A Whole Life

Set in the mid-twentieth century, this is a novel told with beauty and exquisite delicacy. Robert Seethaler’s A Whole Life is the story of a man’s relationship with nature, of the appreciation of solitude, of the encroachment of modern life, and above all of the moments, large and small, that shape us. A dizzying novel, clear in its subject and its tone, it tells us that joy and nobility can be found in a hard, harsh life that demands patience and courage, and that such a life can break the heart and fill it with warmth at the same time. With all its elegance, A Whole Life is an inspiring novel. (Jim Crace) “In the face of a literary landscape crowded with novels clamouring for attention, it is heartening to read a story that is quiet, focused and deep. Seethaler’s masterfully executed scenes of mountain life offer vivid, surreal images. Perhaps what distinguishes this already remarkable novel most is the way it narrates scenes of past, present and future in a fabric woven with great craftsmanship.” (Adam Lively, Sunday Times) Robert Seethaler was born in Vienna in 1966. He is a novelist and also an actor, who appeared in the film Youth by Paolo Sorrentino. He currently lives in Berlin. A novel told with beauty and exquisite delicacy. It is the story of a man’s relationship with nature in vivid, surreal images, of the appreciation of solitude, and of the encroachment of modern life on a world whose wondrous beauty springs from its untouched state, and of the moments that shake us and help shape us.