Why people recommend it
War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans is a deeply moving biographical novel that reconstructs the life of the author's grandfather, Urbain Martien, a painter and decorated soldier whose existence was indelibly scarred by the unspeakable traumas of the First World War. The book has received immense critical praise for its lyrical prose and its haunting exploration of memory, art, and familial inheritance. On The Book Review, Robert Gottlieb recommended the translated work as one of the finest books he had recently encountered, praising the exceptional critical reception it garnered in literary publications. The novel's profound emotional weight was further highlighted when Gilbert Cruz, Pamela Paul, and Jennifer Szalai featured Stefan Hertmans on the podcast to discuss the creation of the book after selecting it as one of the ten best books of the year. The panel praised the seamless integration of ekphrasis, historical testimony, and personal narrative, noting how the author managed to bridge the gap between ordinary domestic life and the catastrophic destruction of European history. Later, Greg Cole also discussed reading the Flemish masterpiece on the same podcast platform, reflecting on its haunting evocation of early twentieth-century art and the enduring psychological fallout of trench warfare, cementing the novel's reputation as a modern classic of European historical literature.
Who recommended it
- Pamela Paul Recommended
- Greg Cole Discussed
- Greg Kohs Discussed
- Gilbert Cruz Recommended
- Jennifer Szalai Recommended
- Robert Gottlieb Recommended
Pamela Paul — 4 mentions
“Stefan Harman joins us now to talk about his new novel war and turpentine”
“Stefan Harman joins us now to talk about his new novel war and turpentine”
“um the book is called called war and turpentine by Stefan hertans and it is one of our 10 best books of the Year”
“um the book is called called war and turpentine by Stefan hertans and it is one of our 10 best books of the Year”
Greg Cole — 2 mentions
“by a Belgian a Flemish writer named Stephan hertans it's a novel called war and turpentine”
“by a Belgian a Flemish writer named Stephan hertans it's a novel called war and turpentine”
Greg Kohs — 2 mentions
“um it it's funny because a few weeks ago I talked on the podcast about this Belgian novel war and turpentine by Stephan Herman's”
“um it it's funny because a few weeks ago I talked on the podcast about this Belgian novel war and turpentine by Stephan Herman's”
Gilbert Cruz — 2 mentions
“author Stefan herzman will join us to talk about his new book War in turpentine one of this year's 10 best books”
“author Stefan herzman will join us to talk about his new book War in turpentine one of this year's 10 best books”
Jennifer Szalai — 2 mentions
“it's a war in turpentine by Stephan hertman who was on the podcast earlier anyway”
“it's a war in turpentine by Stephan hertman who was on the podcast earlier anyway”
Robert Gottlieb — 1 mention
“well I can tell you because the times book review gave it a fabulous deserved review which was a book called turpentine and War remember it”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 2
“uh this week I started something actually that uh Greg talked a little bit about last week because I like to copy Greg which is Warren turpentine by Stefan herzman”
“uh this week I started something actually that uh Greg talked a little bit about last week because I like to copy Greg which is Warren turpentine by Stefan herzman”