imperial to save the class and himself from pirate girls professional skills. Mathew Someway Mathew has new boyfriend; Louis, a friend of Michaels, and will team with Mathew and Virgil, his cousin. Louis gives Mathew his navigation watch before the swimming race, but there things go wrong, a giant water spout takes Mathew away and once again he relies on his luck to survive. Christopher Cross Chris and Jules, dressed in jungle uniform find the trail of the damned boy class group which lead to an abandoned ship which is the only clue where they come from and their fate. Taking the ship up in an attempt to find its base, things go wrong and it would appear Chris and Jules will share the fate of the damned boy class. Simon Sevenson Simon and his companion, Tuesday continue their romance and is transferred back to the school class of Alfred Pointers aboard a train, it is aboard this train Simon is romanced by another boy who reveals this is normal in his class, something Simon has to contend with.

Johnny Angel Planet Anama Boy Loves Boy

Johnny Angel issue 1: his first kiss Aboard an ex battle station, Space Station Quark, Johnny at 14, meets another boy at the swimming pool, a place he always goes to mix and find friends though mostly distinctly unsuccessful and for this reason easily falls for a boy of the same age named Robbie who confirms feelings Johnny never knew existed and they spend the night together. In the morning Robbie disappears and Johnny determined to find his first love, leaves SS Quark in the belief is no longer aboard and leaves with a wild mercenary privateer into a fleet of metal asteroids, pirate bases. But all is not lost, Johnny wakes up in bed with Robbie, though Johnny believes it was not a normal dream but some out of body experience that served as warning now he had found his true yearning, his life would no longer be sheltered.

Johnny Angel Sea of Prosperity

Johnny Angel On Space Station Quark, it’s Johnny’s first morning back with William who prefers to sleep in. Returning to the swimming pool change room, Johnny meets not Frank, the ghost but another lost friend, Robbie returning to his room. William is still asleep. At Robby’s abode, Johnny is talked is talked into a bath tub and is the victim of Frank’s sense of humour, leaving Johnny shocked before Frank is gone. Robbie is in crisis, contemplating suicide. Frank has another victim, a year before while showing off, Frank drowns, yet the bonds of life refuse to let him go. Already caste off by his parents because of his affairs with other boys, Robbie is approached by a scientific paper on Time Busbars and developed two Busbars, placing one on Johnny’s wrist, he must find Frank to be released. ‘Life is like that, when the one you have sought is gone and you have given up on him, he finds you. I’m now torn between love for two boys. I’ve given my word to William and that makes it three. The question is how good a character I have; I don’t have a character, I only have wants.’

Johnny Angel Time Busbars Boy Loves Boy

JOHNNY ANGEL FROG BOY LOVES BOY This is the fifteenth in the series, all deal with boy loves boy with a highly imaginative science fiction backdrop. Johnny Angel Johnny realises Liam has physiological problems when the boy denied he had a mother. After a drawn out, often confusing deep romance, Johnny lost his heart in a strange sort of way with this boy. After sleeping on the beach together, Johnny wakes to find him gone and combined with his affection for Kieran, Johnny must sort out his own feelings and life. Mathew Someway Mathew has his own problems with love and friendship with Jamie. Running together, Jamie disappears when a fairy girl appears. What should have been an adventure of a lifetime, turns to something darken when she takes him to her village and auctions him for sale, apparently Jamie had been bait but help is at hand in the form of the Pixain boy who reveals Mimi was a prisoner in the same village. Christopher Cross Still aboard Space Station Hood, Chris finds the boy name is Pirahah, though to annoy him, Chris calls him pipi though is surprised when the boy gives him a watch but finds he must trade the watch for the boy’s freedom when he was caught trying to steal a ship. Simon Sevenson Simon wakes in the cliff top base with Lonny the robot boy who left apparently to protect him. Later Mr P, the large parrot claimed he had saved the student Theodore from drowning, an event so confusing Simon thought was only a realistic dream.

