Deborah Levy

'Perhaps when Orwell described sheer egoism as a necessary quality for a writer, he was not thinking about the sheer egoism of a female writer. Even the most arrogant female writer has to work over time to build an ego that is robust enough to get her through January, never mind all the way to December.' Deborah Levy

A new novel from the Booker Prize finalist Deborah Levy, the celebrated author of The Man Who Saw Everything and The Cost of Living. At the height of her career, the piano virtuoso Elsa M. Anderson―former child prodigy, now in her thirties―walks off the stage in Vienna, mid-performance. Now she is in Athens, watching an uncannily familiar woman purchase a pair of mechanical dancing horses at a flea market. Elsa wants the horses too, but there are no more for sale. She drifts to the ferry port, on the run from her talent and her history. So begins her journey across Europe, shadowed by the elusive woman who seems to be her double. A dazzling portrait of melancholy and metamorphosis, Deborah Levy’s August Blue uncovers the ways in which we attempt to revise our oldest stories and make ourselves anew.

It is 1988 and Saul Adler, a narcissistic young historian, has been invited to Communist East Berlin to do research; in exchange, he must publish a favorable essay about the German Democratic Republic. As a gift for his translator's sister, a Beatles fanatic who will be his host, Saul's girlfriend will shoot a photograph of him standing in the crosswalk on Abbey Road, an homage to the famous album cover. As he waits for her to arrive, he is grazed by an oncoming car, which changes the trajectory of his life. The Man Who Saw Everything is about the difficulty of seeing ourselves and others clearly. It greets the specters that come back to haunt old and new love, previous and current incarnations of Europe, conscious and unconscious transgressions, and real and imagined betrayals, while investigating the cyclic nature of history and its reinvention by people in power. Here, Levy traverses the vast reaches of the human imagination while artfully blurring sexual and political binaries-feminine and masculine,

A searching examination of all the dimensions of love, marriage, mourning, and kinship from two-time Booker Prize finalist Deborah Levy. To strip the wallpaper off the fairy tale of The Family House in which the comfort and happiness of men and children has been the priority is to find behind it an unthanked, unloved, neglected, exhausted woman. The Cost of Living explores the subtle erasure of women's names, spaces, and stories in the modern everyday. In this “living autobiography” infused with warmth and humor, Deborah Levy critiques the roles that society assigns to us, and reflects on the politics of breaking with the usual gendered rituals. What does it cost a woman to unsettle old boundaries and collapse the social hierarchies that make her a minor character in a world not arranged to her advantage? Levy draws on her own experience of attempting to live with pleasure, value, and meaning--the making of a new kind of family home, the challenges of her mother's death--and those of women she meets in everyday life, from a young female traveler reading in a bar who suppresses her own words while she deflects an older man's advances, to a particularly brilliant student, to a kindly and ruthless octogenarian bookseller who offers the author a place to write at a difficult time in her life. The Cost of Living is urgent, essential reading, a crystalline manifesto for turbulent times.

'Three bicycles. Seven ghosts. A crumbling apartment block on the hill. Fame. Tenderness. The statue of Peter Pan. Silk. Melancholy. The banana tree. A Pandemic. A love story.' From one of the great thinkers and writers of our time, comes the highly anticipated final installment in Deborah Levy's critically acclaimed 'Living Autobiography' 'I can't think of any writer aside from Virginia Woolf who writes better about what it is to be a woman' Observer on The Cost of Living Following the international critical acclaim of The Cost of Living, this final volume of Deborah Levy's 'Living Autobiography' is an exhilarating, thought-provoking and boldly intimate meditation on home and the spectres that haunt it. 'I began to wonder what myself and all unwritten and unseen women would possess in their property portfolios at the end of their lives. Literally, her physical property and possessions, and then everything else she valued, though it might not be valued by society. What might she claim, own, discard and bequeath? Or is she the real estate, owned by patriarchy? In this sense, Real Estate is a tricky business. We rent it and buy it, sell and inherit it - but we must also knock it down.' 'Wise, subtle and ironic, Levy's every sentence is a masterpiece of clarity and poise... A brilliant writer' Daily Telegraph on The Cost of Living 'Extraordinary and beautiful, suffused with wit and razor-sharp insights' Financial Times on The Cost of Living

