Rhidian Brook

Assigned to oversee the reconstruction of Hamburg in the tumultuous year following World War II, Colonel Lewis Morgan grieves the loss of his son while living with his family in the home of a German widower, an arrangement that forces both families to confront their passions and true selves.

The Aftermath

'Wonderful entertainment' – The Times 'Larger-than-life fun' – Daily Mail 'A wild-eyed road trip across America, filled with colourful characters, crazy anecdotes, sparky dialogue' – Big Issue 'I killed Joe once, in a manner of speaking. But not twice. Not in the way you mean.' Llew Jones wanted to see the States and write about the experience. Then he met Joe Bosco, a butterfly salesman as charismatic as he is infuriating, and they were soon hurtling across 1980s America together, caught up in an adventure that got way, way out of control. Now Llew is in jail, his friend is gone, and he has to give his side of the story if he’s ever going to get free . . . Part existential road trip, part neo-gothic thriller, part morality tale, The Killing of Butterfly Joe by Rhidian Brook (author of The Aftermath, now a major movie starring Keira Knightly and Alexander Skarsgård) is a dazzling and propulsive novel full of characters you’ll never forget. An epic story of friendship, desire, and participating in the Great American Dream – ‘the one that leads from rags to riches via pitches’ – whatever the consequences.

The Killing of Butterfly Joe

Carla Hazewindus

Een Engelse kolonel houdt zich in 1946 bezig met de wederopbouw van het gebombardeerde Hamburg. Van zijn grote woning staat hij enkele kamers af aan een Duitse architect, maar dit is tegen de zin van zijn commandant en van zijn vrouw.

Het huis in Kreis Pinneberg

Set in post-war Germany, the international bestseller The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook is a stunning emotional thriller about our fiercest loyalties and our deepest desires. In the bitter winter of 1946, Rachael Morgan arrives with her only remaining son Edmund in the ruins of Hamburg. Here she is reunited with her husband Lewis, a British colonel charged with rebuilding the shattered city. But as they set off for their new home, Rachael is stunned to discover that Lewis has made an extraordinary decision: they will be sharing the grand house with its previous owners, a German widower and his troubled daughter. In this charged atmosphere, enmity and grief give way to passion and betrayal.

Em 1945, enquanto o mundo celebra a vitória sobre o exército nazi, a Alemanha derrotada é dividida. De um lado, a União Soviética. Do outro, os Estados Unidos, a Grã-Bretanha e a França. A Guerra Fria está prestes a começar. Em Hamburgo, grupos de crianças esfomeadas vasculham os destroços em busca de alimentos, famílias desalojadas lutam por abrigos imundos. É nesta cidade arruinada que o coronel Lewis Morgan é encarregado de repor a paz. O governo inglês requisita uma casa para o acolher a ele e à família. Aos proprietários da mansão resta a indigência. É então que o coronel propõe uma solução inédita: a partilha do espaço. Mas ao contrário do que coronel espera, este pacto vai ser explosivo. A sua mulher, Rachel, vive fechada em si própria. O filho de ambos, Edmund, debate-se com uma solidão extrema. A alemã Freda é a adolescente rebelde, filha de Herr Lubert, um homem de elite inconformado com a submissão que lhe é imposta. Entre segredos e traições, a vida na casa é uma bomba-relógio que uma paixão proibida ameaça ativar.. Baseado no extraordinário ato de bondade do avô do autor, O Despertar do Mundo pinta um retrato único da guerra vista do lado dos perdedores.Rhidian Brook escreve para além de ficção, também para o cinema e para a televisão. O seu primeiro romance, The Testimony of Taliesin Jones venceu, entre outros prémios, o Somerset Maugham Award. Os seus contos figuram nas mais variadas publicações, tais como a New Statesman e a Time Out, sendo também transmitidos na rádio.

O Despertar do Mundo

Bestselling novelist and broadcaster, Rhidian Brook, presents a spiritual commentary on our lives and times, drawn from his popular broadcasts on Radio 4's Thought for the Day.

