That the Wise Might Have It for a Record, That My Compatriots Reflect, Laypersons Gain Some Understanding, and Melancholy Souls Obtain Some Slight Enjoyment. Told by the Dead, Supplemented by the Author, Drawing From a Range of Books, and Aided by Imagination, the Which Being the Greatest Natural Gift of Any Person. Tokarczuk’s 18th-century epic The Books of Jacob is a favorite to win the award, whose 50,000-pound (65,000) prize money is split between a book’s author and its translator. Deep breath: “A Fantastic Journey Across Seven Borders, Five Languages, and Three Major Religions, Not Counting the Minor Sects. Even its voluminous subtitle is a witty expression of Tokarczuk’s irrepressible, omnivorous reach. “The Books of Jacob” is finally available here in a wondrous English translation by Jennifer Croft, and it’s just as awe-inspiring as the Nobel judges claimed when they praised Tokarczuk for showing “the supreme capacity of the novel to represent a case almost beyond human understanding.” In terms of its scope and ambition, “The Books of Jacob” is beyond anything else I’ve ever read. 90 likes, 4 comments - Text Publishing (textpublishing) on Instagram: 'THE BOOKS OF JACOB is on the 2022 International Booker Prize shortlist Olga Tokarczuk. But nothing should overshadow Tokarczuk’s literary presence in the United States now.
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