W hen it was first published in 1940, arthur koestlers dystopian indictment of stalinism, darkness at noon, was hailed as a seminal work. Published in great britain in 1940, it was feted by george orwell, went on to be translated into thirty languages and is considered the finest work of preeminent european master, arthur koestler. The desperate plight behind darkness at noon the new yorker. Collecting darkness at noon by koestler, arthur first. Darkness at noon by arthur koestler the 309th greatest. Editor michael scammell and translator philip boehm bring us a brilliant novel, a remarkable discovery, and a new translation of an international classic. After 80 years, darkness at noons original text is finally translated. Darkness at noon owes its publication to the decision of sculptor daphne hardy, koestler s lover in paris, to translate the text into english before she herself escaped. Pages can include considerable notesin pen or highlighterbut the notes cannot obscure the text. That novelist was arthur koestler, and the book that the moscow trials inspired. About the book the newly discovered lost text of arthur koestlers modern masterpiece, darkness at noon t he haunting portrait of a revolutionary, imprisoned and tortured under totalitarian ruleis now restored and in a completely new translation. The bestselling story of a oncepowerful soviet revolutionary, who is arrested and tried for treason by the regime he helped establish, was deemed a piece of brilliant literature by george orwell.
Darkness at noon book by arthur koestler official publisher page. Darkness at noon by arthur koestler, signed abebooks. Some observers credited darkness at noon with tipping the balance. After 80 years, darkness at noons original text is.
A brilliant new translation of koestlers longlost original manuscript darkness at noon. Publication date 1948 topics rmsc collection digitallibraryindia. Darkness at noon a bantam book published by arrangement with the macmillan company publishing history. Even if you skim the pages, the words dark and darkness announce their presence. It was suggested to me that i look up kioestler on the web and read about him for context. The desperate plight behind darkness at noon the new. This is the audible edition of arthur koestlers 1940 novel darkness at noon. Miller is joined by flagg taylor of skidmore college to discuss arthur koestlers darkness at noon. Arthur koestler darkness at noon modern library modern library edition hardcover new york modern library 1941 very good in a very good price clipped dust jacket. Arthur koestler has 88 books on goodreads with 100106 ratings. Its hero is an aging revolutionary, imprisoned and psychologically tortured by the party to which he has dedicated his life. Sonnenfinsternis is a novel by the hungarianborn british novelist arthur koestler, first published in 1940. Koestler wrote darkness at noon, which centers on the destructiveness of politics, the act of creation, a book about creativity, and the ghost in the machine, which bravely attacks behaviorism. His best known work, it is the tale of rubashov, an old bolshevik who is arrested, imprisoned, and tried for treason against the government that he had helped to create.
As orwell wrote, koestler is writing about darkness, but it is darkness at what ought to be noon. From a prison cell in an unnamed country run by a totalitarian government rubashov reflects. Darkness at noon is as gripping as a thriller and a seminal work of twentiethcentury literature. This is a classic novel based on real life experiences. Darkness at noon is not a novel first and foremost, but an argument. Darkness at noon 1940 by arthur koestler is worth reading and not forgetting. Essentially, koestler relates what it was like to live under stalanism. Darkness at noon by arthur koestler, 9780099424918, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
The first obstacle was that, halfway through the book, i again ran out of money. There probably is a monograph by somebody, somewhere, on the. Arthur koestlers novel of the moscow trials laid bare the gulf between. The newly discovered lost text of arthur koestler s modern masterpiece, darkness at noon the haunting portrait of a revolutionary, imprisoned and tortured under totalitarian ruleis now restored and in a completely new translation. The eerily prescient lessons of darkness at noon literary hub. See more ideas about darkness at noon, science words and books. The darkness at noon quotes below are all either spoken by gletkin or refer to gletkin. The newly discovered lost text of arthur koestlers modern masterpiece, darkness at noonthe haunting portrait of a revolutionary, imprisoned and tortured under totalitarian ruleis now restored and in a completely new translation. See all books authored by arthur koestler, including sonnenfinsternis, and the thirteenth tribe. Scribner 1230 avenue of the americas new york, ny 10020. Darkness at noon is considered one of the greatest books of the twentieth century residing on a shelf with such classics as george orwells 1984. A different darkness at noon by michael scammell the. Darkness at noon was originally written in german, but the original copy has been lost and the existing german copy is translated by koestler from the english.
