The Time of Light

by Gunnar Kopperud

Book Overview

A powerful and lyrical meditation on war and the pity of war. The Time of Light begins as Markus, a former German soldier, seeks atonement from an Armenian priest for his part in the Nazi invasion of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582340889
• ISBN13: 9781582340883
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Simply excellent novel of war and more!

I don't have much more to say than what has already been written. I simply wanted to state that this is an excellent novel. I read many, many books, mostly literature dealing with man's conflict in war and the inner struggles that come afterwards. This work stands out from many others in that it does such an excellent job of portraying the lives and minds of truely ordinary Germans after WW2. The characters in this book are not Nazi leaders, war heroes, members of the resistance, or death camp survivors. They are just ordinary German people whose lives were somewhat typical before the outbreak of war. Yet, their lives and experiences afterwards become so complex, and the author does an incredible job or bringing this out,using both overt and subtle techniques.I couldn't believe the Kirkus Review likened this book to a drawn-out version of other anti-war novels. First of all, the book is rather short as far as novels go. Second, there is much more to this novel than a simple "war is hell" message. The structure of the plot and the conversation between Markus and the priest are very original. The writing is incredible, lyrical but not overly fluffy. Wonderfull dialogue as well.

An extraordinary talent

"I woke this morning to the song of war and the smell of tears. The war must have been going on for a long time: my pillow was wet, very, very wet."It is a rare event, but a wonderful gift, when one who loves to read discovers an exceptional new Author. "The Time Of Light" by Mr. Gunnar Kopperud is this Author's gift to readers. This historically based novel is perhaps the best book I have read year to date, and certainly would be prominent were I ever to list the finest of what I have been privileged to read.The quote above is the first sentence in this book; it is spoken by Markus to an Armenian Priest, as the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over a place called Nagorno-Karabakh begins. During their nine days of conversation in 1994, events that have tormented Markus for over 50 years, his unanswered questions, his guilt, and his need to make amends, brings the Priest and Markus together. While they speak, yet another war unfolds its own atrocities, actions are taken by soldiers that may require this meeting be replicated again, 50 years hence when others seek atonement.Markus and two friends are drafted into service as soldiers for Germany in World War II. They are not Nazis, they never see or serve at the camps, but the level of the war they were a part of, reached an abyss of unprecedented evil so bereft of reason, that even the actions of the individual soldier knew no rules, held no moral code, and destroyed them forever.Can one be forgiven, who can grant this wish to atone, who was and has been responsible for atrocities throughout History? Black and white issues they are not, they are like the gray paper that Dieter, the only one to return home from the war, covers his entire room with, and then attempts to resolve his demons by listing what he once believed, and what beliefs he now holds. But just as the paper he writes on is ambiguous in color, so too are the absolutes that he hopes to list, to put things in order, to make things right, to give himself some measure of peace.And the third soldier Manfred, who after 13 years of war and imprisonment, volunteers to be relocated with one of the endless number of ethnic groups that Stalin displaces on a whim across the new "Union". He hopes that distance will be his salvation.Just as another great writer of the human condition, Mr. John Steinbeck, often did, Mr. Kopperud does not tie everything up neatly for the reader. Who can claim the knowledge of absolute truths, who can dispense the answers that give peace to shattered lives?In a brilliant moment of torment in the book, and in the midst of a violent storm, both internal and external, Markus wants an answer to his question."God!""Why didn't you stop me?""Have you ever managed to stop anything at all?"