Zbinden's Progress

by Christoph Simon

Overview

Lukas Zbinden leans on the arm of Kâzim, as they walk slowly down the stairway towards the door of his old people's home. Step by step, the irrepressible Lukas recounts the life he shared with his wife Emilie and his son. She loved to walk in the countryside; he loved towns and meeting strangers. Different in so many ways, what was the secret of their life-long love? And why is it now so hard for him to talk to his son?
Gradually we get to know a man with a twinkle in his eye and learn the captivating story of this man, his late wife, their son and the many people he has met along the way. Zbinden's Progress is heart-rending, heart-warming and hilarious. --- Winner of the Bern Literature Prize 2010

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781908276148
Publisher:	And Other Stories Publishing
Publication date:	08/01/2012
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	300
File size:	550 KB

About the Author

Christoph Simon was born in 1972 in Emmental, Switzerland. After travels through the Middle East, Poland, South America, London and New York, he has settled in Berne. His first novel, Franz, or Why Antelopes Run in Herds (2001) has sold over 10,000 copies, while Planet Obrist (2005) was nominated for the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize. Zbinden's Progress is his fourth novel and won the 2010 Bern Literature Prize.

Editorial Reviews

09/09/2013
The fourth book from Swiss novelist Simon (Planet Obrist) has a very simple setup: an elderly man, the titular Zbinden (his first name is Lukas) takes a long walk outside the old folks’ home where he lives, on the arm of a young man he has just met named Kazim, and tells his life’s story. The highlights are relatable and believable, but not exceptional. He loved his wife, Emilie, deeply until the end of her life, and has a difficult relationship with his son, Markus. The first-person narrative is pitch-perfect, capturing a slight formality indicative of Zbinden’s age and personality, as well as his natural yarn-spinner’s charm and desire to please. “Believe me, if you’ve been married for fifty years, it’s sometimes confusing to walk with someone else. Should you accompany me, Kazim, I’ll take care not to call you ‘Dearest’ suddenly or, with customary affection, to put my hand round your hips.” Zbinden and Kazim’s relationship is new but also profound, underscoring one of Simon’s major themes: living in the moment. Zbinden praises several times the benefits–physical, spiritual, emotional–of a good walk. He’s a fine companion to travel with. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"Zbinden invites comparison with Leo Tolstoy’s Ivan Ilych.’ Alexander Starritt, TLS

"A jewel of a novel … This book is a little Odyssey, a little Ulysses; the story of one day’s journey, skilfully playing in tandem with another, life-long journey." Barbara Trapido

"With its slow pace and winning ways, Zbinden’s Progress casually sidles up and takes its place alongside a number of remarkable recent works [on] the art of taking a walk." Ian Sansom, The Guardian

"A tender, restrained celebration of life’s simple pleasures, beautifully translated by Donal McLaughlin." Lucy Popescu, The Independent

"Christoph Simon has produced a wonderful, heart-rending, beautiful book; witty, multi-layered and moving." Buchkultur

"Simon’s novel is a polished gem, with insight and perception that know no cultural bounds." Neue Zürcher Zeitung

"Zbinden’s Progress is a delight: a warm, wise, and compassionate book, as attuned to the complexities and mysteries of life as it is to the simple, pleasing colours of its beloved walking-frames." Benjamin Morris, The Berlin Review Of Books

"It’s a story that is not action-packed but is nonetheless full of human emotion and poignancy." Lizzy’s Literary Life

"…an idiosyncratic exploration of what it means to be an elderly member of society with an intense desire to participate in it." Dan Eltringham, The Literateur

From the Publisher