The Jew's Beech
(Paperback)
Publishing Details
The Jew's Beech
By (Author) Annette von Droste-Hulshoff
Translated by Lionel Thomas
Translated by Doris Thomas
Alma Books Ltd
Alma Classics
18th September 2013
United Kingdom
Classifications
Physical Properties
Paperback
112
Width 128mm, Height 198mm
116g
Description
Based on a true story, The Jew's Beech centres on two brutal murders in rural Westphalia the first of a local forester and the second of a Jewish moneylender near a beech tree - and the impact these events have on the life of Friedrich Mergel, a local herdsman with a turbulent family history. A prototype of the murder mystery and a thoughtful examination of village society, this intriguing novella contains hints of the Gothic and the uncanny - ominous thunderstorms, mysterious disappearances, eerie doppelgngers and grisly discoveries in the depths of the forest as well as a famously ambiguous climax.
Reviews
A highly original fusion of thriller-writing, social analysis and meditation on the nature of truth. * The Spectator *
Author Bio
Annette von Droste-Hlshoff (1797-1848) is considered one of the most important German poets of the nineteenth century. Her classic novella The Jew's Beech is her only completed work of prose fiction.