Sonnenfinsternis is a novel by hungarian born british novelist arthur koestler, first published in 1940. Darkness at noon by arthur koestler and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. His best known work, it is the tale of rubashov, an old bolshevik who is arrested, imprisoned, and tried for treason against the government that he had helped to create set in 1938 during the stalinist great purge and moscow show trials, the novel does not name. Arthur koestlers darkness at noon is an intellectual and political thriller about. Koestler wrote darkness at noon as the second part of a trilogy. Darkness at noon by arthur koestler, paperback barnes. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the. Darkness at noon arthur koestler darkness at noon translated by daphne hardy bantam books new york toronto london sydney auckland this edition contains the complete text of the original hardcover edition.
Much of the controversy around the book comes from the suggestion by. Arthur koestler darkness at noon easton press 1st edition 1st printing hardcover norwalk, connecticut easton press 2000 fine, leather bound. Sonnenfinsternis is a novel by hungarianborn british novelist arthur koestler, first published in 1940. Complete with tissue guard and notes from the editor. Koestlers intended audience was not the convinced anticommunists, nor the general public curious about the show trials. Set in the 1930s at the height of the purge and show trials of a stalinist moscow, darkness at noon is a haunting portrait of an aging revolutionary, nicholas. Darkness at noon by arthur koestler darkness at noon stands as an unequaled fictional portrayal of the nightmare politics of our time. Arthur koestler darkness at noon easton press 1st edition.
His inspiration for writing his book was the show trials of soviet. Darkness at noon is as gripping as a thriller and a seminal work of. That took a few minutes and gave the book more gravity for me at least. Darkness at noon is the chilling, powerful tale of a soviet revolutionary who falls foul of the regime to which he has dedicated his life. Published in great britain in 1940, it alerted the west to the ugly reality of stalins regime. Arthur koestler books list of books by author arthur. Koestler became a british citizen and died after having reading a teeming bookshelf of novels and autobiographical works. When it was first published in 1940, arthur koestlers dystopian indictment of stalinism, darkness at noon, was hailed as a seminal work. Arthur koestlers most popular book is darkness at noon. Darkness at noon book by arthur koestler 19 available. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Once a powerful player in the regime, mercilessly dispensing with anyone who got in the way of his partys aims, rubashov has had the tables turned on him.
The endsheets are of moire fabric with a silk ribbon page marker. Darkness at noon hardcover august 30, 1987 by arthur koestler author. Arthur koestler was a former communist and intellectual, he grew up in europe and eventually became a british subject by choice. The implications are considerable, for darkness at noon is that rare specimen, a book known to the world only in translation. Serving as a war correspondent for the british newspaper news chronicle during the spanish civil war, koestler was. Some spotting on page ends noticeable only when you hold the book up under a light0. Books by arthur koestler author of darkness at noon. The newly discovered lost text of arthur koestlers modern masterpiece, darkness at noonthe haunting portrait of a. Koestler was a middle east correspondent for several german newspapers, wrote for the manchester guardian, the london times and the new york herald tribune. Arthur koestler darkness at noon modern library modern. Arthur koestler s most popular book is darkness at noon. Originally published in 1941, arthur koestlers modern masterpiece, darkness at noon, is a powerful and haunting portrait of a communist revolutionary caught in the vicious fray of the moscow show trials of the late 1930s. It is a condemnation of collectivist authoritarianism you may call it socialism or communism. His bestknown work tells the tale of rubashov, a bolshevik 1917 revolutionary who is cast out, imprisoned and tried for treason by.
525 38 1331 965 787 241 289 1341 86 1196 380 718 1054 655 1474 1458 652 1194 1258 357 859 230 1110 374 706 16 920 829 1121 429 1125