The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story
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Recalling some of the greatest names of 20th century European literature, Thomas Mann―whose Magic Mountain is a direct influence on the plot―but also Stefan Zweig, Joseph Roth, Herman Hesse etc, The Empusium subverts their works into an hallucinatory, atmospheric work of feminist revision. Tokarczuk is a master of subtle menace and the power of what is not said―the ‘horror’ of the subtitle is more a feeling than anything physical―making this a novel that is as playful as it is disturbing.
Shortlisted for the Foyles Book of the Year in 2024.
Synopsis
In September 1913, Mieczysław Wojnicz, a student suffering from tuberculosis, arrives at Wilhelm Opitz’s Guesthouse for Gentlemen, a health resort in what is now western Poland.
Every day, its residents gather in the dining room to imbibe the hallucinogenic local liqueur, to obsess over money and status, and to discuss the great issues of the day: Will there be war? Monarchy or democracy? Do devils exist? Are women inherently inferior?
Meanwhile, disturbing things are beginning to happen in the guesthouse and its surroundings. As stories of shocking events in the nearby highlands reach the men, a sense of dread builds.
Someone – or something – seems to be watching them and attempting to infiltrate their world. Little does Mieczysław realize, as he attempts to unravel both the truths within himself and the mystery of the sinister forces beyond, that they have already chosen their next target.
A century after the publication of The Magic Mountain, Olga Tokarczuk revisits Thomas Mann territory and lays claim to it, blending horror story, comedy, folklore and feminist parable with brilliant storytelling.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Fitzcarraldo Editions
- ISBN: 9781804271087
- Number of pages: 336
- Dimensions: 197 x 125 mm
- Languages: English, Polish (Original language of a translated text)
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