Kokoschka’s Doll
Kokoschka’s Doll by Afonso Cruz, published by MacLehose Press in 2021, is a literary work that explores the intertwining lives of two families in Dresden, shaped by the aftermath of the city’s bombing in 1945. The narrative begins with Bonifaz Vogel, who, at the age of forty-two, starts hearing a voice that guides him through his daily life. This voice belongs to young Isaac Dresner, a boy hiding in Vogel’s bird shop, and their connection unfolds against a backdrop of historical upheaval and personal loss.
Readers will find an imaginative and playful story that transports them across various locations, including Dresden, Paris, Lagos, and Marrakesh. The novel delves into themes of art and history, particularly through the lens of a life-sized doll created by artist Oskar Kokoschka in memory of his lost lover. With 288 pages, this edition is translated from Portuguese by Rahul Bery, who brings a unique perspective to Cruz’s narrative, enriching the experience for English-speaking audiences.
Official synopsis Publisher
“A novel par excellence that is destined to become a classic’ of almost byzantine splendour . . . At its best worthy of comparison with Gabriel García Márquez” Catherine Taylor, Irish Times
“Afonso Cruz is one of the strongest voices in contemporary Portuguese literature” Antonio Saez Delgado, El Pais
At the age of forty-two, Bonifaz Vogel begins to hear a voice.
But it doesn’t belong to the mice or the woodworm, as he first imagines. Nor is it the voice of God, as he comes to believe. It belongs to young Isaac Dresner, who takes refuge in the cellar of Vogel’s bird shop on the run from the soldier who shot his best friend. Soon Vogel comes to rely on it for advice: he cannot make a sale without first bending down to confer with the floorboards.
Thus begins the story of two Dresden families, fractured and displaced by the devastating bombing of the city 1945, their fates not only intertwined, but bound also to that of a life-sized doll commissioned by the artist Oskar Kokoschka in the image of his lost lover.
Based on a curious true story, Kokoschka’s Doll is an imaginative and playful novel that transports the reader to Dresden, Paris, Lagos and Marrakesh, introducing them to an unforgettable cast of characters along the way.
Translated from the Portuguese by Rahul Bery
Rahul Bery’s translations from Portuguese and Spanish have been published in Granta, The White Review, Words Without Borders and the T.L.S. His first full-length translation, Rolling Fields by David Trueba, was published in 2020. From 2018 to 2019 he was translator-in-residence at the British Library.
With the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union
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