Emperor Waltz
The most ambitious and daring novel novel yet from Booker Prize-shortlisted Philip Hensher.
‘A novel that's almost fizzy to the touch … A performance of extraordinary flair and majesty from a writer who seems capable of anything’ Guardian
‘The Emperor Waltz’ is a single novel with three narrative strands: fourth-century Rome, 1920s Germany, and 1980s London. In each place, a small coterie is closely connected and separated from the larger world. In each story, the larger world regards the small coterie and its passionately-held beliefs and secrets with suspicion and hostility.
It is the story of eccentricity, its struggle, its triumph, its influence – but also its defeat.
Philip Hensher is a columnist for the Independent, arts critic for the Spectator and a Granta Best of Young British novelist. He has written eight novels, including ‘The Mulberry Empire’ and the Booker-shortlisted ‘The Northern Clemency’, and one collection of short stories. He lives in South London.