Johnny Angel Frog Boy Loves Boy

JOHNNY ANGEL N TIME BOY LOVES BOY This is the 13th book in the series, all deal with boy loves boy theme in highly imaginative background. Johnny Angel The only way Johnny can leave his friend Kieran is to allow the boy to sell him and with this in mind they take off, landing in a giant gold and silver tower city. In the city a group of ten boys insist he landed alone and Kieran was only a figment of his imagination. To complicate matters even worse, a girl who visits him insists the whole city population was the result of a genetic experiment to control time. Mathew Someway Still with Mimi, his boyfriend, when Mathew insists he wants to return to his adoptive parents he is told they are in N time, in essence he is still on his bedroom balcony. Even as they talking a fairy appears. Mimi and the class are gone and so is the classroom. At the jungle waterfall, Mathew is shown how to fly at lightning speed. The fairy who calls himself Mimi as well appears, his pointed lips and tongue makes him stand out. Christopher Cross At Oxford school Chris is woken by Oliver who wants to find the ten damned children. While searching the nearby woods, they fall into a hole to an underground river and barely survive. Exhausted they wake up to find they have age regressed to thirteen. Chris finds Olive has been forced into an Joan who has her own ship command. Simon Sevenson Back at the pool with Theodore, a student from the local school, they decide to return to the space station. Simon is back in Luke’s class which after singing ‘till we meet again’, they disappear. Drugged, Simon wakes up with a robot boy named Lon, whose hobby was jumping from planet to planet. Lon was known by local folklore as a fairy, it was he who Theodore found in the pool and when Mr P a Walsh parrot tells Simon it was he who had found him.

Johnny Angel N Time Boy Loves Boy

JOHNNY ANGEL MIMI BOY LOVES BOY This is the fourteenth in the series, all deal with boy loves boy with a highly imaginative science fiction backdrop. Book list: JOHNNY ANGEL SPACE STATION QUARK BOY LOVES BOY , Johnny Angel Johnny’s inability to understand the principles of a genetic experiment causes the time band to send his friend Kieran to whereabouts unknown and a follow up reaction send Johnny to a watery fate, but fate steps in, Johnny finds a life vest, a life boat and drowning boy. Pushing the boy aboard and taking control, his lifeboat is almost rundown by a ship called the Red witch, a ship famous as the one that disappeared without trace, presumed sunk. Mathew Someway After leaving the alien city set in the cliff base on the Sea of Prosperity, Mathew leaves with his friends Max and Mimi, all now can fly. What no one counts on is a trap a wild Pixian has set and Mathew must use his gambling skills to win his friends freedom. Christopher Cross Chris is at a loss how to find Oliver, the hunter Frank Black’s son until Jules, now twelve appears with his mother Joan, who starts the search by piloting her search ship, at stake her son Oliver, against them is the jungle which consumes the unwary, especially a boy who is convinced he is invincible.. Simon Sevenson On the base Bactria One, Simon is torn what to do next, to explore further the base which he convinced is built over a gravity-no time node, [Lonny has mastered gravity] in the form of a well. An instant flying lesson, a kiss that last ten hours that seems to go on for only five minutes is only the beginning of Simon’s problems. When Lonny disappears, Mr P the parrot informs Simon Lonny left fearing for Simon’s life. Simon’s only weapon is his model controller to centralise the different and sometimes contradictory forces.

