Tirza

Longlisted for the 2014 Best Translated Book Award

"Grunberg chronicles the mistakes of a morose Dutch bourgeois and constructs a delectable psychological thriller."--Le Figaro

Jörgen Hofmeester once had it all: a beautiful wife, a nice house with a garden in an upperclass neighborhood in Amsterdam, a respectable job as an editor, two lovely daughters named Ibi and Tirza, and a large amount of money in a Swiss bank account. But during the preparations for Tirza's graduation party, we come to know what he has lost. His wife has left him; Ibi is starting a bed and breakfast in France, an idea which he opposed; the director of the publishing house has fired him; and his savings have vanished in the wake of 9/11.

But Hofmeester still has Tirza, until she introduces him to her new boyfriend, Choukri--who bears a disturbing resemblance to Mohammed Atta--and they announce their plan to spend several months in Africa. A heartrending and masterful story of a man seeking redemption, Tirza marks a high point in Grunberg's still-developing oeuvre.

Arnon Grunberg started his own publishing company at the age of 19 and wrote his first, of many, best-seller at 23. He's twice won the AKO Literature Prize, the Dutch equivalent of the Booker Prize. He's also twice won the prize for the best debut novel--once under a pseudonym.

Sam Garrett has translated a number of works by Arnon Grunberg and Tim Krabbé, among others. He won the Vondel Translation Prize for his translation of Frank Westerman's Ararat.

Arnon Grunberg started his own publishing company at the age of 19 and wrote his first, of many, best-seller at 23. He's twice won the AKO Literature Prize, the Dutch equivalent of the Booker Prize. He's also twice won the prize for the best debut novel--once under a pseudonym.

Sam Garrett has translated a number of works by Arnon Grunberg and Tim Krabbé, among others. He won the Vondel Translation Prize for his translation of Frank Westerman's Ararat.