The Ascent

‘A powerful and humane reminder that the horrors of the past century are inexhaustibly fascinating and reverberate today.’ * Observer *
‘Hertmans brilliantly describes and imagines scenes in the house…There are memorable novelistic flourishes throughout the book as he imagines family life in the home that became his own.’ * Ian Sansom, Telegraph *
‘Riveting…Alive with the same investigative verve, psychological perception and narrative virtuosity as its two acclaimed predecessors, The Ascent is a compelling addition to them.’ * Sunday Times (UK) *
‘Stefan Hertmans…was handed the sort of gift novelists dream of when he discovered his house in Ghent was once occupied by Willem Verhulst…It’s a territory ripe for writerly investigation, and Hertmans sets about excavating it with the same interest in memory and history as the late great author W. G. Sebald.’ * Daily Mail *
‘Haunting and authentic…A sharp meditation on war and the nature of evil.’ * Sydney Morning Herald *
‘A very political project about the role of history in the present…confront[ing] a whole national story and mak[ing] sense of it.’ * ABC Radio National Bookshelf *
‘The writing is sparkling, and the story a strong one.’ * Canberra Times *
‘Anyone who has ever wondered about the secrets contained in an old house is sure to enjoy this one.’ * Australian *

Born in 1951, Stefan Hertmans has published novels, short-story collections, essays and poetry. In 1995 he was awarded the three-yearly Flemish poetry prize. He has also received two nominations for the VSB Poetry Prize. His novel War and Turpentine was longlisted for the International Man Booker Prize and the Best Translated Book Award.

David McKay is a translator of Dutch literature living in The Hague. He received the 2017 Vondel Prize for his translation of Hertmans’ War and Turpentine.

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