Martin Vopěnka

The Back of Beyond—Travels with Benjamin

Trans. Anna Bryson-Gustova
The Back of Beyond—Travels with Benjamin The Back of Beyond—Travels with Benjamin
The Back of Beyond—Travels with Benjamin
Plamen Press, 2021, 308 pp
9781951508012
Language: English
Foreign rights:
Prague Literary Agency
http://www.praglit.de/
maria@sileny.de
Literary fiction

Martin Vopěnka’s novel, The Back of Beyond—Travels with Benjamin, is the story of a middle-aged man, who—despite his professional success and affluence—lacks fulfillment. After the tragic death of his wife, he is left alone with his eight-year-old son and quickly realizes that if he wants to succeed in the role of single parent that has suddenly been thrust upon him, he has to change fundamentally. So, he takes his son and sets out on a journey to what he dubs the Back of Beyond. Without telling anyone of their plans—in fact, without any plans to speak of— father and son travel from city to city, from country to country, assembling a travelogue that includes not only depictions of exotic places and colorful encounters, but also an inner journey, deep into the human experience and the complexities of living in a post-communist world. With its unique blend of sensitive and suggestive language, The Back of Beyond – Travels with Benjamin is a stylistic gem, rendered in seamless translation and appearing here for the first time in English.

 

Praise

“Vopěnka’s reputation as the next Milan Kundera is well cemented…”

— Simon Ings, The Times

“Vopěnka’s voice is Czech yet global and his prose is compelling.”

— Jewish Renaissance

“Vopěnka tackles complex contemporary issues in his writing…he presents a subtle and provocative meditation on the nature of faith and hope in the face of despair and chaos.”

— Tessa Chudy, Aurealis, Australia

 

Information about the original Czech edition

Moje cesta do ztracena

Other selected published translations (3)

Podróżowanie z Beniaminem Polish

In viaggio con Benjamin - verso la sperdutezza Italian

Meine Reise ins Ungewisse German

The Back of Beyond—Travels with Benjamin
Plamen Press, 2021, 308 pp
9781951508012
Language: English
Foreign rights:
Prague Literary Agency
http://www.praglit.de/
maria@sileny.de