Boy with a Black Rooster - by Stefanie Vor Schulte (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

He can, if he is accompanied by a black rooster, his protector and friend. And if he is Martin, orphaned after a massacre, full of wisdom, courage and a pure heart. Too good for the selfish and idiotic villagers around him, his integrity entrances an itinerant painter with whom he departs on a quest. His heroic adventures through a morally abhorrent landscape, physically ravaged by war and famine, keep the reader cheering for him and his companion as this fairy tale for adults unfolds.

Set against a pseudo-medieval post-apocalyptic backdrop reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy, Angela Carter and Missouri Williams, this novel shines with the inner radiance of good deed in a naughty world that will leave you haunted, horrified, and completely riveted.

Review Quotes

"Boy with a Black Rooster ventures to some terrifying places, but in true fairy-tale fashion, it also reassures and inspires thanks to its hero's humility and valor."--Foreword Reviews

'This appears light as a feather, yet elaborately crafted all the same.' -- Rose-Maria Gropp in her laudatory speech for the Mara Cassens Prize

'And - this is important - she has proven that for this there exists a language filled with poetry, wit and courage.' -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

'Magnificently superimposes the probable with the improbable, all the while connecting life and death with great intelligence and narrative proficiency.' -- Pierre Deshusses, Le Monde des livres

'A debut that is both admirable and truly unique.' -- Jean-Baptiste Hamelin, Page des Libraires

'Halfway between macabre tale and surrealist epic, Boy with a Black Rooster, with its many ambiguities, is as reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch as it is of Giambattista Basile's Tale of Tales (adapted for the cinema by Matteo Garrone).' -- Camille Thomine, Lire - magazine littéraire

'A great rhythm, beautiful sentences, atmosphere: a joyful cultural experience.' -- Thomas Andre, Hamburger Abendblatt

'Gripping, uncanny, a look into the human abyss. And yet, there is magic in this child.' -- Peter Helling, NDR Kultur in Hamburg

'Full of poetic power and with a language characterised by images.' -- HR2 Kultur

'An enigmatic debut of peculiar beauty.' -- Meike Schnitzler, Brigitte in Hamburg

'Stefanie vor Schulte has composed this novel like a fairy tale for adults. Cruel, poetic, and with a fairytale ending. A wonderful debut.' -- Claudia Ingenhoven, NDR Kultur in Hanover

'A ray of light in gloomy times, beautifully narrated and extraordinarily touching.' -- Dagmar Kaindl, Buchkultur

'Stefanie vor Schulte's sentences are short, concise and incredibly clear. And they are also intensely vivid.' -- Uwe Badouin, Oberhessische Presse

'Stefanie vor Schulte's novel demonstrates that it takes the wisdom of a child to understand cruelty.' -- Hannah Küppers, Sächsische Zeitung

'This enigmatic plot, studded with symbols, and vor Schulte's concise, distinctive narrative style will be remembered for a long time.' -- Ulrike Frenkel, Münchner Merkur

About the Author

Alexandra Roesch studied languages and business and worked in banking before becoming a literary translator. She has an MA in translation from the University of Bristol. In 2018, she was longlisted for the Goethe Institute's Helen & Kurt Wolff Prize. Previously translated authors include Hans Fallada, Seraina Kobler and Merle Kröger.