Raimund gregorius is a legendary and nearinfallible figure in that small world, dedicated entirely to his work, interested only in his greek and latin and hebrew. He goes to the train station, looking for her, but when the train is leaving, without her, on a whim he has never done anything like this he boards the train, and reads the book all day and night, thus leaving him with a hundred questions and the desire to meet as many of the people in the book who are still alive. While looking for the author, raimund revisits a dark chapter in the countrys history and unveils a tragic love triangle. Feb, 20 berlin every car is a sleeper on the stunningly tedious night train to lisbon, a load of old windbaggery in which people keep remarking what a fascinating story is being told, yet they fail to.
Which character as performed by david colacci was your favorite. Night train to lisbon centres on a high school classics teacher from berne who has spent almost his entire life first as a pupil, then as a teacher at the same school in berne. A swiss classics teacher, raimund gregorius jeremy irons, saves a young mystery woman from diving off a bridge on his way to school and, upon finding a book with. She leaves him, with her coat, which contains a small autobiographical book and a train ticket to lisbon, leaving in 15 minutes. Night train to lisbon theme song and quotes for the dreamers, my alltime favourite book duration.
A book in which poetry and philosophy are intimately intertwined. Night train to lisbon kindle edition by mercier, pascal. It is important to remember, however, that there is a difference between the persona of nights narrator, eliezer, and that of nights author, elie wiesel. Then there is serendipity, when he has an accident and breaks his glasses, and the doctor introduces him to her uncle that was a friend of amadeu. Like homecoming, pascal merciers night train to lisbon delves into the question of national and personal identity, contains a text within a novel and explicitly invokes the tale of. Prado is a serious thinker whose active mind becomes evident in a series of his notes collected and read by gregorius. Inside it is a book by a portuguese doctor which contains a train ticket. I was thankful to know what decade i was in but soon discovered that the narrative pull from her debut novel was nowhere to be found in this new one. Life is not what we live, it is what we imagine living. When, one afternoon, he walks out of his class while in the middle of giving a lesson, his uncharacteristic impulsiveness surprises him as much as his students. A small interest grows to an overpowering obsession to find answers about the doctor, himself and life. Night train to lisbon is a book about two men, gregorius and prado, one of whom can only speak to the other through the written word his books and letters for he has been in the ground for thirty years. Every character, every scene, is evoked with an incomparable.
Night train to lisbon is a novel of ideas that reads like a thriller. Night train to lisbon is based on the wellrespected pascal mercier novel of the same name. Night train to lisbon is a sensuous tale of the pursuit of love and passion against all odds, set in the 1930s when the world was on the brink of war and suspicion of loyalty, motivation, and intent to both country and lover was at flood tide. He buys a book she was carrying written by a doctor in lisbon. He packs his bag and takes a night train to lisbon. The bookseller remembers the girl purchasing this obscure book.
At times night train to lisbon can feel somewhat generic and cliched, but is saved, predominantly, thanks to the credentials of this remarkable, international cast. The effect of this endless conversation is numbing rather than stimulating. It recounts the travels of swiss classics instructor raimund gregorius as he. Robert buckeye has had two works of fiction published, pressure drop and the munch case and has written on film and art as well as literature. His object of pursuit shifts from the young woman to the author of the book. Walking over a bridge in bern, raimund gregorius, a swiss professor of ancient languages, notices a young woman in a red coat. For in the end, night train to lisbon, with its embedded story of a love triangle between resistance fighters in the final years of salazars portuguese dictatorship, is not so much a cultural. Night train to lisbon is a movie with a tedious beginning, when the lead character leaves his students in their classroom and travels to lisbon in a senseless situation. One problem with night train to lisbon is that its plot, if plot is the word for it, consists almost entirely of talktalk, talk, talkabout people and events in the past. Offering a worstcase answer to its heros question, night train to lisbon keeps 111 minutes of that time unshaped with a numbingly slack, wouldbe romanticpolitical thriller. Night train to lisbon book san francisco public library.
John leonard,harpers magazine celebrates the beauty and allure of language. Night train to lisbon book vancouver public library. Yet the power of his words, this voice from the past which speaks to the other so directly and personally that it causes him to. Best movies like night train to lisbon bestsimilar. Night train to lisbon never engages the reader, in particular never makes the reader care about gregorius. Throwing in one life to look for another telegraph. Recalling bernhard schlink and nicole krauss in its affirmation of the power of literature, will, and the individual, night train to lisbon is a book of sensual beauty and artistic excellence, one that will be remembered for its soul and wit as well as its universality and great intellectual depth. Jan, 2008 like homecoming, pascal merciers night train to lisbon delves into the question of national and personal identity, contains a text within a novel and explicitly invokes the tale of. Night train to lisbon is a philosophical novel by swiss writer pascal mercier. New german novels bernhard schlink pascal mercier book. Nachtzug nach lissabon night train to lisbon, pascal mercier the book was originally published in german in 2004, and was first published in english in 2008. It is an introspective, self examining, philosophical soul searching journal. Jan 01, 2008 erdrich reveals thomas character at night when hes alone.
