The Other Side of Silence - Softcover

Brink, Andre

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0156029642 ISBN 13: 9780156029643

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 2009

Synopsis

With years of abuse behind her and a bleak future ahead, a young German woman dreams of her country's colony in South-West Africa. When she learns of the women being transported to the colony to attend to the needs of male settlers, Hanna X takes the leap.
In Africa she is confronted with the harsh realities of colonial life. For resisting the advances of a German officer, she is banished to Frauenstein, a phantasmagoric outpost that is at once a "prison, nunnery, brothel, and shithouse." When the drunken excesses of visiting soldiers threaten the young girl who has become her only companion, Hanna revolts.
Mounting a ragtag army of women and native victims of brutality, she sets out on an epic journey to take on the German Reich. Combining the history of colonialism with the myths of Africa, this is an exquisitely written tale of suffering, violence, revenge, and, simply, love.

About this title

About the Author

Andre Brink was born in South Africa in 1935. He is a three-time recipient of South Africa's CNA Award, and has been twice short-listed for the Booker Prize. He is a professor of English at the University of Cape Town.

From the Back Cover

PRAISE FOR ANDRE BRINK
"Peter Carey, Garcia Marquez, Solzhenitsyn: Andre Brink must be considered with that class of writer." - The Guardian (London)
PRAISE FOR THE RIGHTS OF DESIRE
"Whoever reads this lyrical, deeply moral novel cannot expect to remain unmoved." - Boston Review
PRAISE FOR DEVIL'S VALLEY
"Wildly imaginative fiction." - The Boston Globe
"Colorful, idiosyncratic characters, larger than life, populate the pages and stay with one long after the book is closed." - The Seattle Times
PRAISE FOR A DRY WHITE SEASON
"A powerful and provocative work, highly charged and political . . . A literary achievement of the first rank." - Houston Chronicle
"

From the Inside Flap

With years of abuse behind her and a bleak future ahead, a young German woman dreams of her country's colony in South-West Africa. When she learns of the women being transported to the colony to attend to the needs of male settlers, Hanna X takes the leap.
In Africa she is confronted with the harsh realities of colonial life. For resisting the advances of a German officer, She is banished to Frauenstein, a phantasmagoric outpost that is at once a "prison, nunnery, brothel, and shithouse." When the drunken excesses of visiting soldiers threaten the young girl who has become her only companion, Hanna revolts.
Mounting a ragtag army of women and native victims of colonial brutality, she sets out on an epic journey to take on the German Reich. Combining the history of colonialism with the myths of Africa, this is a tale, exquisitely written, of suffering, violence, revenge, and love.
A major work by one of the world's most prominent novelists.

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0156029642
• ISBN 13: 9780156029643
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 324