The stories in Black Vodka, by acclaimed author Deborah Levy, are perfectly formed worlds unto themselves, written in elegant yet economical prose. She is a master of the short story, exploring loneliness and belonging; violence and tenderness; the ephemeral and the solid; the grotesque and the beautiful; love and infidelity; and fluid identities national, cultural, and personal. In "Shining a Light," a woman's lost luggage is juxtaposed with far more serious losses. An icy woman seduces a broken man in "Vienna," and a man's empathy threatens to destroy him in "Stardust Nation." "Cave Girl" features a girl who wants to be a different kind of woman--she succeeds in a shocking way. A deformed man seeks beauty amid his angst in the title story. These are twenty-first century lives dissected with razor-sharp humor and curiosity. Levy's stories will send you tumbling into a rabbit hole, and you won't be able to scramble out until long after you've turned the last page.

Plunge into this hypnotic tale of female sexuality and power Two women arrive in a village on the Spanish coast. Rose is suffering from a strange illness and her doctors are mystified. Her daughter Sofia has brought her here to find a cure with the infamous and controversial Dr Gomez - a man of questionable methods and motives. Intoxicated by thick heat and the seductive people who move through it, both women begin to see their lives clearly for the first time in years. Through the opposing figures of mother and daughter, Deborah Levy explores the strange and monstrous nature of womanhood. Dreamlike and utterly compulsive, Hot Milk is a delirious fairy tale of feminine potency, a story both modern and timeless.

Winner of the Los Angeles Times Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, the Washington Post , TIME , and Kirkus A Millions Most Anticipated Book of the Year A USA Today Book Not to Miss A LitHub Best-Reviewed Book of the Year Real Estate is the third and final installment in three-time Booker Prize nominated Deborah Levy’s Living Autobiography an exhilarating, thought-provoking and boldly intimate meditation on home and the specters that haunt it in our patriarchal society. “Three bicycles. Seven ghosts. A crumbling apartment block on the hill. Fame. Tenderness. The statue of Peter Pan. Silk. Melancholy. The banana tree. A love story.” Virginia Woolf wrote that in order to be a writer, a woman needs a room of one’s own. Now, in Real Estate , acclaimed author Deborah Levy concludes her ground-breaking trilogy of living autobiographies with an exhilarating, boldly intimate meditation on home and the specters that haunt it. In this vibrant memoir, Levy employs her characteristic indelible writing, sharp wit, and acute insights to craft a searing examination of womanhood and ownership. Her inventory of possessions, real and imagined, pushes readers to question our cultural understanding of belonging and belongings and to consider the value of a woman’s intellectual and personal life. Blending personal history, gender politics, philosophy, and literary theory, Real Estate is a brilliant, compulsively readable narrative.

La nueva novela de Deborah Levy, finalista del Premio Booker, y la aclamada autora de El hombre que lo vio todo y El coste de vivir. «Lafuerza de Levy es su originalidad de pensamiento y expresión». Jeanette Winterson A sus treinta y cuatro años, la virtuosa y célebre pianista Elsa M. Anderson se encuentra en la cúspide de su carrera, hasta que, de forma inesperada, abandona el escenario durante una actuación en Viena. Pero esta historia en realidad empieza algo después, con Elsa en Atenas, en un mercadillo, con una mujer que acaba de comprar un par de caballitos mecánicos bailarines, una mujer extrañamente familiar con la que Elsa podría compartir los mismos deseos, o incluso ser la misma persona. Y sigue con un viaje a la isla de Poros, el primero destino de otros a través de Europa, escapando en realidad de su talento y su pasado como niña prodigio, y acechada siempre por esa mujer esquiva que podría ser ella misma. Seleccionadocomo uno de los libros del año en 2023 por The Guardian, Independent, Financial Times y la revista Time, Azul de agosto es el deslumbrante y melancólico retrato de una transformación, en el que Deborah Levy, premiada con el Fémina Étranger y finalista del Booker, desvela los misteriosos caminos por los que intentamos revisar nuestras viejas historias y renovar nuestra identidad. La crítica ha dicho: «Una lectura alegre. [...] La prosa de Deborah Levy es tan rápida y desnuda como nunca, su estilo excitantemente abrupto. [...] Sabes que volverás a leer Azul de agosto». M. John Harrison, The Guardian «Levy puede esbozar unaescena con unas pocas pinceladas precisas y crear emoción fuera del espacio blanco de la página». Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The New York Times «Una novela enigmática. [...]. La escritura de Deborah Levy es como la música de Philip Glass: cautivadora, enigmática, cargada de una original frescura». Amber Medland, The Daily Telegraph «Una anhelante y fabulosa nueva novela. [...] La narrativa tiene aquí una apropiada calidad musical, que avanza hacia delante a chorros, haciendo pausas y repitiendo palabras clave». Olivia Laing, The Observer «La prosa lírica y absolutamente perfecta de Levy, en la que cada palabra está cargada de significado, es una exploración de nuestras razones para vivir, de las fuerzas que nos guían y de la música interna que controla el ritmo de nuestra danza a través de la vida y el amor». Prudence Wade, The Independent «La nueva novela de Deborah Levy es inteligente y absurda, precisa y onírica. [...] Muy pocos autores pueden capturar una atmósfera de un modo tan espeluznante y grotesco». Stuart Kelly, The Scotsman

