Bøger af John Banville

Kunsthistorikeren Max Morden er vendt tilbage til den kystby, hvor han tilbragte sine ferier som dreng - en retræte fra den sorg, vrede og tomhed, han føler, efter at hans kone nylig er død af kræft. Men det er også en tilbagevenden til det sted, hvor han som 10-11-årig mødte den velhavende ferierende Grace-familie og første gang oplevede kærlighed, sex og pludselig død. Mødet med familien, der bestod af den forførende mor, den herskende far og tvillingerne - Cloe, heftig og ligefrem, og Myles, stum og udtryksløs - viser sig at have haft afgørende betydning for Max og hans skæbne.Sammenvævet med denne historie er minderne om hans kone Anna - om deres liv sammen, om hendes død - og de både betydningsfulde og trivielle begivenheder i hans nuværende liv: Hans relation til sin voksne datter, Claire, der desperat forsøger at vække ham af sorgen, og hans samvær med pensionatets omsorgsfulde værtinde Miss Vavasour og den noget patetiske medlogerende pensionerede oberst."... de forskellige tidslige planer glider ind og ud af hinanden i denne velskrevne og krævende roman, hvor erindringsspor og associationer dominerer." - Per Krogh Hansen, Berlingske, *****"Mesterlig prisvinder. Der er en nærmest dæmonisk kraft i John Banvilles Havet. Selv om Max Morden får svar på nogle af sine spørgsmål derude i det frivillige eksil ved havet, er det ikke nok til at give retning til et liv, der forekommer ham grundlæggende meningsløst. Den smule mening, der er at hente, er i selve overvejelserne om det, og det er netop dem, læseren indvies så intimt i. Den intimitet er der så til gengæld så meget, ja næsten dæmonisk kraft i, at læseren nødvendigvis må konfrontere både fortællerens og egne oplevelser i Banvilles mesterligt udførte beretning om Max Mordens liv og gerninger." - Lars Ole Sauerberg, Jyllands-Posten, *****"... mødet med barndommens land får slørede erindringer og kyniske livsbetragtninger til at flamme op - smukt skildret i Banvilles gnistrende visuelle prosa." - Frank Sebastian Hansen, Ekstra Bladet"I Havet står Banvilles stilistiske mesterskab i fuldt flor. Han balancerer flot mellem at lade Max Morden formulere sig skræmmende klart om sin egen fortid og liv med den kræftsyge hustru - samtidig med at Max udstilles, men ikke ukærligt, som lammet af sorg og eksistentiel krise. Det er intens og livsklog litteratur fra en irsk mesterforfatter med 15 romaner bag sig." - Michael Bach Henriksen, Kristeligt Dagblad

