Skip to main navigation Skip to main content

Graywolf Press is proud to announce a series of events throughout 2024 celebrating fifty years of adventurous publishing, featuring debut and longstanding authors and taking place in New York City, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Chicago, and Tucson. More here

Book Title

The Accordionist's Son

Subtitle
A Novel
Author 1
Bernardo Atxaga; Translated from the Spanish by Margaret Jull Costa
Body
David Imaz has spent many years living in exile in California, far from his native Basque Country. Nearing fifty and in failing health, he begins to write the story of his youth, a sweeping narrative that spans 1936 to 1999. As a young man, David divides his time between his uncle's ranch and his life in the village, where he practices the accordion at his father's insistence--all in the shadow of the Spanish civil war. Letters found in a hotel attic, along with a silver pistol, lead David to unravel his family's involvement in both sides of the conflict.

Share Title

List Price
$15.00
ISBN
ISBN
978-1-55597-555-5
Format
Format
Paperback
Publication Date
Publication Date
Subject
Subject
Pages
Pages
384
Trim Size
Trim Size
6 x 9
Keynote
"The most accomplished novel to date by an internationally celebrated writer"—Bookforum, now available in paperback

 

About the Author

Bernardo  Atxaga
Credit: Ernesto Valverde
Bernardo Atxaga is a prizewinning author whose books, including Seven Houses in France and The Accordionist’s Son, have won international critical acclaim. His works have been translated into thirty-two languages. He lives in the Basque Country.

https://www.atxaga.eus/en
More by author
Margaret Jull Costa is the award-winning translator of José Saramago, Javier Marías, Bernardo Atxaga, Eça de Queiroz, and Fernando Pessoa. She is the translator of The Accordionist’s Son, Nevada Days, Obabakoak, and Seven Houses in France by Bernardo Atxaga.
More by author

Praise

  • “A fresh voice in Basque and Spanish literature…The Accordionist’s Son, first published in the Basque language in 2003, is [Atxaga’s] most accomplished novel.”—The Independent
  • “While recognizing that all stories ‘embellish life,’ [Atxaga] has created a rich and vibrant world that is sadly threatened with extinction.”—Magill Book Reviews
  • “Each character is a world, a story marvelously integrated into the whole… A master storyteller has become a fabulous chronicler of reality. . . The Accordionist’s Son charms and moves us.”—La Vanguardia
Back to Table of Contents