If you like night train to lisbon you are looking for atmospheric, serious and captivating movies about with revolution, dictatorship, poet, resistance, mystery, investigation and obsessive quest themes of mystery, romance and thriller genre shot in germany or switzerland. Pascal merciers night train to lisbon words without borders. Gregorius is drawn to discover who prado is because prado, like gregorius, consisted so much of language. Night is narrated by eliezer, a jewish teenager who, when the memoir begins, lives in his hometown of sighet, in hungarian transylvania. Pascal merciers night train to lisbon words without. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Fernando pessoa, the great portuguese writer, is on the shelf. Eliezer studies the torah the first five books of the old testament and the cabbala a doctrine of jewish mysticism. A major hit in germany that went on to become one of europes biggest literary blockbusters in the last five years, night train to lisbon is an astonishing novel, a compelling. Through prados book, he learns that the author was a doctor and poet who had taken up arms and fought against salazar. Roger albert pascal mercier, a pseudonym for swiss novelist and philosopher peter bieri, published night train to lisbon in 2004. Night train to lisbon tells the story of mildmannered, middleaged classics scholar raimund gregorius. Night train to lisbon by pascal mercier librarything. Jeremy irons stars in night train to lisbon, an intelligent.
Night train to lisbon reading guide book club discussion. Night train to lisbon is a 20 internationally coproduced englishlanguage drama film directed by bille august and starring jeremy irons. Dec 06, 20 night train to lisbon by farran smith nehme. Night train to lisbon on dvd movie synopsis and info. Inside one of the pockets is a book with a train ticket tucked in it. One day, a chance encounter with a portuguese woman inspires him to question his lifeand leads him to an extraordinary book that will open the possibility of changing it. Essentially it is the story of an academic raimund gregorius who, on a whim, gives up his lecturing post in bern and takes the train to lisbon.
Night train to lisbon follows raimund gregorius, a 57yearold classics scholar, on a journey that takes him across europe. Based on the 2004 novel night train to lisbon by pascal mercier and written by greg latter and ulrich herrmann, the film is about a swiss teacher who saves the life of a woman and then abandons his teaching career and reserved life to embark on a thrilling. Its 1936 and the wealthy young american woman is spending the summer with her aunt and uncle in a portuguese villa, after a tour of the continent. His instruction is cut short, however, when his teacher, moishe the beadle, is deported. All of which is interesting enough, but in a rather clinical way. One problem with night train to lisbon is that its plot, if plot is the word for it, consists almost entirely of talk talk, talk, talk about people and events in the past.
I hardly ever mark up my fiction books but i found myself highlighting phrases and rereading. My travel partner and i would like a private room for two and were not sure what the best ticket option would be. He uses the ticket, setting off on a journey to lisbon. She leaves him, with her coat, which contains a small autobiographical book. This might be more suited to a sunday afternoon tv slot, but i have a soft spot for. Gregorius becomes obsessed by what he reads and restlessly struggles to comprehend the life of the author. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. We speak about the book that changed our life, the encounter that sent us down a path, the person who turned us around. Confused and doubtful, raimund rushes to the station, but the woman is nowhere in sight. One problem with night train to lisbon is that its plot, if plot is the word for it. One book particularly impressed me, as it contains style, narrative richness, and philosophy within it. I am trying to book an overnight train from madrid to lisbon roundtrip through trenhotel. It is stamped with the address of the bookstore, so he goes there.
The book was originally published in german as nachtzug nach lissabon in 2004 and was first. He takes the night train to lisbon, and so the search begins. Pascal mercier, author, barbara harshav, translator, trans. And has a paneuropean cast of some note jeremy irons, jack huston, bruno ganz, charlotte rampling, melanie laurent, martina gedeck, lena olin, tom courtenay, august diehl and christopher. Night train to lisbon and millions of other books are available for instant access. At the last moment he decides to use the ticket himself, and during the journey he reads the book. It has been hailed by booksellers and critics, and embraced by readers. Overnight train from madrid to lisbon train travel forum. A huge international best seller, night train to lisbon was published in hardcover in january with a modest first printing. I have no idea how long it took him to write the book, but it took a lifetime of training to prepare him to write it. Dec 21, 2007 one problem with night train to lisbon is that its plot, if plot is the word for it, consists almost entirely of talk talk, talk, talk about people and events in the past. Night train to lisbon is a 20 internationally coproduced englishlanguage drama film directed by bille august and. This book is something different and very interesting to read. Apr 23, 20 given that we only live a small part of what there is in us, what happens to the rest.
Well now a few books later is night train to lisbon and the plot set in the political atmosphere of 1936 required grayson to provide more specific details. A novel by pascal mercier 2008, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. Night train to lisbon book burlington public library. As the author is a philosophy professor in berlin or so the book jacket states, there is quite a bit of philosophical journeying in this book of fiction.
As he leafs through it, a train ticket to lisbon, portugal falls out. One problem with night train to lisbon is that its plot, if plot is the word for it, consists almost entirely of talk talk, talk, talk about people and events in the. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. A major hit in germany that went on to become one of europes biggest literary blockbusters in the last five years, night train to lisbon is an astonishing novel, a compelling exploration of consciousness, the possibility of truly understanding another person, and the ability of language to define our very selves.
A huge international best seller, this ambitious novel plumbs the depths of our shared humanity to offer up a breathtaking insight into life, love, and literature itself. The narrative in umberto ecos books such as the name of the rose. An elegant meditative book teaches a painfully ironic life lesson in germanswiss author merciers searching 2004 novel, a critically acclaimed international bestseller being published in the united states for the first time. Night train to lisbon follows raimund gregorius, a fiftysevenyearold classics scholar, on a journey that takes him across europe. What other book might you compare night train to lisbon to and why. John leonard, harpers magazine celebrates the beauty and allure of language.
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