«Un romanzo splendido grazie all’immaginazione di Deborah Levy, alla poesia della sua penna, al suo modo di trovare lo stupore nel quotidiano.»The New York Times«Una storia ricca di significato raccontata con una lingua semplice, densa come un poema.»The Guardian«Il libro più riuscito di Deborah Levy.»The Telegraph«Ipnotico. L’autrice indaga l’animo umano con una vividezza che ricorda Virginia Woolf.»The ObserverAlmería, sud della Spagna. La sabbia bruciata dal sole respira al tocco delle onde fresche del mare. Sulla battigia, una accanto all’altra, due donne contemplano affascinate l’orizzonte. Sono madre e figlia. Rose combatte da anni contro un dolore di cui nessuno riesce a scoprire la causa e che lei chiama «malattia immaginaria». Sofia ha venticinque anni e ha messo da parte sogni e ambizioni per prendersi cura di lei. Entrambe sono a un vicolo cieco.Ma quell’estate segna un confine netto tra il loro passato e il loro futuro. Sofia incontra una ragazza che è il suo esatto opposto. Ingrid è indipendente, realizzata, libera da vincoli. Tra le distese brulle e desertiche di una Spagna assolata, con l’amica accanto, Sofia riprende in mano le fila della sua vita. Riprende in mano la propria giovinezza perduta. A partire dal rapporto con il padre che, anni prima, ha troncato per volere di Rose. E quest’ultima trova finalmente un medico che sappia davvero ascoltare e lenire le sue paure e le sue insicurezze. Perché a volte la sofferenza ha radici lontane e per liberarsene bisogna solamente ascoltarsi nel profondo. Perché a volte la cura migliore è il conforto di un abbraccio. Sofia e Rose non sono più le stesse e, in un unico istante, si ritrovano. Si ritrovano unite dal legame tra madre e figlia che nulla può spezzare. Qualunque cosa accada. Deborah Levy è una grande voce della letteratura internazionale e, con questo romanzo e con il precedente, è stata finalista al Man Booker Price. La stampa più autorevole elogia i suoi romanzi. Dopo A nuoto verso casa, con cui ha conquistato i lettori italiani, torna con una storia potente che esplora le linee d’ombra dell’animo umano. Una storia sul superamento dei propri limiti e sulle mille sfumature del rapporto tra una madre e una figlia.

A love song between an angel and an accountant in the suburbs of London from Man Booker shortlisted Levy She is a shimmering, melancholy angel, flown from Paradise to save him from the suburbs of hell. He an accountant, dreaming of a white Christmas, a little garden and someone to love. She attempts to fly him away from his habits and fears, while he holds on tight to all he knows. Man Booker Prize shortlisted Deborah Levy whips up a storm of romance and slapstick, of heavenly and earthly delights, in this dystopian philosophical poem about individual freedom and the search for the good life.

Un divorzio doloroso, una grande casa da lasciare, due figlie da crescere e le fatture che si accumulano. Deborah Levy ha 50 anni quando decide di ricostruirsi a partire da due oggetti: una bici elettrica e una penna stilografica. Raccontando del periodo in cui la madre si stava spegnendo e il suo matrimonio stava per finire, Levy illustra i drammi surreali di una persona rimasta sola, ponendo infine una domanda cruciale: può una donna vivere in accordo con i propri valori, essere libera di cercare il piacere e avere il diritto al desiderio? Pieno di humour e saggezza, "Il costo della vita" è uno straordinario manifesto sull'essere donna, su come rifiutare regole sociali violente, e sul prezzo da pagare per costruire un mondo tutto per sé.

