{"product_id":"a-history-of-the-island-hardcover","title":"A History of the Island - Hardcover","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\u003eEugene Vodolazkin\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eLisa C. Hayden\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A masterpiece by one of Europe's finest contemporary novelists.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e - Rowan Williams\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMonks devious and devout - and an age-defying royal pair - chronicle the history of their fictional island in this witty critique of Western civilization and history itself.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEugene Vodolazkin, internationally acclaimed novelist\u003c\/b\u003e and scholar of medieval literature, returns with a satirical parable about European and Russian history, the myth of progress, and the futility of war.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis ingenious novel, described by critics as a coda to his bestselling \u003ci\u003eLaurus\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003eis presented as a chronicle of an island from medieval to modern times. The island is not on the map, but it is real beyond doubt. It cannot be found in history books, yet the events are painfully recognizable. The monastic chroniclers dutifully narrate events they witness: quests for power, betrayals, civil wars, pandemics, droughts, invasions, innovations, and revolutions. The entries mostly seem objective, but at least one monk simultaneously drafts and hides a \"true\" history, to be discovered centuries later. And why has someone snipped out a key prophesy about the island's fate?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese chronicles receive commentary today from an elderly couple who are the island's former rulers. Prince Parfeny and Princess Ksenia are truly extraordinary: they are now 347 years old. Eyewitnesses to much of their island's turbulent history, they offer sharp-eyed observations on the changing flow of time and their people's persistent delusions. Why is the royal couple still alive? Is there a chance that an old prophecy comes to pass and two righteous persons save the island from catastrophe?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the tradition of Umberto Eco's \u003ci\u003eThe Name of the Rose\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003e Julian Barnes's \u003ci\u003eA History of the World in 10 1\/2 Chapters\u003c\/i\u003e, and Kazuo Ishiguro's \u003ci\u003eThe Buried Giant\u003c\/i\u003e, Vodolazkin is at his best recasting history, in all its hubris and horror, by finding the humor in its absurdity. For readers with an appetite for more than a dry, rational, scientific view of what motivates, divides, and unites people, \u003ci\u003eA History of the Island\u003c\/i\u003e conjures a world still suffused with mystical powers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 9.1 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 02, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52529416110387,"sku":"9781636080680","price":33.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/ZFJ3dUFoVUcyd3VNeHRKTDZOYWt6UT09.webp?v=1760691746","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/a-history-of-the-island-hardcover","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}