Thoughts, 2000-2020

Godbothering

Nu verfilmd met in de hoofdrollen steracteurs Keira Knightly en Alexander Skårsgard ‘Verdriet, wraak, schuld en vergeving – een snelkookpan van emoties.’ DWDD-boekenpanel Hamburg, 1946. In de nasleep van de Tweede Wereldoorlog proberen duizenden mensen te midden van het puin te overleven. De Britse kolonel Lewis Morgan is verantwoordelijk voor de wederopbouw van de stad en het opsporen van nazi’s onder de uitgeputte bevolking. Hij wordt gestationeerd in een groot huis aan de rand van de stad, waar zijn vrouw Rachael en zijn enige overlevende zoon Edmund zich na jaren weer bij hem zullen voegen. Lewis kan het niet over zijn hart verkrijgen om de officiële bewoners, een Duitse weduwnaar en diens dochter, op straat te zetten en besluit het huis met hen te delen. Tegen deze gespannen achtergrond maken vijandigheid en verdriet geleidelijk plaats voor passie en verraad. De pers over Het huis in Kreis Pinneberg ‘Het huis in Kreis Pinneberg van Rhidian Brook opent ogen en beroert de ziel. Ontroerende en naar de keel grijpende roman over ontheemden in de nadagen van de Tweede Wereldoorlog in Hamburg.’ De Telegraaf ‘Het beeld van de chaotische Duitse maatschappij na 1945 zal geen lezer gauw vergeten. [...] Rhidian Brook heeft met Het huis in Kreis Pinneberg een waardevolle roman geschreven.’ Nederlands Dagblad ‘Deze krachtige roman is stilistisch prachtig en speelt zich af tegen een zeer filmisch decor.’ The Sunday Times

The aftermath

Everything in Taliesin Jones's life has suddenly become uncertain. His mother has left home with her hairdresser, his father talks to the wall, and his brother won't talk at all. At school, Julie Dyer blows confusing smoke rings at him and Hoop the Mental says there is no God. When Taliesin tries to find this out for sure, no one seems to have the answer - no one except Billy Evans, an old man with an exceptional and miraculous talent. This Welsh classic, from the prize-winning author of The Aftermath, explores the 'cross-over time of life'. A place where childhood ends and adulthood begins, and where belief meets doubt. Betty Trask Award Winner A Wales Book Of The Year 'Brook's debut novel is one of quiet miracles.' Sunday Times 'You'll find yourself seduced by the quiet power of the Welshman's prose.' Time Out 'As fresh as spring water.' Daily Telegraph 'Subtle and sublime, Brook's novel is far out of the ordinary run.' Western Mail 'A beautiful meditation on childhood.' The Times

The Testimony of Taliesin Jones

Rhidian Brook and family travel through devastated 'AIDS-lands' including India, Africa, and the Far East.

A Nine-month Journey Through the AIDS Pandemic

More Than Eyes Can See

The Testimony of Talieson Jones is a lyrical and acutely perceptive coming-of-age tale about faith, doubt and growing up, from Rhidian Brook, the accalimed author of The Aftermath. Taliesin Jones is a boy on the brink of adulthood, faced for the first time with life's biggest questions. Taliesin's life is falling apart: his mother has run off with her hairdresser, his father's temper is out of control and his brother has been ominously mute for weeks. Even more distressing than Taliesin's dysfunctional family are his classmates' claims that God does not exist. Deeply troubled by life's uncertainty, the boy seeks answers in the unlikely figure of Billy Evans, an old man with an exceptional - possibly even miraculous - talent. The Testimony of Taliesin Jones is an extraordinary novel, exploring the space between childhood and adulthood, between belief and doubt. 'A beautiful meditation on childhood... and a panacea for a cynical age' The Times 'A rare, beautiful evocation of childhood, faith and hope. Extraordinary. I utterly believed it' Victoria Hislop, author of The Island 'Brook's debut is one of quiet miracles . . . in the marvellous way he is able to convince us of the power of faith' Sunday Times 'Poetic' Guardian Rhidian Brook is an award-winning writer of fiction, television drama and film. The Testimony of Taliesin Jones won several prizes, including the Somerset Maugham Award. His short stories have appeared in numerous publications, including the Paris Review, New Statesman and Time Out, and have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. He is also a regular contributor to 'Thought For The Day' on the Today programme.

1946, post-World War II Hamburg. While thousands wander the rubble, lost and homeless, Colonel Lewis Morgan, charged with overseeing the rebuilding of this devastated city and the denazification of its defeated people, is stationed in a grand house on the River Elbe. He is awaiting the arrival of his wife, Rachael—still grieving for their eldest son—and their only surviving son, Edmund. But rather than force the owners of the house, a German widower and his rebellious daughter, out onto the streets, Lewis insists that the two families live together. In this charged atmosphere, both parents and children will be forced to confront their true selves as enmity and grief give way to passion and betrayal, to their deepest desires, their fiercest loyalties, and the transforming power of forgiveness. This courageous new novel from award-winning author Rhidian Brook tells an emotionally riveting story of two families, one house, and love grown from hate. This ebook edition includes a Reading Group Guide.

