Great House (novel)
Encyclopedia
Great House is the third novel by the American writer Nicole Krauss
, published on October 12, 2010 by W. W. Norton & Company. Early versions of the first chapter were published in Harper's
("From the Desk of Daniel Varsky", 2007), Best American Short Stories 2008, and The New Yorker
("The Young Painters", June 2010). Great House was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Award
in Fiction.
dealer slowly reassembles his father’s study, plundered by the Nazis in Budapest in 1944.
Connecting these stories is a desk of many drawers that exerts a power over those who possess it or have given it away. As the narrators of Great House make their confessions, the desk takes on more and more meaning, and comes finally to stand for all that has been taken from them, and all that binds them to what has disappeared.
Great House is a story haunted by questions: What do we pass on to our children and how do they absorb our dreams and losses? How do we respond to disappearance, destruction, and change?
The book's title, Great House, is the name by which the yeshiva
in Yavne
, founded by the first-century rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, became known after his death. Its source is this passage from the Bible, in the Second Book of Kings
, chapter 25, verse 9:
"He burned the house of God, the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire."
Part II
Nicole Krauss
Nicole Krauss is an American author best known for her novels Man Walks Into a Room , The History of Love and, most recently, Great House...
, published on October 12, 2010 by W. W. Norton & Company. Early versions of the first chapter were published in Harper's
Harpers Magazine
Harpers Wine and Spirit Trade Review or simply Harpers is a British fortnightly publication for the wine and spirit industry. Founded in 1878, it has a circulation of 5,224 fully subscribed readers. It is read across all sectors of the drinks industry including producers, distributors,...
("From the Desk of Daniel Varsky", 2007), Best American Short Stories 2008, and The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
("The Young Painters", June 2010). Great House was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
in Fiction.
Book description
For 25 years, a reclusive American novelist has been writing at the desk she inherited from a young Chilean poet who disappeared at the hands of Pinochet’s secret police; one day a girl claiming to be the poet’s daughter arrives to take it away, sending the writer’s life reeling. Across the ocean, in the leafy suburbs of London, a man caring for his dying wife discovers, among her papers, a lock of hair that unravels a terrible secret. In Jerusalem, an antiquesAntiques
An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age , beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features...
dealer slowly reassembles his father’s study, plundered by the Nazis in Budapest in 1944.
Connecting these stories is a desk of many drawers that exerts a power over those who possess it or have given it away. As the narrators of Great House make their confessions, the desk takes on more and more meaning, and comes finally to stand for all that has been taken from them, and all that binds them to what has disappeared.
Great House is a story haunted by questions: What do we pass on to our children and how do they absorb our dreams and losses? How do we respond to disappearance, destruction, and change?
The book's title, Great House, is the name by which the yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
in Yavne
Yavne
Yavne is a city in the Central District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a population of 33,000.-History:...
, founded by the first-century rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, became known after his death. Its source is this passage from the Bible, in the Second Book of Kings
Books of Kings
The Book of Kings presents a narrative history of ancient Israel and Judah from the death of David to the release of his successor Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, a period of some 400 years...
, chapter 25, verse 9:
"He burned the house of God, the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire."
Contents
Part I- All Rise
- True Kindness
- Swimming Holes
- Lies Told By Children
Part II
- True Kindness
- All Rise
- Swimming Holes
- Weisz
First sentence
"Your Honor, in the winter of 1972 R and I broke up, or I should say he broke up with me."Reviews
- New York Times review by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein (Oct. 14, 2010)
- NPR review by Maureen Corrigan (Oct. 12, 2010)
- The Huffington Post review by Janet Byrne (Oct. 5, 2010)
- Bookslut review by Anya Groner (Oct. 5, 2010)
External Links
- Great House information on NicoleKrauss.com
- Great House information on wwnorton.com (publisher website)