Author:Saul Bellow
'We were friends, somehow.But in the end, somehow, he intended to be a mortal enemy.All the while that he was making the gestures of a close and precious friend he was fattening my soul in a coop till it was ready for killing.'
Vital, exuberant, streetwise and philosophizing, Nobel Prize winner Saul Bellow is one of the undisputed masters of American prose. In this inspired novella an ageing man writes an apology for his rudeness to a librarian thirty-five years earlier, unleashing a dazzling, rancorous comic riff on growing old, regret, rudeness, smoking and 'the world's grandeur'.
Beautifully written, this title is one that will really satisfy the reader
—— **** Emotionally Fourteen[a] well-written set-up for what promises to be an exciting new action adventure series
—— www.starwarsaficionado.comOne of the most potent and unusual works of literary fiction I've read in years... Mercurio's Yefgenii is as real as anyone you've ever cared about. And care you will
—— Michael Faber , GuardianA seat-of-the-pants ride through the life of top Soviet fighter ace with his sights set on the Moon, from an author whose sights are set just as high
—— EsquireA Russian version of The Right Stuff... Riveting
—— Daily TelegraphIn moments of intense action, we're with this protagonist every inch of the way, through every thought, dive, ache, smell, itch, tast and gastric movement... vertiginously thrilling
—— ObserverAscent is a page turning story of a man's ambition to be the very best. Based on real events and using real people, it places this fictitious character in a period when space itself was there for the taking. Beautifully written, it's a book that deserves to be read
—— Angela Cooke , Daily ExpressA cross between adventure story and literary fiction, this is an unusual novel
—— Financial TimesStreaks by at full throttle... truly exciting
—— Sunday TelegraphSpeaks volumes about heroism and the human condition... A taut, page-turning narrative
—— The TimesIngenious
—— Time Out