Johnny Angel Mimi Boy Loves Boy

JOHNNY ANGEL HUNTER BOY LOVES BOY. This is the seventh book in the series, the first being JOHNNY ANGEL SPACE STATION QUARK BOY LOVES BOY, the second BEING JOHNNY ANGEL TIME BIT ELEMENT BOY LOVES BOY, the third being JOHNNY ANGEL SEA OF PROSPERITY BOY LOVES BOY, the forth being JOHNNY ANGEL BOOK OF NUMERS, the fifth being JOHNNY ANGEL PLANET SONST BOY LOVES BOY, the sixth being JOHNNY ANGEL GREEN ALIEN BOY LOVES BOY. All books deal with a boy loves boy backdrop to highly imaginative science fiction Johnny Angel Still on a tropical island on the legendry planet of Anama, Johnny is not fast enough to save William from a submerged water spout but the alien boy comes to his aid, using an equation in the book of numbers which sends them to a space ship factory, 20 miles of ships. The presence is detected by a killer drone and it seems Johnny’s love of his William may be his downfall. Mathew Someway In the morning Mathew has the luxury of remembering the events of the night before when a falling meteor sent up a tidal wave which descends on the yacht, threating the lives of all aboard. An alien boy appears, Virgil comes to Mathew’s and his friend’s aid, a boy who takes him to the world of underwater mer-folk in the form of boys and girls who take him in, something he is obliged to do for saving the yacht. Christopher Cross Once again Chris is talked into joining Jules in the jungle. Hunter Frank Black is gone and his jungle hut broken into by the great apes but the trail leads far further afield, had the hunter discovered something more complex than the kings of the jungle, a secret base and ships long forgotten and lost. Simon Sevenson The boy Tuesday is still hard to understand but his technical genius cannot be denied, Simon watched as Tuesday modification of his model ship grows it in full size. Their solo flight brings them into conflict with air force fighters, seeing the prototype as a hostile and Simon will need all his skill to get them to safety.

Johnny Angel Hunter Boy Loves Boy

Book 5 JOHNNY ANGEL PLANET SONST BOY LOVES BOY. This is the fifth book in the series, the first being JOHNNY ANGEL SPACE STATION QUARK, THE SECOND BEING JOHNNY ANGEL TIME BIT UNIT AND THE THIRD BEING JOHNNY ANGEL SEA OF PROSPERITY. All books deal with a boy loves boy backdrop to highly imaginative science fiction. There are four different stories dealing with different boys. Johnny Angel, Mathew someday, Christopher Cross and Simon Sevenson. Johnny Angel PLANET SONST Still on the island, apparently in the galaxy ship Anama No1, while at the pool, Johnny wakes to darkness, apparently he’d been there all day. He is taken at gunpoint boy a boy patrolman at the waterfall to an imperial base where a scientist gives him a module; a book of numbers which allows him to float through a chasm over the sea. There he saves William being pursued by a hunter killer whale by using the book of numbers by lifting him up out of the whale’s jaws and taking him back to the island. Mathew Someway Mathew wakes as an alien twin. After the shock, Michael listens to his story; in a midnight swim, Mathew follows Michael down where he found an alien, who after giving Michael oxygen takes him to an underwater spout which hides a window to another planet; Sonst; a jungle airbase, a raider, a girl, a city full of aliens. Christopher Cross Still on Jules’, the phylogenetic, island, just off the city of Sky, on the planet of Plutarch, Cris is jumped on by a young savage, apparently an unofficial visitor. Both faint after a breakfast of drugged coconut milk. Cris wakes with hunter Frank Black who believes Jules is still out there… Someone else woke me up, this one really was thirteen, Jules, a charming one, some pirates are an unusual package, this one was master of unarmed combat, he was telephetic, which was probably the reason he was master of unarmed combat. Not only did he move like greased lightning, he could tell what the other fellow was thinking to do.

