Repetition

By Peter Handke

Book Overview

Set in 1960, this novel tells of Filib Kobal's journey from his home in Carinthia to Slovenia on the trail of his missing brother, Gregor. He is armed only with two of Gregor's books: a copy book from agricultural school, and a Slovenian - German dictionary, in which Gregor has marked certain words. The resulting investigation of the laws of language and naming becomes a transformative investigation of himself and the world around him.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374249342
• ISBN13: 9780374249342
• Release Date: June 1988
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.0" x 5.7"

Customer Reviews

complex study of human journey

A rich and dense book that examines the very core of what it means to be human. Handke's intricately constructed narrative works on several levels giving the reader much to digest. It's threefold structure is at first difficult to interpret, but on repeated readings one begins to understand the significance of smaller fragmented incidents scattered throughout the text. If possible one should read the original and use the dictionary as a companion, just as the protagonist Filip Kobal does. One of the best books by one of our best contemporary authors. Highly recommended.