‘Such are Lüscher’s narrative skills and deftness with language (or is it the brilliance of Peter Lewis’s translation from German?) that it’s a little hard to believe this slim volume is the author’s first novel. If so, he should be congratulated for writing a most humorous and convincing satire of the ridiculous excesses of those responsible for the financial crisis that began in 2008.’ – The New York Times
‘Equally hilarious and astute, Barbarian Spring brings to light the pitfalls of an existence fixated on wealth.’ – World Literature Today
‘A discovery’ – Der Spiegel
‘Jonas Lüscher’s fascinating novella might be set in the near future but it presents capitalism’s hubris…in a wonderful, old-fashioned way.’
– Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
‘Never has the recession been portrayed in such a terse and beguiling manner’ – Die Zeit
On a business trip to Tunisia, Preising, a leading Swiss industrialist, is invited to spend the week with the daughter of a local gangster. He accompanies her to the wedding of two London city traders at a desert luxury resort that was once the site of an old Berber oasis. With the wedding party in full swing and the bride riding up the aisle on a camel, no one is aware that the global financial system stands on the brink of collapse. As the wedding guests nurse their hangovers, they learn that the British pound has depreciated tenfold, and their world begins to crumble around them.
So begins Barbarian Spring, the debut novel from Jonas Lüscher, a major emerging voice in European fiction. The timely and unusual novel centers on a culture clash between high finance and the value system of the Maghreb.
Provocative and entertaining, Barbarian Spring is a refreshingly original and all-too-believable satire for our times