Johnny Angel Planet Sonst Boy Loves Boy

Book 4; JOHNNY ANGEL BOOK OF NUMBERS BOY LOVES BOY. This is the fourth book in the series, the first being JOHNNY ANGEL SPACE STATION QUARK, THE SECOND BEING JOHNNY ANGEL TIME BIT UNIT AND THE THIRD BEING JOHNNY ANGEL SEA OF PROSPERITY. All books deal with a boy loves boy backdrop to highly imaginative science fiction. There are four different stories dealing with different boys. Johnny Angel, Mathew someday, Christopher Cross and Simon Sevenson. Aboard the imperial control ship, Anama One, Johnny gives a lecture on time bits and listens to boy number I to boy number 10 lectures. After lunch, number one suggests a game; and he teams with Johnny. Anama One is a nest of tunnels. While chasing number one, he falls in sea, rescuing the unconscious number one. A drone with no pilot picks them up, taking them to an island, it’s there Johnny learns number one’s real name is William and is even more autistic than Loki. William throws an autistic fit and the other nine appear, the hunt for the time bit has began, they were in planet Anama before it exploded. The other boys leave after explaining William’s gift is to enter other’s intelligence. Exhausted, Johnny falls asleep and awakes in a jungle hut and a talking parrot. William has recovered and for now, both must remain on the island.

Johnny Angel Book of Numbers Boy loves Boy

Johnny Angel William is acting coy, carrying from the afternoon from the day before. After a swim they talk. A year before William lost a friend, Frank after three months. William doesn’t speak about much, holding back a lot of inner pain and emotion. Mathew Someway Still at the Sea of Prosperity with Michael, Mathew wakes up to find Louis gone, finding him swimming in the sea but is taken up by a diving flying sled. Michael is sure Louis has been taken by an alien who had been in contact with against Mathew’s better judgement and joins Michael in a sea search, but suddenly Michael is gone. Mathew swims well away from the yacht and finds not the missing Michael but Louis who teaches him how to fly. Landing on an alien yacht, Mathew is introduced to Louis’s friends who have their own problems; one of theirs is missing also. A year before Mathew had been woken by a light and rescued an alien boy, the missing one, and Mathew ponders how to protect him. Christopher Cross Christopher wakes in an English village with Oliver Black and during a run, romance ensues in the bathtub and when they dress, the school bus is waiting. Aboard in school uniform are the damned with their leader Nicholas Knowles. Simon Sevenson Simon dreams of May’s class with Alfred Pointers and Theodore in 1950’s England. Monday 12pm, Simon cannot avoid Theodore. Outside they run to a swimming hole. Theodore, after running off with their clothes, comes back on the attack, but when Simon pins him down, he collapses. Dressing him, the mode controller falls out. The only way out is Simon promising him to spend a weekend at home together. Using meters and coins, too late Simon sees Mouse, Theodore had nicknamed him and set up a place on the controller; an interface that takes Simon, Theodore and the class aboard the controller’s third harmonic

Johnny Angel Theodor Mouse Boy Loves Boy

This is the adventures of three boys: Johnny Angel, Mathew Someway, Christopher Cross and Simon Sevenson. There adventures take to strange world and even stranger societies

Johnny Angel Time Bit Transfer

Johnny Angel: The last Imperial Chapter 1 Johnny awakes from an epic he experienced overnight, but when he stopped he is back on Space Station Quark just prior to meeting Robbie. This time it is a girl who has caught his eye or the other way around but she is soon gone. In the pool change room a boy of his own age [13] teases him, though the flirting is only short lived. Still undressed, Johnny not willing to be treated like this gives chase out of the pool area and is chased and cornered by a group of girls, the ones who had tried to take advantage in the water but this is not romance. He reaches over and just flicks it off me. It was the last thing I expected and then he turns his back and begins to dry himself and something happened inside of me, not quite what happened in the pool that was an immense thrill. This is a different phase. I turn and he is gone and after he flicked the towel at my ass that was a pass. 8.45mins.

