Good-natured and often humorous, Speechless is at times a 'song of curses', as Lanoye describes the conflicts with his beloved diva of a mother and her brave struggle with decline and death. This is an informal, honest testimony of a mother by her son. But it's also the portrait of a generation, of family life in the sixties and seventies. Speechless will speak to anyone who has a family.
About the Author :
Tom Lanoye is one of the most popular and well-regarded Flemish authors. Starting out as a poet and a critic, he became famous for his prose and drama, as well as his politically and socially engaged columns and his unique cabaret‐style performances. He is the author of over 50 works of poetry, drama and fiction. In 2017, Speechless was adapted into a film by Hilde Van Miegham. Lanoye has won many literary prizes, including the prestigious Constantijn Huygens Prize for his entire oeuvre. His work has been translated into fifteen languages.
Review :
"This is the kind of novel you want to share with friends via favorite passages you read aloud, and I found myself underlining and jotting notes in the margins over and over as if I were in conversation with the narrator--that's how dynamic and exciting Speechless is . . . gorgeous, forceful, funny, and moving. . . Lanoye] is a master at creating character, setting scenes, picking absolutely perfect evocative details, working with extended metaphors, and plunging you into drama whether of the intimate family kind or natural catastrophe." -- Lev Raphael, author of Dancing on Tisha B'Av, Winter Eyes and My Germany
"This is the kind of novel you want to share with friends via favorite passages you read aloud, and I found myself underlining and jotting notes in the margins over and over as if I were in conversation with the narrator--that's how dynamic and exciting Speechless is." -- Amazon
"The best Lanoye has ever written." -- De Tijd
"A poignant and unforgettable book" -- De Standaard
"Heart-wrenching and hilarious." -- De Morgen
"Lanoye brings out the best of his narrative power and his stylistic brilliance." -- Humo
"A monument of language for a dead mother that grabs you by the throat." -- HP de Tijd
"Lanoye leaves the reader speechless" -- Elsevier
"Tour de force: a splendid tragicomic novel." -- Le Monde
"Painful, gripping, and harrowing, full of verbal pyrotechnics." -- Metro
