‘NAZI GERMANY STILL HAD REBELLIOUS CHILDREN'
Death and the maiden
With five successful young adult novels behind him, Markus Zusak is not afraid of the big questions. Brian Donaldson profiles the writer with a hankering for Death.
he literary canon is riddled with unreliable
narrator's. lirom Holden (‘aullield to Humbert
Humbert and the voices which lead you through liggers~ xi [Ivan/Mealtng ll'urk (riflS’ttiggm‘iiig (iv/tilts and Poe‘s 'I'lirr 'Ii'll-Yult' Hear! the lirst-person perspective can never truly be trusted. But when it comes to the central y'oice ol’ Markus '/.tisak‘s The Book ’I‘liicli. you will certainly find that you’re hanging on his ey'ery word. For Death is your guide. grimly reaping what others haye sown (particularly enjoying how busy his work gets during wartime). In an intery'iew last year for American maga/ine Book Page. Zusak notes that he initially had Death down as being more macabre but that his narrator became
more interesting when he was infused with a hint of
compassion: ‘Wc’re so scared of deathf said the author. ‘But what il‘ it was the other way around as well'.”
So. while Death rey'els in the carnage spilling out
onto the fields ol’ liurope during the 1040s. he (for
now. let‘s just assume it‘s a bloke) takes it upon himself to shield little l.iesel Meminger under his scythe-grasping wing. llaying seen her brother die and her mother l'lee. she joins her new l‘oster parents. an almost Dickensian pairing oi the kindly. Ia/y Hans
and a beast with a heart. Rosa. Despite sortie ol her l‘riends joining the Hitler Youth. l.iesel is happier
stealing books and hiding them from the roaming
Nazis. though there is an eyen bigger secret in their basement as the family haye helped a Jewish boxer
Max duck for cover. It might seem like a daunting start of the year to get
30 THE LIST .1 if", .J;:ii I’ll’ir'
into The Hook 'liliitf/‘s near—(it)() pages bill they do roll along. ‘\\'hen I was growing tip. I heard stories at home about Munich and \ mum in wartime. when my parents were children.’ '/.usak writes on his website. "l'he stories my mother told me al‘l‘ected me a lot.’ And they altered his perception ol‘ a unilied \a/i (icrmany. replacing a l‘alse impression ol its entire population goose-stepping into historical obliy‘iotl. 'l‘he anecdotes
his mother shared with him were Vignettes ol'
compassion. ol‘ people risking their own l‘utures to help those in danger l'rom Hitler and his murderous cronies. "l‘herc were still rebellioUs children and people who didn‘t lollow the rules.‘ /.tlsak continues.
limit] The Brink 1/71!in stormed its way to the [op til
the New York Times bestseller pile. his most successl‘ul work was [rill] l/It' .l/t's'xt'ngt'r. a mystery tale in which an unknown presence is leay'ing cryptic conmitmications on playing cards for an underage cab driy'ei whose only true companion is a cal'leine-addled dog. The strange words lead our anti-hero into some heroic deeds but it‘s unsure whether he knows exactly what he is doing and to what end. The tale won a string of awards in his .-\tlssic homeland but this will surely be nothing compared to the plaudits which arriy‘e at his door tor the gloriously ambitious 'lilit' HUN/y 'l'lit'tjl'. .'\ccording to /.tlsak. his main escape from life comes when he leay'cs his Sydney home to head for the waters and go surling. It‘s not the only crest ol‘ a wayc that he‘s riding now. The Book Thief is published by Doubleday on Mon 15 Jan.
=2: John McGaherniThe sad passing of this fine Irish writer earlier this year is made more bearable for his readers with the re-issued Creatures of the Earth, a moving and insightful short story collection. Faber.
=i= Thomas Pynchon The publicity-wary writer puts out Against the Day. a heavyweight tome in every sense, from the safety of his bunker. Jonathan Cape.
=3: The Editors of LIFE Gathered up in The Great LIFE Photographers collection are some stark memories from the most familiar and lesser known avenues of history. Thames & Hudson.
>I= Markus Zusak A book with Death as its narrator: that‘ll be grim? Not at all. See preview, left. Doubleday.
=i= Charlie Higson The former Fast Show actor and writer has since plunged headlong into a writing career and his third Young Bond romp is a welcome accompaniment to Daniel Craig's cinematic derring-do. Puffin.
>I< Garon Tsuchiya & Nobuaki Minegishi Since its first publication in 1997, the Old Boy volumes have kept readers on the edge of their seats with its manga-crime twisting plot. See review. page 32. Dark Horse.
=i< Marjane Satrapi Chicken With Plums is an illustrated biography of the lranian cartoonist '3 great uncle who also happened to be a top notch string musician. Jonathan Cape. =i< Will Eisner A bound collection of fresh Big Apple stories in New York: Life in the Big City with an intro from Neil Gaiman. WW Norton.
=i< Storytelling Cafe: Burns and A’That A fine alternative to the imminent puddin‘ race shenanigans as storyteller Stuart McHardy invites you to listen to some tales or get involved with your own words. Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Wed 17 Jan.