{"product_id":"good-men-paperback","title":"Good Men - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eArnon Grunberg\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eSam Garrett\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBrilliant absurdist chronicle of a hapless outsider's struggle to do the right thing.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003eArnon Grunberg's fourteenth novel charts the downfall of Geniek Janowski, a Polish-German firefighter doing his best to be a good father, husband, lover and colleague, only to fail on all fronts. Geniek leads a seemingly unremarkable life with his wife, Wen, and their son, Jurek, in the sleepy Dutch province of Limburg, where everyone simply calls him \"The Pole\" because they can't pronounce his real name. He is the only foreigner and the only vegetarian at the fire station, yet to him the crew feels like a band of brothers. When he discovers that the wife of his colleague, Beckers, is dying, The Pole is reminded of the role she played in his own life following the death of his eldest son, Borys--namely, by providing consolation in the form of unorthodox sexual acts. Racked by guilt, The Pole confessed the affair to his wife, and the retreated to a monastery for a year, where he ended up living in the henhouse. On his return, he is allowed to rejoin the fire brigade, though everyone in town has their doubts. Grunberg has lost none of his edge in this acutely absurdist account of the powerlessness of human beings to alter their fate. Comfort, salvation, love, and solidarity seem out of reach. In the world of \u003ci\u003eGood Men\u003c\/i\u003e, illusions about humanity and, above all, brotherhood will never prevail.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eArnon Grunberg\u003c\/b\u003e (1971) debuted at the age of 23 with the wry, humorous novel novel \u003ci\u003eBlue Mondays\u003c\/i\u003e, which brought him instant success. Some of his other titles are \u003ci\u003eSilent Extras\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Asylum Seeker\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Jewish Messiah\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMoedervlekken\u003c\/i\u003e (Birthmarks), and \u003ci\u003eTirza\u003c\/i\u003e. Under the pseudonym Marek van der Jagt he published the successful \u003ci\u003eThe Story of my Baldness\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eGstaad 95-98\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as the essay \u003ci\u003eMonogaam\u003c\/i\u003e (Monogamous). Grunberg also writes plays, essays and travel columns. His work has won him several literary awards, among which the AKO Literature Prize for \u003ci\u003ePhantom Pain\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Asylum Seeker\u003c\/i\u003e, and both the Libris Literature Prize and the Flemish Golden Owl Award for \u003ci\u003eTirza\u003c\/i\u003e. His work has been translated into over 25 languages. He has contributed to numerous international newspapers, including \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTimes \u003c\/i\u003e(London), \u003ci\u003eL'Espresso, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDie Zeit\u003c\/i\u003e. Arnon Grunberg lives and works in New York. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSam Garrett\u003c\/b\u003e is a prolific translator of Dutch literature, twice winner of the Society of Authors' Vondel Prize for Dutch-English translation. His 2012 translation of \u003ci\u003eThe Dinner\u003c\/i\u003e by Herman Koch became the most popular Dutch novel ever translated into English.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 420\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.05 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 23, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42097559208071,"sku":"9781948830652","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/20c32d76d72efc824e113a3dffc53f2d.webp?v=1732353513","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/good-men-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}