{"product_id":"choucas-an-international-novel-paperback","title":"Choucas: An International Novel - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eZofia Nalkowska\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eUrsula Phillips\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe novel in Europe in the early twentieth century took a decidedly inward turn, and \u003ci\u003eChoucas\u003c\/i\u003e (1927) is an intriguing example of the modernist psychological tradition. Its author, Zofia Nalkowska (1884-1954), was a celebrated Polish novelist and playwright. She rose to prominence in interwar Poland and was one of a group of early feminist writers that included Pola Gojawiczynska, Maria Dabrowska, and Maria Kuncewiczowa.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoucas\u003c\/i\u003e is set in the Swiss Alps in the mid-1920s in a sanatoria village near Lake Geneva. The book has an international focus, and the narrator, a polish woman, profiles a motley collection of visitors to the village and patients at the sanatorium and their interactions with each other. Among these she encounters Armenian survivors of the 1915-16 genocide who were given refuge in Switzerland. The characters are all from different countries and each represents a distinct political or religious point of view. The title is derived from the French word for a species of bird native to this region of Switzerland. Nalkowska was known for her love of nature and animals, and the birds have symbolic significance for the characters themselves. The choucas fly down from the mountain passes seeking food, while some of the characters in the novel wander around the sanatorium seeking philosophical truths.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eChoucas\u003c\/i\u003e, there is a strong autobiographical element to the story, as Nalkowska had stayed in a sanatorium in Leysin, Switzerland, with her husband in 1925. A comparison may also be drawn with the classic novel by Thomas Mann, \u003ci\u003eThe Magic Mountain\u003c\/i\u003e (1924), which has similar themes. The book delineates a fascinating time period, and the author's concise fictional technique is strikingly innovative and groundbreaking. \u003ci\u003eChoucas\u003c\/i\u003e is a fine example of early modernist literature and is translated for the first time into English for a new generation of readers. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUrsula Phillips is a translator of both literary and academic works and a writer on Polish literature. Her most recent translation, the novel The \u003ci\u003eHeathen\u003c\/i\u003e by Narcyza Zmichowska \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e.Zofia Nalkowska (1884-1954) was a celebrated Polish novelist and playwright. She rose to prominence in interwar Poland and was among a group of key early feminist writers.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 200\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.5 x 8.4 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 31, 2014\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52522310336819,"sku":"9780875807072","price":36.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/NFhJV0UwRmhTMnlzeVVjTTZpMVNYZz09.webp?v=1760547267","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/choucas-an-international-novel-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}