L'alba del mondo

Quanti segreti hanno sepolto le bombe? E quanti destini hanno interrotto, o intrecciato? Con La conseguenza Rhidian Brook ci racconta una storia straordinaria, vibrante di emozioni. Un grande romanzo destinato a diventare un classico.

La conseguenza

Qu'est-ce qu'un publicitaire sans inspiration, aussi jeune et dévoré d'ambition soit-il ? Johnny Yells a beau jouer avec les mots et les idées, sa carrière n'avance pas. Jusqu'au jour où - lors de l'enterrement de son père - il tombe en arrêt devant une icône du Christ... Pourquoi ne pas l'utiliser pour vanter les mérites d'une assurance-vie ? Très vite, ce Jésus au sourire mystérieux s'affiche sur tous les murs de Londres. Les portes de la réussite et de la fortune s'ouvrent enfin devant le jeune loup de la publicité. Mais Johnny ne se sent pas en forme. Outre un méchant rhume, qui le cloue au lit, il est de plus en plus tourmenté par l'idée de la mort, de la vie éternelle et, chose étrange, il jurerait que son " Jésus souriant " a changé d'expression... Avec ce second roman, le premier traduit en France, Rhidian Brook réussit une fable à l'humour caustique sur un monde mercantile où la spiritualité n'a plus sa place.

roman

Tête d'affiche

De internationale bestseller nu verfilmd met in de hoofdrollen ster-acteurs Keira Knightly en Alexander Skårsgard Hamburg, 1946. In de nasleep van de Tweede Wereldoorlog proberen duizenden mensen te overleven te midden van het puin. De Britse kolonel Lewis Morgan is verantwoordelijk voor de wederopbouw van de stad en het opsporen van nazi’s onder de uitgeputte bevolking. Hij wordt gestationeerd in een groot huis aan de rand van de stad, waar zijn vrouw Rachael en zijn enige overlevende zoon Edmund zich na jaren weer bij hem zullen voegen. Lewis kan het alleen niet over zijn hart verkrijgen om de bewoners, een Duitse weduwnaar en diens dochter, op straat te zetten en neemt het curieuze besluit het huis met hen te delen. Tegen deze gespannen achtergrond maken vijandigheid en verdriet geleidelijk plaats voor passie en verraad. De pers over Het huis in Kreis Pinneberg: ‘Verdriet, wraak, schuld en vergeving – een snelkookpan van emoties’ DWDD-Boekenpanel ‘Het huis in Kreis Pinneberg van Rhidian Brook opent ogen en beroert de ziel. Ontroerende en naar de keel grijpende roman over ontheemden in de nadagen van de Tweede Wereldoorlog in Hamburg.’ De Telegraaf ‘Het beeld van de chaotische Duitse maatschappij na 1945 zal geen lezer gauw vergeten. [...] Rhidian Brook heeft met Het huis in Kreis Pinneberg een waardevolle roman geschreven.’ Nederlands Dagblad

Hamburg 1946 – wenn aus Feinden Freunde werden Hamburg 1946: Ein englischer Offizier soll für die Entnazifizierung und den Wiederaufbau Deutschlands sorgen. Colonel Lewis Morgan wird mit seiner Familie in ein herrschaftliches Haus an der Elbe einquartiert. Seine Frau kann aber nicht verstehen, dass der Hausbesitzer Stefan Lubert nicht ausziehen muss. Sie findet die Idee, mit dem Feind unter einem Dach zu wohnen, unerträglich. Doch als sie den Alltag teilen, erkennt sie, wie grob und falsch ihr Bild von den Deutschen war. Nach und nach entwickelt sich eine unerhörte Nähe zwischen ihr und Stefan Lubert ... Ein selten beschriebenes Kapitel deutscher Geschichte – Rhidian Brook zeichnet ein enorm differenziertes Bild von einem Land, das am Boden liegt, von einer verstörten Bevölkerung, aber auch von dem Hoffnungsschimmer nach Tod und Vernichtung. Ein Roman von größter Intensität.

Rhidian Brook

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