Kunsthistorikeren Max Morden er vendt tilbage til den kystby, hvor han tilbragte sine ferier som dreng – en retræte fra den sorg, vrede og tomhed, han føler, efter at hans kone nylig er død af kræft. Men det er også en tilbagevenden til det sted, hvor han som 10-11-årig mødte den velhavende ferierende Grace-familie og første gang oplevede kærlighed, sex og pludselig død. Mødet med familien, der bestod af den forførende mor, den herskende far og tvillingerne – Chloe, heftig og ligefrem, og Myles, stum og udtryksløs – viser sig at have haft afgørende betydning for Max og hans skæbne.Sammenvævet med denne historie er minderne om hans kone Anna – om deres liv sammen, om hendes død – og de både betydningsfulde og trivielle begivenheder i hans nuværende liv: Hans relation til sin voksne datter, Claire, der desperat forsøger at vække ham af sorgen, og hans samvær med pensionatets omsorgsfulde værtinde Miss Vavasour og den noget patetiske medlogerende pensionerede oberst."Et mesterligt studie i erindret sorg, minder og kærlighed." – John Sutherland, formand for juryen, Man Booker Prize, 2005"Mesterlig prisvinder. Der er en nærmest dæmonisk kraft i John Banvilles Havet. Selv om Max Morden får svar på nogle af sine spørgsmål derude i det frivillige eksil ved havet, er det ikke nok til at give retning til et liv, der forekommer ham grundlæggende meningsløst. Den smule mening, der er at hente, er i selve overvejelserne om det, og det er netop dem, læseren indvies så intimt i. Den intimitet er der så til gengæld så meget, ja næsten dæmonisk kraft i, at læseren nødvendigvis må konfrontere både fortællerens og egne oplevelser i Banvilles mesterligt udførte beretning om Max Mordens liv og gerninger." – Lars Ole Sauerberg, Jyllandsposten, *****"... de forskellige tidslige planer glider ind og ud af hinanden i denne velskrevne og krævende roman, hvor erindringsspor og associationer dominerer." – Per Krogh Hansen, Berlingske, *****"I Havet står Banvilles stilistiske mesterskab i fuldt flor. Han balancerer flot mellem at lade Max Morden formulere sig skræmmende klart om sin egen fortid og liv med den kræftsyge hustru – samtidig med at Max udstilles, men ikke ukærligt, som lammet af sorg og eksistentiel krise. Det er intens og livsklog litteratur fra en irsk mesterforfatter med 15 romaner bag sig." – Michael Bach Henriksen, Kristeligt Dagblad"Prisvindende lille perle af en roman af den irske forfatter, hvis sprog ejer en særlig poetisk tæthed og skarphed. På sin vis virker hele fortællingen som én lang udånding, skrevet hjertegribende smukt i en træfsikker oversættelse. Banvilles temaer er sorg, sorgbearbejdelse, barndom, menneskelige relationer og erindring." – Sanne Caft, Lektørudtalelse

Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras 2014 Por el ganador del Premio Booker y del Premio Kafka, antesala del Nobel. Con motivo del 50 aniversario de Alfaguara, este título ha sido elegido como uno de los 50 imprescindibles de la historia de la editorial. «Bill Gray era mi mejor amigo y me enamoré de su madre. Puede que amor sea una palabra demasiado fuerte, pero no conozco ninguna más suave que pueda aplicarse.» Así comienza esta magistral novela, uno de los acontecimientos literarios del año. Alexander Clave es un viejo actor de teatro que recuerda su fugaz e intenso primer amor. Un rodaje cinematográfico le llevará a intimar con una joven y popular actriz cuya vida se ha asomado al abismo y al inesperado hallazgo de respuestas acerca del destino final de las mujeres que marcaron a fuego su vida. La crítica ha dicho... «John Banville, recurrente candidato al Nobel, se mueve en terrenos proustianos y nabokovianos armado con un arma definitiva: el estilo... Páginas fabulosas sobre la fascinación sexual# El sorprendente giro final demuestra que, aunque el irlandés sea sobre todo un estilista, a veces la trama también es estilo.» Nadal Suau, El Cultural «A las palabras, John Banville, autor insólito, sugerente, les saca brillo.» Jesús Ruiz Mantilla, El País «La grandeza de Banville reside en su prosa límpida, armada frase a frase con maneras de orfebre... Antigua luz es un nabokoviano juego de espejos deformantes, tramposos reflejos y falibles recuerdos, exquisita muestra de introspección y de memoria inventada.» Javier Aparicio Maydeu, Babelia «Una narración bellísima y muy erótica, hasta el punto que parece que el autor hace el amor con las palabras.» Carmen Sigüenza, Agencia EFE «[Banville es] el mejor escritor enactivo en su idioma y, si hay justicia, Nobel cercano... Pericia y elegancia... Leemos a Banville para recordar qué era eso de leer: leer a Banville es descubrir que podemos hablar el mejor de los idiomas.» Rodrigo Fresán, ABC Cultural «Cuando dentro de unos años el premio Nobel de Literatura recaiga sobre Irlanda, el ganador será John Banville... Una obra cuya arquitectura es tan deslumbrante como las catedrales góticas, llenas de pasajes muy elaborados que a menudo dejan asombrado al lector tanto por lo que lee como por lo que descubre de sí mismo... El mar, ganadora del premio Booker 2005, está considerada como su mejor novela hasta el momento, pero quizá la supera Antigua luz... Te deja sin aliento.» Enrique Bueres, GQ «Antigua luz es un festival Banville en toda regla... Una sofisticada, hermosa linterna mágica que refleja fragmentos de un gesto que adelanta y retrocede... Banville vuelve a dejarnos con la boca abierta.» Sergi Sánchez, El Periodico de Catalunya «Algo así como lo que brinda el gran escritor portugués José Saramago: un mundo a la vez azaroso, de ensueño y profundamente arraigado en la experiencia.» The Times «Maravilloso... Banville demuestra su talento para escribir sobre la verdadera textura del erotismo... Merece vender diez veces más que Cincuenta sombras de Grey.» Sunday Express «Un artista nabokoviano... Leerlo es como planear sobre un lago de praliné un proceso majestuoso, delicioso y que pide ser saboreado.» Independent on Sunday «Una lectura absorbente, cuyo final transforma todo aquello que la ha precedido. Una prosa que se regocija en los menores detalles tanto físicos como psicológicos.» Metro «El jurado de Estocolmo debería descolgar el teléfono ya mismo.» Financial Times «Banville es un maestro y su prosa un deleite incesante.» Martin Amis ENGLISH DESCRIPTION Ancient Light is a profoundly moving meditation on love and loss, on the inscrutable immediacy of the past in our present lives, on how invention shapes memory and memory shapes the man. It is a book of spellbinding power and pathos from one of the greatest masters of prose at work today.

