The Devil's Footprints\Die Spur des Teufels, englische Ausgabe
Once, on a winter's night many years ago, after a heavy snow,
the devil passed through the Scottish fishing town of Coldhaven,
leaving a trail of dark hoofprints across the streets and roofs of
the sleeping town. Michael Gardiner has lived in Coldhaven all his
life, but still feels like an outsider, a blow-in. Now living in
self-imposed exile out on the point, Michael feels at one with the
sea-birds and the changing light of this ancient landscape - yet
more distant than ever from the dark, closed community of the
villagers. But that is about to change. When Moira Birnie decides
that her abusive husband is the devil and then kills herself and
her two young sons, a terrible chain of events begins.
Michael's infatuation with the fourteen-year-old Hazel takes
him on a journey towards a defined fate, where he is forced to face
his present and then, finally, his past. Having confronted his own
demons he must return, walking in penance and penitence, to be
reborn into a world where he was always a stranger.Written with the
exquisite clarity and power of a folk-tale, The "Devil's
Footprints" is the story of a man trying to come to terms with
a suspended life, and the fear, guilt and unbearable grief that
mark it. Revealing what lies beneath the surface of the everyday
world, John Burnside has written a novel of mysterious and
terrifying beauty - as primal and thrilling as cloven hooves in the
snow.
"Burnside does darkness in prose the way Leonardo did enigmatic smiles. The Devil's Footsteps is convincing, occasionally disturbing and ultimately comforting" -- Hugh Macdonald Herald "A spare, bewitching, beautifully written book... Burnside nimbly delineates the border where the actual and illusory meet: on both sides he finds dark, flinty human truths" -- Tom Gatti The Times "The Devil's Footprints is a classic tale with an old-fashioned, gripping plot. But it is also helplessly good at the things that Burnside loves best: geography, the neighbours, the way people's lives go, and the way people's other, secret lives turn out" -- Anne Enright Guardian "Both this novel and Gift Songs are superb achievements. To be both a poet and a novelist is highly unusual. To write so outstandingly well in both genres is a rarity indeed" -- Melissa McClements Financial Times "His is a devouring eloquence, unfazed by generic difference and widely admired... what happens on almost every page is absorbing... It can be said of John Burnside's novel what was said by this journal at their outset: that they are the work of an "extraordinarily good writer" -- Karl Miller Times Literary Supplement
John Burnside, geb. 1955 in Schottland, ist einer der profiliertesten Autoren der britischen Gegenwartsliteratur. Der Lyriker und Romancier wurde vielfach ausgezeichnet. 2012 erhielt er den Spycher: Literaturpreis Leuk.
