Brodeck's Report

A murder investigation in post-war France becomes an exploration of the legacy of German occupation.

'A magnificent book' Le Monde.

'This triumph of a book serves as an unsettling reminder that there are no fairy tales and there are certainly no heroes' Buzz.

'This extraordinary novel … deeply wise and classically beautiful … is a modern masterpiece' Helen Brown, Daily Telegraph.

'The novel's quiet beauty and scenes of extreme poignancy make it resonate beyond its pages' Daily Telegraph.

'The novel transforms modern history into a fable that merges Kafka and the Grimms' Boyd Tonkin, Independent.

'Original, brilliant and disturbing... a journey that goes to the heart of what it means to be human' Ruth Scurr, the Times.

Philippe Claudel is a university lecturer, novelist, film director and scriptwriter. He has written 14 novels that have been translated into various languages. He was born in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe in 1962 where he still lives. In 2009 his film I've Loved You So Long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime), which draws upon Claudel's eleven years teaching in prisons, won the BAFTA for Best Foreign Language film. Among his novels, Grey Souls won the Prix Renaudot in France, the American Gumshoe Award and the Swedish Martin Beck award. Brodeck's Report won the 2010 Independent Foreign Fiction Award.