The Misfortunates

Verhulst, Dimitri

ISBN 10: 1250035163 / ISBN 13: 9781250035165

Published by Thomas Dunne / St. Martin's, New York, 2012

About this Item

8vo, 200 pp., Translated from the Dutch by David Colmer.

Seller Inventory # 083926

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Misfortunates
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne / St. Martin's, New York
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1250035163
• ISBN 13: 9781250035165
• Binding: hardcover
• Edition: 1st.
• Condition: Fine copy in fine dust jacket
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • Fiction

About this title

Synopsis

Frank, tender, and brutally funny, Dimitri Verhulst's semi-autobiographical story details the vibrantly entertaining journey of a boy growing up in a family of alcoholics in Belgium

Sobriety and moderation are alien concepts to the men in Dimmy's family. Useless in all other respects, his three uncles have a rare talent for drinking, a flair for violence, and an unwavering commitment to the pub. And his father Pierre is no slouch either. Within hours of his son's birth, Pierre plucks him from the maternity ward, props him on his bike, and takes him on an introductory tour of the village bars. His mother soon leaves them to it and as Dimmy grows up amid the stench of stale beer, he seems destined to follow the path of his forebears and make a low-life career in inebriation, until he begins to piece together his own plan for the future.

Bringing to life the shambolic upbringing that The Guardian describes as, "the odd, ugly, excremental poetry of their grubby lives," The Misfortunates "can be unexpectedly tender as well as uncomfortably funny . . . this novel continually surprises and intrigues."

About the Author

DIMITRI VERHULST is the award winning author of poetry, plays, and fifteen novels. He has won the Libris Prize, one of the most prestigious literature prizes in the Dutch language, and his work has appeared in 25 languages. His novel Problemski Hotel has been inscribed in the List of the Unesco Collection of Representative Works and the movie based on The Misfortunates won the Prix Art et Essai at The Cannes Film Festival. He lives in Sweden.