Cathedral

(Paperback)

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At the centre of this story, is the Cathedral. Its design and construction in the 12th and 13th centuries in the fictional town of Hagenburg unites a vast array of unforgettable characters whose fortunes are inseparable from the shifting political factions and economic interests vying for supremacy. From the bishop to his treasurer to local merchants and lowly stonecutters, everyone, even the town's Jewish denizens, is implicated and affected by the slow rise of Hagenburg's Cathedral, which in no way enforces morality or charity.

Around this narrative core, Ben Hopkins has constructed his own monumental edifice, a choral novel that is rich with the vicissitudes of mercantilism, politics, religion, and human enterprise. Ambitious, immersive, a remarkable feat of imagination, Cathedral deftly combines historical fiction, the literary novel of ideas, and a tale of adventure and intrigue.

Fans of authors like Umberto Eco, Elif Shafak, Hilary Mantel, Ken Follett and Jose Saramago will delight at the atmosphere, the beautiful prose, and the vivid characters of Ben Hopkins's Cathedral.

Reviews

'Comparisons are inevitable to Ken Follett's book about the building of a cathedral... Hopkins' debut is the superior: beautifully written and profoundly insightful about its very human characters and their yearning for both God and Mammon.' - Antonia Senior

'A thoroughly engrossing, beautifully told look at human frailty.' - Kirkus Reviews (starred)

'A novel of big ideas seen through the alluring prism of small lives.' - Sarah Bowers

'Six hundred pages sounds long, but this deeply human take on a medieval city and its commerce and aspirations, its violent battle and small intimacies, never feels that way. This sweeping work is as impressive as the cathedral at its centre.' - Publishers' Weekly (starred review)

Author Bio

Ben Hopkins is a prize-winning screenwriter, film-maker and novelist. He has lived in London and Istanbul and now lives in Berlin. His films include features and shorts, fiction and documentary, and have won awards at festivals such as Berlin, Locarno, Antalya and Toronto Hot Docs.