One part Nietzsche, one part Humbert Humbert, and a soupcon of Milton's Lucifer, Axel Vander, the dizzyingly unreliable narrator of John Banville's masterful new novel, is very old, recently widowed, and the bearer of a fearsome reputation as a literary dandy and bully. A product of the Old World, he is also an escapee from its conflagrations, with the wounds to prove it. And everything about him is a lie. Now those lies have been unraveled by a mysterious young woman whom Vander calls "Miss Nemesis.” They are to meet in Turin, a city best known for its enigmatic shroud. Is her purpose to destroy Vander or to save him—or simply to show him what lies beneath the shroud in which he has wrapped his life? A splendidly moving exploration of identity, duplicity, and desire, Shroud is Banville's most rapturous performance to date.

Is there a difference between memory and invention? That is the question that haunts Alexander Cleave as he reflects on his first, and perhaps only, love-an underage affair with his best friend's mother. When his stunted acting career is suddenly, inexplicably revived with a movie role playing a man who may not be who he claims, his young leading lady-famous and fragile-unwittingly gives him the opportunity to see, with startling clarity, the gap between the things he has done and the way he recalls them. Profoundly moving, Ancient Light is written with the depth of character, clarifying lyricism, and heart-wrenching humor that mark all of Man Booker Prize-winning author John Banville's extraordinary works.

'A masterly study of grief, memory and love recollected' Professor John Sutherland, Chair of Judges, Man Booker Prize 2005The Sea is John Banville's Man Booker prize-winning exploration of memory, childhood and loss. When art historian Max Morden returns to the seaside village where he once spent a childhood holiday, he is both escaping from a recent loss and confronting a distant trauma. The Grace family had appeared that long-ago summer as if from another world. Mr and Mrs Grace, with their worldly ease and candour, were unlike any adults he had met before. But it was his contemporaries, the Grace twins Myles and Chloe, who most fascinated Max. He grew to know them intricately, even intimately, and what ensued would haunt him for the rest of his years and shape everything that was to follow.

A mystery man with a borrowed name, just released from prison; the Godley family, descendants of world-famous scientist Adam Godley; a beautiful woman with an unusual request. With sparkling wit and intelligence, Booker Prize-winning John Banville revisits some of his most memorable figures, in a novel as mischievous as it is brilliantly conceived.

Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe returns in award-winning author John Banville's Marlowe-originally published as The Black-Eyed Blonde under the pen name Benjamin Black-the basis for the major motion picture starring Liam Neeson as the iconic detective."Somewhere Raymond Chandler is smiling . . . I loved this book. It was like having an old friend, one you assumed was dead, walk into the room."-Stephen King"It was one of those Tuesday afternoons in summer when you wonder if the earth has stopped revolving."The streets of Bay City, California, in the early 1950s are as mean as they get. Marlowe is as restless and lonely as ever, and the private eye business is a little slow. Then a new client is shown in: blond, beautiful, and expensively dressed, she wants Marlowe to find her former lover.Almost immediately, Marlowe discovers that the man's disappearance is merely the first in a series of bewildering events. Soon he is tangling with one of Bay City's richest and most ruthless families-and developing a singular appreciation for how far they will go to protect their fortune."It's vintage L.A., toots: The hot summer, rain on the asphalt, the woman with the lipstick, cigarette ash and alienation, V8 coupes, tough guys, snub-nosed pistols, the ice melting in the bourbon . . . . The results are Chandleresque, sure, but you can see Banville's sense of fun."-The Washington Post

The Sunday Times bestselling author of Snow and April in Spain is back, as Strafford and Quirke return with their most troubling case yet.

Don't disturb the dead. On the idyllic coast of San Sebastian, Spain, Dublin pathologist Quirke is struggling to relax - despite the beaches, the cafes and the company of his disarmingly lovely wife.

*NATIONAL BESTSELLER**SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER AWARD*A Globe and Mail Best Book of the YearA New York Times Editors' Choice Pick"Banville sets up and then deftly demolishes the Agatha Christie format…superbly rich and sophisticated."-New York Times Book Review The incomparable Booker Prize winner's next great crime novel-the story of a family whose secrets resurface when a parish priest is found murdered in their ancestral homeDetective Inspector St. John Strafford has been summoned to County Wexford to investigate a murder. A parish priest has been found dead in Ballyglass House, the family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne family.The year is 1957 and the Catholic Church rules Ireland with an iron fist. Strafford-flinty, visibly Protestant and determined to identify the murderer-faces obstruction at every turn, from the heavily accumulating snow to the culture of silence in the tight-knit community he begins to investigate.As he delves further, he learns the Osbornes are not at all what they seem. And when his own deputy goes missing, Strafford must work to unravel the ever-expanding mystery before the community's secrets, like the snowfall itself, threaten to obliterate everything.Beautifully crafted, darkly evocative and pulsing with suspense, Snow is "the Irish master" (New Yorker) John Banville at his page-turning best.Don't miss John Banville's next novel, April in Spain!

*NATIONAL BESTSELLER*Booker Prize winner John Banville returns with a dark and evocative new mystery set on the Spanish coastDon't disturb the dead…On the idyllic coast of San Sebastian, Spain, Dublin pathologist Quirke is struggling to relax, despite the beaches, cafés and the company of his disarmingly lovely wife. When he glimpses a familiar face in the twilight at Las Acadas bar, it's hard at first to tell whether his imagination is just running away with him.Because this young woman can't be April Latimer. She was murdered by her brother, years ago-the conclusion to an unspeakable scandal that shook one of Ireland's foremost political dynasties.Unable to ignore his instincts, Quirke makes a call back home to Ireland and soon Detective St. John Strafford is dispatched to Spain. But he's not the only one en route. A relentless hit man is on the hunt for his latest prey, and the next victim might be Quirke himself.Sumptous, propulsive and utterly transporting, April in Spain is the work of a master writer at the top of his game.

'The body is in the library,' Colonel Osborne said. 'Come this way.'Following the discovery of the corpse of a highly respected parish priest at Ballyglass House - the Co. Wexford family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne family - Detective Inspector St John Strafford is called in from Dublin to investigate.

