The Luminaries

Viac o knihe

Longlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize and the Man Booker Prize, this novel is set in 1866, where Walter Moody arrives in New Zealand to seek his fortune on the goldfields. He unexpectedly encounters a secretive assembly of twelve local men discussing a series of unsolved crimes, including the disappearance of a wealthy man, a suicide attempt by a woman, and a fortune found in the possession of a drunken man. Moody becomes entangled in this intricate web of fates and fortunes, reflecting a complexity as rich as the night sky. The narrative is a remarkable blend of historical fiction, ghost story, and mystery, masterfully capturing the mid-19th-century atmosphere of shipping, banking, and the gold rush. This work showcases the extraordinary talent of Eleanor Catton, who, despite being in her mid-20s, has established herself as a significant figure in contemporary literature. Born in 1985 in Canada and raised in New Zealand, Catton holds an MA in Creative Writing and has received several prestigious awards, including the Adam Prize and the New Generation Award. She has also taught Creative Writing at the Iowa Writers' Workshop and currently resides in Wellington, New Zealand.