The Good Republic - Softcover

Palmer, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0571252559 ISBN 13: 9780571252558

Publisher: Faber and Faber, 2009

Synopsis

The Good Republic is an unnamed Baltic state. Its geography is important, sandwiched, for a hellish part of the twentieth-century, between two totalitarian behemoths, Nazi Germany and Communist Russia. The central character of the novel is Jacob Balthus, a sort of Everyman, neither hero nor villain, but, in the end, a tragic victim of the two tyrannies that, at different times, overran his country. This was William Palmer's first novel published in 1990. It was timely then, and because of its subtle and profound handling of perennial moral issues, is no less timely now. For those of us living in less turbulent times and in countries unused to invasion, it forces the uncomfortable question, 'What would I have done?'. The novel rightly attracted thoughtful, enthusiastic, and slightly conflicting reviews on publication. 'Palmer is a master of his complex material. The Baltic country itself - the capital with its Old Town and Jewish Shops, the coast with its pine-fringes and little islands - is palpably there, and makes the moral drama of Jacob and his associates the more compelling. ' Paul Binding, Independent 'The Good Republic is a powerful work ... It is not, however, an uplifting tale. One is left with the conviction that the good republic can be defined as that which leaves its citizens to tend to their own vanities, trivialities and banalities. As Mr Palmer notes in the narrative: "The Chinese say it is a curse: 'May you live in interesting times.'" Jonas Bernstein, Washington Times 'The achievement of the novel lies in the forgiveness it insists upon. Jacob does immense harm. But he is gentle and vulnerable. His anguished prevarications make him infinitely more likeable than the stronger and more principled characters who use and betray him. Jacob, too, is one of the victims of history.' Dinah Birch, The Times

About this title

About the Author

William Palmer was born in 1945 and attended schools in England and Wales. After a bewildering variety of jobs he became a full-time writer in 1988. His published books include the novels The Good Republic, Leporello, The Contract, The Pardon of Saint Anne, and The India House; a collection of short stories, Four Last Things, and two collections of poems, The Island Rescue and An Instruction from Madame S. He has just completed Under the Influence, a study of alcohol and its effect on writers' lives and work. His work has appeared in many journals and been broadcast. He reviews regularly for The Independent and Literary Review.

From Publishers Weekly

Current events in the Soviet Union make this accomplished, evocative first novel very timely and curiously believable. Jacob Balthus, an elderly London exile who dabbles ineffectually in emigre politics, is invited back to his Baltic homeland, its dreams of liberation suddenly--it seems--at hand. Balthus remembers his Good Republic as "a small place . . . ruled by the good, leading a charmed life . . . between mad giants." But Balthus is a weak man at the center of epochal events, and as the story develops it is clear that he is the one who has led a charmed life while his homeland was raped, first by Germans, then by Russians. Palmer is an established poet and storyteller, and some of his descriptive passages--of a boat trip through the Baltic islets, of a forest bird frozen in its nest--are gems.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Faber and Faber
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0571252559
• ISBN 13: 9780571252558
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304