In Mrs. Osmond, John Banville continues the story of Isabel Archer, the young protagonist of Henry James's beloved The Portrait of a Lady. Eager but nave, in James's novel Isabel comes into a large, unforeseen inheritance and marries the charming, penniless, andas Isabel finds out too latecruel and deceitful Gilbert Osmond. Here Banville imagines Isabel's second chapter telling the story of a woman reawakened by grief and the knowledge that she has been grievously wronged, and determined to resume her quest for freedom and independence. A masterly novel of betrayal, corruption, and moral ambiguity, Mrs. Osmond would have thrilled James himself.

A unique anthology devoted to a single story-"Signs and Symbols" by Vladimir Nabokov-which exposes the way we read and interpret short stories.

The darkly compelling confession of an improbable murderer, shortlisted for the 1989 Booker Prize.

The material collected here is a treasure trove, a fine retrospective and a comprehensive guide to the work of Ireland's greatest living novelist, John Banville. Selections are drawn from all of his novels, up to and including 2012's Ancient Light; each piece standing alone, short-story-like, but also resonating with those around it and representing the novel from which it comes. There are radio plays, some published in print for the first time here. There is a judicious selection of his essays and reviews. Perhaps most beguiling of all are the pieces of memoir, the early work (including Banville's first-ever piece of published fiction, from 1966) and the chance to see facsimiles of the handwritten first draft of the opening section of The Infinities. Possessed of a Past is an extraordinary document of the writer's life and work across nearly fifty years of practice, simultaneously offering the perfect introduction to Banville's sublime art and manna to devoted readers.

'Sleek, beautiful, breathtakingly cunning prose' Sunday TimesAthena is the third in the Frames Trilogy, a set of loosely connected novels by the Booker Prize-winning author, John Banville. Morrow - a clerkish, middle-aged type encumbered with a chain-smoking dying aunt and a considerable talent for wallowing - is at a loose end when, on two separate occasions, he is beckoned up the stairs of an empty Dublin house. The first is an offer of dubious work, and Morrow soon becomes caught up in a conspiracy to authenticate a series of fake paintings. The second, possibly even odder, is an offer of a love - of a sort. Written in typically luminous prose and featuring a rich cast of characters, Athena is a paean to art, painting, and love, in all its mercurial richness.

Told with lyrical prose, John Banville's Birchwood is the elegiac story of the aristocratic decline of an eccentric family riddled with dark secrets.Once the big house on an Irish estate, Birchwood has turned into a baroque madhouse for its ruined inhabitants. One disaster succeeds another, until young Gabriel Godkin runs away to join a travelling circus and look for his long-lost twin sister. Soon he discovers that famine and unrest stalk the countryside, and Ireland is ruined too.

'Banville is superb . . . there are not many historical novels of which it can be said that they illuminate both the time that forms their subject matter and the time in which they are read: Doctor Copernicus is among the very best of them' The EconomistThe first in John Banville Revolutions Trilogy and winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, Doctor Copernicus is a rich historical novel that explores the life of one of history's greatest scientists. The work of Nicholas Koppernigk, better known as Copernicus, shattered the medieval view of the universe and led to the formulation of the image of the solar system we know today. Here his life is powerfully evoked in a novel that offers a vivid portrait of a man of painful reticence, haunted by a malevolent brother and baffled by the conspiracies that rage around him and his ideas while he searches for the secret of life.

The first of John Banville's novels concerning father and daughter Alexander and Cass Cleave, Eclipse is a lyrical exploration of memory, family and identity.Alexander Cleave, actor, has left his career and his family behind and banished himself to his childhood home. He wants to retire from life, but finds this impossible in a house brimming with presences, some ghostly, some undeniably human. Memories, anxiety for the future and more particularly for his beloved but troubled daughter, conspire to distract him from his dreaming retirement. This humane and beautifully written story tells the tragic tale of a man, intelligent, preposterous and vulnerable, who in attempting to bring the performance to a close finds himself travelling inevitably towards a devastating denouement.