Summary
Stefan Hertmans: War and Turpentine
"War and Turpentine" is an extremely acclaimed novel by the Flemish author Stefan Hertmans, based on the real diaries of his grandfather, who survived the First World War and devoted his life to painting.
In this impressive narrative, the grandson reconstructs his grandfather's life - from childhood in poverty, through the brutal trenches of war, to the silence of the studio filled with the smell of turpentine. The novel masterfully combines memoir, historical novel and meditation on art and trauma, creating a deeply emotional and aesthetically powerful work.
Hertmans writes with poetic precision, opening up the themes of memory, identity, heritage and the relationship between art and violence.
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