The Wake is a 2014 debut novel by British author Paul Kingsnorth.[1] Written in an imaginary language, a hybrid of Old English and Modern English,[2][3] it tells of Buccmaster of Holland,[3] an Anglo-Saxon freeman forced to come to terms with the effects of the Norman Invasion of 1066, during which his wife and sons were killed.[4] He begins a guerrilla war against the Norman invaders in the Lincolnshire Fens.[3][5]
.jpg) First edition | |
| Author | Paul Kingsnorth |
|---|---|
| Language | Anglish |
| Series | Buckmaster trilogy |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Set in | The Lincolnshire Fens during the Norman Invasion |
| Publisher | Unbound Digital |
Publication date | April 30, 2015 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Pages | 384 |
| Awards |
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| ISBN | 978-1-908-71786-3 |
| Website | unbound |
Kingsnorth financed the work through crowdfunding on the platform Unbound. After not receiving support through a mainstream publisher, he did not initially expect a large response to his work.[6] However, the book was longlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize[7] and won the 2014 Gordon Burn Prize.[8] The film rights were acquired by the actor and director Mark Rylance,[6][9] who also read a section of the book in 2014 at the Hay Festival.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Wagner, Erica (30 June 2016). "The constant gardener". New Statesman. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ Maloney, Jennifer (27 August 2015). "The Wake Poses Readers a Novel Challenge". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ a b c Thorpe, Adam (2 April 2014). "The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth review 'A literary triumph'". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ Sethi, Anita (10 May 2015). "The Wake review – Paul Kingsnorth's innovative, 'shadow language' novel". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ McBride, Eimear (27 August 2014). "1066 and all that: Eimear McBride on The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth". New Statesman. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ a b Shapiro, Ari (27 August 2015). "The Wake is an Unlikely Hit In An Imaginary Language". NPR. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ "The Wake — Paul Kingsnorth". Man Booker Prize. 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ "Mark Rylance-backed novel wins £5,000 literary prize". BBC News Online. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ "Mark Rylance film option is latest coup for crowd-funded novel, The Wake". The Guardian. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
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