Filter
The Stutterer
The latest novel by the acclaimed author of the international bestselling novel Melnitz is a book about the power of language, both philosophical and playful.
Being a stutterer, Johannes Hosea Stärckle trusts entirely in the power of the written word and uses it ruthlessly, in self-defence and for his career. A fraud case – he calls it a writerly carelessness – puts him in prison. Using letters, avowals and invented stories, he tries to win over the people who have a say over his life behind bars: the prison chaplain, the drugs boss, his publisher.
416 pages
2019
978-3-257-07067-5
»Rare linguistic splendour and striking narrative virtuosity.«
»This is a masterful novel by a writer who has already created a reputation for himself in English with the sweeping family saga Melnitz.«
»An exhilarating read: intelligent, sophisticated – what else do you want?«
»The novel is flowing, thrilling, suspenseful and – not least of all – funny.«
» … a consistent and well-rounded intimate play and play on words.«
»[Lewinsky is] a master of attracting and retaining readers.«
»Charles Lewinsky is one of Switzerland’s most important contemporary authors […] The Stutterer, like the works of Friedrich Durrenmatt, could become a classic.«
»With The Stutterer, Lewinsky presents a novel which overflows with imagination, wordplay, literary rebukes and social themes (child abuse, sects, drug trade, etc.).«
»Entertaining and shrewd – pure delight.«
»Lewinsky has a deft feel for drama; you get the impression that he has a field day setting the readers on one track and then drawing them onto another.«