A Question of Time - Hardcover

Alex Capus

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1906598436 ISBN 13: 9781906598433

Publisher: Haus Publishing Limited, 2009

Synopsis

In November 1913, three German shipbuilders, led by master shipwright Anton Ruter, were ordered by Kaiser Wilhelm II to dismantle a steam ship, send the parts to German East Africa, and reassemble it on Lake Tanganyika. Their initial aim of getting the job done quickly and returning home to claim an excellent salary is quickly eclipsed by the enchantment of the exotic lansdcape, the governer's beautiful wife, and the violent machinery of colonialism. At the same time, Winston Churchill sends Commander Geoffrey Spicer-Simson to transport two dilapidated and incongruously named gun-boats, Mimi and Toutou, to the other side of the lake. When World War I breaks out the Germans and British are facing each other, and the boat-builders reluctantly find themselves fighting under the unsympathetic Captain-Lieutenant Gustav von Zimmer. The whole endeavour is a fiasco - von Zimmer and Spicer-Simson both miss their chances - but eventually the German steamer is sunk, if only because the imperial pleasure-yacht turned battleship is in an even worse state than Mimi and Toutou. In the midst of the horrors of war, however, there are moments of great humour and pathos - when the formerly antagonistic Ruter and von Zimmer scuttle their ship and make off into the bush; at the same time as the inveterate showman Spicer-Simson defies expectations and turns his back on professional glory in a gesture of humanity. War, colonialism, absurdity - Capus deals with big themes with a rich, warm humour and without a moralising undertone - he adds vibrant colour to characters and locations, and lets events speak for themselves.

About this title

Product Description

A little known backwater of early twentieth century history is vividly rendered by a great story-teller the central characters and events of this book are based on fact, but their surroundings and experiences are richly drawn from the author s imagination and detailed research.

Review

'A war-torn farce worth waiting for' (The Independent 2009-11-23)

'Now Alex Capus has added another layer to this strange episode in a sideshow of the first world war, with a wonderful fictionalised account of what the Germans did while Spicer pranced about in his skirt.' (Giles Foden The Spectator 2009-12-14)

About this edition

• Publisher: Haus Publishing Limited
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1906598436
• ISBN 13: 9781906598433
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 300