THE LIFE OF ELVES
A moving and deeply felt homage to the power of nature and art by one of the world’s most beloved authors.
Maria lives in a remote village in Burgundy, where she learns that she has a gift for communicating with nature. Hundreds of miles away in Italy, Clara discovers that she possesses a stunning musical genius and is sent from the countryside to Rome to develop her preternatural abilities. Barbery’s The Life of the Elves tells the story of two children whose extraordinary talents will bring them into contact with magical worlds and malevolent forces. If,
A moving and deeply felt homage to the power of nature and art by one of the world’s most beloved authors.
Maria lives in a remote village in Burgundy, where she learns that she has a gift for communicating with nature. Hundreds of miles away in Italy, Clara discovers that she possesses a stunning musical genius and is sent from the countryside to Rome to develop her preternatural abilities. Barbery’s The Life of the Elves tells the story of two children whose extraordinary talents will bring them into contact with magical worlds and malevolent forces. If, against all odds, they can be brought together, their meeting may shape the course of history.
Seven years after the publication of her international bestseller, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery returns with a lyrical novel about the quest for enchantment in a world that seems to have forgotten such a thing ever existed. With its cast of unforgettable characters, each fighting to preserve a sense of enchantment, The Life of Elves is a poetic meditation on art, nature, dreams, and the role of the imagination.
- Europa Editions
- Paperback
- February 2016
- 256 Pages
- 9781609453152
Buy the Book
$17.00
About Muriel Barbery & Alison Anderson (Translator)
Muriel Barbery is a French novelist and professor of philosophy. She has lived in Kyoto and Amsterdam and now lives in the French countryside. Her second novel, L’elegance du herrison (translated into English as The Elegance of the Hedgehog), topped the French best-seller lists for 30 consecutive weeks and is an international bestseller.
Praise
“Vivid imagery and a thread of mystery draw readers into the timeless and ethereal world of these young girls with a destiny to fulfill.”
— Booklist
“Fans of both Barbery and fantasy from writers like Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen will be enchanted.”
— Library Journal
“…this fervent, idiosyncratic fable is undeniable evidence of a richly lyrical imagination.”
— Kirkus Reviews