Johnny Angel The Last Imperial

JOHNNY ANGEL TIME NODE BOY LOVES BOY Johnny Angel Johnny, still on the steam locomotive, they get off at a country station, a chauffeur driven car is waiting to take them to a country estate where the son of the owner, Liam, gets a crush on Johnny. It only when Liam has gone does a Pixian tell him Liam is some sort of agent who has connections with an underground Pixian city. Mathew Someway Mathew finds life can have unpredicted challengers in the form of a Pixian boy Jamie and Mimi, who failed to protect him when challenged by other magical folk, a creature that had exaggerated features and ambitions, only when Mimi returned was Mathew able to escape. Christopher Cross Still aboard Space Station Hood, Chris is still trying to come to terms with the boy Pipi who acts shocked at the first sign of closeness. For this reason Pipi is a blank check who Chris fails to understand until almost too late. Espionage and crime both emerge as possible explanations for Pipi’s disappearance. Simon Sevenson On the base Bactria one, Simon watches on helpless as Theodore disappears. Mr P, the giant parrot informs him the model controller reacted with the base’s time node. The bird disappears and it is up to Simon to find his friend, his ship ditches in the sea and only then does he discover Theodore’s fate and how to rescue him.

Johnny Angel Time Node Boy Loves Boy

Brought to you by Penguin. By the author of Stoner, the surprise international bestseller After the brutal murder of his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, Octavian, a shy and scholarly youth of nineteen, suddenly finds himself heir to the vast power of Rome. He is destined, despite vicious power struggles, bloody wars and family strife, to transform his realm and become the greatest ruler the western world had ever seen: Augustus Caesar, the first Roman Emperor. Building on impeccable research, John Williams brings the legendary figure of Augustus vividly to life, and invests his characters with such profound humanity that we enter completely into the heat and danger of their lives and times. ©2023 John Williams (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Millaista on nousta maailman mahtavimman valtakunnan johtoon ja olla vastuussa tuhansien ihmisten kohtaloista? John Williamsin kolmas kiitetty romaani Augustus kertoo Rooman valtakunnan perustajasta ja ensimmäisestä keisarista. Kuvitteellisista kirjeistä, päiväkirjamerkinnöistä ja muistelmista koostuva romaani tuo lähelle Gaius Octaviuksen, tulevan keisari Augustuksen elämän ja myös henkilökohtaisen puolen. Romaani kuvaa kiinnostavasti Rooman valtataisteluja, juonitteluja ja poliittisia kriisejä, mutta myös Gaius Octaviuksen perhettä, ystäviä ja vihollisia. Kampustarina Stonerin ja lännenromaani Butcher’s Crossingin jälkeen Williams osoittaa jälleen kykynsä uudistua kirjailijana. Vuonna 1972 alun perin ilmestynyt Augustus tuo merkittävän historiallisen ajanjakson lukijan ulottuville niin vaikuttavana, että romaani voitti julkaisunsa jälkeen National Book Award -palkinnon. Viimeiseksi jääneellä romaanillaan Williams vakiinnutti paikkansa merkittävien amerikkalaisten kertojien joukossa.

Año 44 a. C. Julio César es asesinado. Cuando en su testamento adopta y nombra como su heredero universal a su sobrino Octavio, la vida de este joven de dieciocho años cambia para siempre. Rodeado de hombres que luchan encarnizadamente por el poder —Cicerón, Bruto, Casio, Marco Antonio, Lépido—, el joven Octavio debe imponerse a todas las maquinaciones para hacer suyo el legado de su padre adoptivo y reclamar su destino como primer emperador romano. El hijo de César nace, después de una meticulosa labor de investigación, de la pluma de un auténtico poeta, y nos cuenta el sueño de un hombre por liberar a la corrupta Roma de las luchas internas que amenazan con acabar con ella y afianzarla como eje del mundo.

