Laurus: The International Bestseller

By Eugene Vodolazkin, Evgenij Vodolazkin, Jevgeni Vodolazkin

Book Overview

WINNER OF THE BIG BOOK AWARD, THE LEO TOLSTOY YASNAYA POLYANA AWARD & THE READ RUSSIA AWARD

'THE MOST IMPORTANT LIVING RUSSIAN WRITER' New Yorker

*A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2016*

Fifteenth-century Russia

It is a time of plague and pestilence, and a young healer, skilled in the art of herbs and remedies, finds himself overcome with grief and guilt when he fails to save the one he holds closest to his heart. Leaving behind his village, his possessions and his name, he sets out on a quest for redemption, penniless and alone. But this is no ordinary journey: wandering across plague-ridden Europe, offering his healing powers to all in need, he travels through ages and countries, encountering a rich tapestry of wayfarers along the way. Accosted by highwaymen, lynched in Yugoslavia and washed overboard at sea, he eventually reaches Jerusalem, only to find his greatest challenge is yet to come.

Winner of two of the biggest literary prizes in Russia, Laurus is a remarkably rich novel about the eternal themes of love, loss, self-sacrifice and faith, from one of the country's most experimental and critically acclaimed novelists.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 178074871X
• ISBN13: 9781780748719
• Release Date: September 2016
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

The best of the best

This was the best and clearest view of the medieval mind that i've read in recent years. Things happen and you don't know if they're "real" or not, what is genuinely explainable and what is just utter mystery. And the best part is, none of that matters! This is the way story is meant to manifest itself, in my view.

A powerful story of repentance and progress.

Not many novels cause me to care so deeply for its characters and invest in its story to this extent, but Laurus did. It begs to be read by everyone, and I would particularly recommend it to members of the Orthodox Church, since that’s where its message comes from. Overall an amazing read