The Man Without Illness
$9.95
February 24, 2027
novel | pb | 222 pgs.
5.5" x 8.5"
978-1-960385-62-8
A taut, disquieting novel from one of today's most fearless and acclaimed Dutch writers.
In Man Without Illness, Arnon Grunberg strips down the idea of Western idealism and cultural neutrality through the story of Samarendra Ambani—Sam—a promising Swiss architect who fervently believes that buildings can make life better. Healthy in body, precise in thought, and untouched by suffering, Sam is the “man without illness.” But when he travels to Baghdad to design an opera house, his sense of order collapses.
Wrongly accused, tortured, humiliated, and expelled from Iraq, Sam returns to Zurich broken but unchanged—or so he believes. He accepts a second commission in Dubai, this time to build a national library, determined to prove that architecture—and rationality—can still hold meaning. But suspicion follows him, and again, the ground beneath him gives way.
A portrait of modern alienation, Man Without Illness is both a psychological drama and a political fable—brilliantly unsettling, mordantly funny, and utterly contemporary.
Translated from the Dutch by Sam Garrett
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About the Author:
Arnon Grunberg (1971) debuted at the age of 23 with the wry, humorous novel Blue Mondays, which brought him instant success. Some of his other titles are Silent Extras, The Asylum Seeker, The Jewish Messiah, Phantom Pain, Good Men, and Tirza. Under the pseudonym Marek van der Jagt he published the successful The Story of my Baldness, and Gstaad 95-98, as well as the essay Monogaam (Monogamous). Grunberg also writes plays, essays and travel columns. He is the recipient of most literary prizes in the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as the Swiss International Jonathan Swift Award for humor and satire in literature. His work has been translated into 30 languages. He has contributed to numerous international newspapers, including the New York Times, Times (London), L'Espresso, and Die Zeit. Arnon Grunberg splits his time between Amsterdam and New York
About the Translator:
Sam Garrett is a prolific translator of Dutch literature, twice winner of the Society of Authors' Vondel Prize for Dutch-English translation. His 2012 translation of The Dinner by Herman Koch became the most popular Dutch novel ever translated into English.
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Praise for Arnon Grunberg:
"The wit and sardonic intelligence that shine through Arnon Grunberg's prose make it a continual pleasure to read."—J. M. Coetzee
"Brutal and altogether winning."—Jeffrey Eugenides
"Phantom Pain is a raucous ride through the dark night of the ego. Mehlman's long undoing makes for a funny and wonderfully unnerving novel."—Sam Lipsyte
"A rare feat: [Blue Mondays] manages to be shocking yet not sensationalist, hip but not trendy, ironic but not cynical . . . It is profounding affecting."—Alain de Botton