El hijo de César

Det är inte varje år man läser en bok som är så perfekt genomförd att man själv nästan försvinner, glömmer sin omgivning … Butcher’s Crossing är en sådan bok. NRC Handelsblad Kärv och obarmhärtig, men samtidigt dämpad i tonen, banade den väg för Cormac McCarthy. Det var kanske den första och bästa romanen som skrev västerns historia på ett nytt sätt The New York Times Book Review Det är 1870-tal, och Will Andrews, som studerar vid det prestigefyllda Harvard, hoppar av universitetet för att ”go west”. Han längtar efter vidderna och den öppna himlen, att lära sig något som inte står i böcker. Han hamnar i det lilla samhället Butcher’s Crossing – knappt mer än en gata med en saloon och några hus, mitt ute i ingenstans i Kansas. Där får han höra om de jättelika buffelhjordar som bara väntar på att skjutas av och föra med sig svindlande rikedomar när pälsarna sålts. En expedition bildas, Will satsar allt han har och männen ger sig av för att kämpa mot ökenhetta och vinterköld, med hopp om att återvända i triumf. Ett hopp som sätts på svårare prov än de kunnat ana. John Williams (1922-1994) hör till de senaste årens verkliga litterära sensationer. Från att ha varit i det närmaste bortglömd som författare utom av ett fåtal beundrare, har han blivit ett av de mest spridda författarskapen i Europa. Enbart i Holland har hans roman Stoner sålt i en kvarts miljon exemplar, och den blev en av förra årets mest omtalade och lästa böcker i Sverige. Butcher’s Crossing är John Williams andra roman och kom ut 1960, fem år före Stoner. Williams gav ut två diktsamlingar och fyra romaner: Nothing But the Night, Butcher’s Crossing, Stoner och Augustus, för vilken han tilldelades National Book Award 1973. Butcher’s Crossing sjunger i en annan tonart, men bättre, samma dämpade sång som Stoner. de Volkskrant Butcher’s Crossing, utgiven 1960 och Williams första mogna roman, är långt ifrån Stoner vad gäller tid och plats. Det är också möjligen en bättre roman. [...] En västern är kanske inte något du vanligtvis skulle läsa. Jag själv gör det inte [...] Men genom att renodla berättelsens beståndsdelar till en exakt återgivelse av de enskilda händelserna, har Williams skapat något tidlöst och stort. Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian En av de finaste böcker som skrivits om den gäckande västern […] Det är en elegant och brutal historia om män som blir förvildade av ensamhet. Time Out New York Butcher’s Crossing demonterar myten om västern, och blottlägger en skräckhistoria om allt det slit det innebär att enbart överleva […] den moraliska kritiken ligger i språkets exakthet, Williams numera berömda enkla och eleganta prosa.” Bret Easton Ellis, The Guardian Stonervisade oss en författare som skrivit en stor bok. För oss som inte redan visste det: Butcher’s Crossing visar att John Williams är mer än så: en bortglömd författare, men tveklöst också en stor författare. Archie Bland, The Independent Översättning: Eva Johansson Förord av Kristoffer Leandoer

Kejsar Augustus, som styrde det romerska riket när hela världen skulle skattskrivas, som det står i Bibeln (det vill säga vid Kristi födelse), markerade övergången från republik till kejsarmakt i Rom. När han ärvde makten efter sin adoptivfar Julius Caesar var han bara nitton år. Efter sjutton års maktstrider och samregerande med bland andra Marcus Antonius var han ensam härskare, och började sin långa regeringstid som antingen fridsfurste eller despot, beroende på från vilket håll man betraktar honom. Efter Caesar är han den mest berömda av Roms kejsare, och föremål för ständigt nya uttolkningar och fiktioner. Inte minst av John Williams. Hans roman "Augustus" beskriver i brevform hur Rom gick från våld och kaos till fred och relativt lugn under Augustus regeringstid. Det är ett porträtt som inte saknar skuggor, men som ger en bild av en människa, tecknat både med fantasi och lågmäld förståelse. John Williams (1922–1994) arbetade som universitetslärare vid universitetet i Denver i trettio år, där han bland annat förestod kursen i skapande skrivande. Han gav under sitt liv bara ut fyra romaner och en diktsamling. Hans berömdhet är till stor del postum, och inte minst romanen "Stoner" har de senaste åren fått många nya läsare världen över. Natur & Kultur har även givit ut romanen "Butcher’s Crossing". "Augustus" belönades 1973 med USA:s främsta litterära pris, National Book Award, den enda av John Williams romaner som blev prisbelönt. Originalets titel: Augustus. Översättning: Ola Nilsson.

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