They came from the sea

The Colony

Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction!
It's about art, land and language, love and sex, youth and old age.
With fresh and poetic words, he writes about the contradictions, love and memories on a lonely summer island.
The ancient sorrow that has lasted for a hundred years echoes the violent reality of today.
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【Content Introduction】
Summer 1979.
A British painter travels to a small island off the west coast of Ireland, hoping to find inspiration for his masterpiece.
A French linguist followed, in order to study the history, present situation and future of the Irish language on the island;
A woman, missing her husband who died at sea, chooses to fulfill her wish of traveling around the world with him through art;
A boy, tired of the boring life on a remote island, longs to cross the sea to pursue a bigger dream...
Two foreign visitors disrupted the peaceful life on the island and aroused long-buried memories and desires in everyone's hearts;
On the land not far away, the bloody conflict of revenge intensified, and the ancient sorrow of the Celts continued...
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【Editor's Recommendation】
🌊 "This island is too small to accommodate a Frenchman and an Englishman at the same time"
In the summer, on a remote Irish island, a British painter and a French linguist arrived one after another.
Evoking the echoes of centuries of history—Who rules whom? Who saves whom?
A political allegory reflecting ancient and modern colonial atrocities,
A tender Celtic lament where language and art, history and violence intertwine.
🌊 Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction: A diverse exploration of the contradictions and desires beneath the surface of calm, through dialogues, inner monologues, historical recaps, and news briefings...
Watch the century-old enemies, England and France, bickering, listen to an octogenarian woman reminiscing about the past,
Read long popular science articles by experts and scholars, and media reports on bloody conflicts...
Humorous and ironic, calm and moving, this is a masterpiece of the collision between historical writing and personal narrative!
🌊 “We are used to missing people here, and we are all experts in missing people.”
In order to survive, they traveled across oceans; in order to pursue their dreams, they left their hometowns.
The homeland is a burden that the Irish cannot get rid of and a root that cannot be severed.
Home and country, tradition and modernity are all integrated into this longing passed down from generation to generation.
🌊 The world is collapsing, beliefs are crumbling, and the connections between people are at risk. Cunning and innocence meet, cruelty and kindness go hand in hand.
Ireland's fate and James's prospects intersected in the summer.
Where can the ignorant boy find his place?
Where is the current world heading?
🌊 The cover is designed by the well-known young designer Xihe. This small-format portable book is worry-free when going out. It comes in refreshing white + melancholic blue + pearl silver + gloomy gray.
The oceanic atmosphere perfectly captures the novel’s style, making it a great summer read!
Single-cover square-spine pocket notebook, suitable for commuting, traveling, and vacationing.
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【Celebrity Recommendation】
Inheriting the literary tradition of Synge, Trevor and Tóibín, it describes Irish life pushed into a corner by the burden of tradition... Magee's writing is bright, lyrical and sharp: sometimes it slides into vertical single-field paragraphs, sometimes indulges in the details of rabbit hunting or the smell of Prussian blue, but always maintains a subtle sense of distance.
—The Guardian
Magee masterfully documents the disintegration of ancient beliefs on the island… Beyond the central narrative, there are slices of the larger story of the violent conflict in Northern Ireland, with brief news reports that read like a catalog of atrocities. Magee also employs other intriguing methods in his storytelling: the dialogue is concise and direct, some inner thoughts unfold in stream-of-consciousness prose, others in lines of poetry of varying lengths… Magee weaves a vivid and thought-provoking novel about language, art, colonialism, and the conflict in Northern Ireland.
—The Seattle Times
It’s a relief to finally find a novel that treats its readers like adults: fresh without being trendy, thought-provoking without being clamorous, self-contained yet satisfying from its strange drama at the beginning to its decisive conclusion. Her books are full of other themes too – about family, men and women, rural communities – and many layers surface, like a faint smile, a shark in the water.
—The Times
They Came Across the Sea offers fascinating insights into what it means to be both colonizer and colonized, and offers a nuanced portrayal of both people and place… Magee’s masterful novel also celebrates the need for human connection.
—The Independent
They Came Across the Sea is a novel of ideas. Magee constructs her world with rich detail… It is based on the harsh political realities of Ireland during a tragic summer, and reminds us of the legacy of imperialism and borders around the world.
—The New York Times Book Review
Simple, concise... a story about language and identity, about art, oppression, freedom and colonialism. They Came Across the Sea is a novel with big issues.
—Financial Times
Magee's captivating and original novel considers imperialism, ownership, power, and exploitation from both macro and micro perspectives...with a lively dose of humor as the characters engage in playful back-and-forth.
——Daily Mail
They Came Across the Sea is a brilliant novel, a sharp commentary on nature and the clashes between class, culture, and gender. It touches on violence, but what is most striking is Magee’s ability to capture the more sinister cruelty lurking beneath the layers of protection and nurture.
--Mary Beth Keen "They Came Across the Sea" is a vivid, unforgettable book about art, land, and language, love and sex, youth and aging. Big ideas are woven lightly into Audrey Magee's powerful prose.
—Sarah Moss Like a parable, like history itself, it teaches us a bitter lesson… and creates a mood that leaves an unsettling aftertaste long after the last page has been turned.
—Kevin Ball

2024-07-01

广西师范大学出版社

wild spring

509

9787559868640