Cose che non voglio sapere è un memoir femminista dove, sovvertendo ogni regola, le parole tornano a essere azioni e costruiscono la via letteraria alla libertà. In un momento difficile della sua vita, Deborah Levy si mette in viaggio. Si sente in balìa di forze ineluttabili che l’hanno spinta verso destinazioni non scelte, e così decide di stabilirsi a Maiorca per intraprendere, nell’intimità che solo un paese straniero può offrirle, un cammino intellettuale ed emotivo nel solco tracciato da Virginia Woolf, Simone de Beauvoir e Marguerite Duras. Nata e cresciuta nel Sudafrica dell’apartheid, che ha poi dovuto lasciare per ragioni politiche, ha vissuto in Inghilterra, paese di adozione, dove è diventata scrittrice, moglie e madre. Nel primo volume dell’Autobiografia in movimento, Levy indaga le ragioni profonde della sua identità di donna, ma soprattutto fa luce su emancipazione e ruoli sociali oggi, raccontando lo scandalo rappresentato da un femminile che sceglie di sradicarsi, e invece di avvizzire come un fiore cresce e si rafforza. Lucida e schietta, sensuale e ironica, Deborah Levy racconta la ricerca della propria voce, un percorso in salita dove l’amore è un appiglio labile e transitorio, e gli ostacoli si chiamano casa, società, patriarcato.

Swimming Home is a subversive page-turner, a merciless gaze at the insidious harm that depression can have on apparently stable, well-adjusted people. Set in a summer villa, the story is tautly structured, taking place over a week in which a group of beautiful, flawed tourists in the French Riviera comes loose at the seams. Shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize.

From the twice-Man Booker Prize-shortlisted author of Hot Milk and Swimming Home :Dazzling, essential, entirely unlike anything else -- a memoir on modern womanhood, rejecting oppressive social expectations and turning instead towards a thrilling, transformative freedom What does it mean to be free - as an artist, a woman, a mother or daughter? And what is the price of that freedom? In this dazzling memoir, Deborah Levy confronts the essential questions of modern womanhood with humour, pragmatism, and profoundly resonant wisdom. Reflecting on the period when she wrote the Man Booker Prize-shortlisted Hot Milk - when her mother was dying, her daughters were leaving home, her marriage was coming to an end - she is characteristically eloquent on the social expectations and surreal realities of daily life. And expanding far beyond these bounds, she describes a uniquely frank, wise and thrilling manifesto for female experience: embracing the exhilarating terror of freedom, seeking to understand what that freedom could mean and how it might feel.

هذه الرواية هي الأولى للكاتبة ديبورا ليفي، بعد خمسة عشر عاماً من الانقطاع عن كتابة الروايات ونشرها، وقد تم ترشيحها لجائزة مان بوكر للكتاب عام 2012. الرواية مثيرة جداً وقصيرة وبسيطة وصادمة، ومن بين المواضيع التي تتناولها تأثير الماضي على الحاضر، وتأثير المرض العقلي على الناس الذين يبدون على ما يرام بسهولة. كما تتناول الصراعات التي تشوب الحياة الزوجية والعائلية، وتتطرق لمسألة عدم الثقة بالنفس في مرحلتي الشباب والكهولة. كما تبدو جميع التفاصيل في الرواية غير مهمة في البداية، ولكن يتضح لاحقاً بأنها قطعٌ من اللغز تجتمع لتكشفه للقارئ. فصول الرواية قصيرة، لكن أحداثها سريعة، وفي كل فصلٍ تصل حبكة ما تكون جزءاً من الرواية إلى ذروتها ثم تهدأ، فالكتاب كله يبدو على وشك الانفجار في كل صفحة، وعلى القارئ أن يقاوم رغبته بالإسراع في القراءة ليكتشف ما سيحدث بعد مشوار كيتي وجو في السيارة على الجبل، لأن «السباحة إلى المنزل» يجب أن تُقرأ بتمهل. في هذه الرواية فكرة المنزل غير واضحة، والسلامة فكرة مستبعدة، ويُغلق القارئ الكتاب وهو راضٍ عن القصة، وفي الوقت ذاته تَوتّر منها؛ فهي تجربة ممتعة ومقلقة قليلاً، تقذف بنا في أعماق رواية ليفي التي رشحت لنيل جائزة بوكر.