Beyond Sleep

Description

A young geologist is determined to win fame for making a great discovery. To this end he joins a small geological expedition, which travels to the far North of Norway, but ultimately realizes he's more likely to drown in a fjord or be eaten by parasites than win glory. Beset by mosquitoes and insomnia in his freezing leaky tent, Alfred becomes increasingly desperate and paranoid. Haunted by the ghost of his scientist father, he moves toward the final act of vanity which will trigger a catastrophe. A deadpan comedy often subtly calling up the works of Heller or Vonnegut at their best, Beyond Sleep is a unique and illuminating examination of how hard it is to be a true pioneer in the modern world.

Willem Frederik Hermans (1921-1995) was one of the most prolific and versatile Dutch authors of the twentieth century. In 1977 he received the Dutch Literature Prize - the most prestigious literary prize in the Netherlands. He is considered one of the three most important authors in the Netherlands in the postwar period, along with Harry Mulisch and Gerard Reve. Hermans' An Untouched House was published by Pushkin Press in 2018 to rave reviews. The Darkroom of Damocles and Memories of a Guardian Angel are also forthcoming.