The hare with amber eyes a familys century of art and loss. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. The number one sunday times bestseller winner of the 2010 costa biography award 264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them bigger than a matchbox. The uniqueness of the hare w amber eyes is never really elaborated upon. She turned to the family tree, circled a name, and said, thats my great. It is written and reads as a story, providing fascinating background and understanding that the philistine in me lapped up. Stephen frears, the guardian as full of beauty and whimsy as a netsuke from the hands of a master carver.
The hare with amber eyes the books the book club abc tv. Much of the hare with amber eyes is about trying to discover who people are by the objects they own and the objects they value. I wrote about this book and its paris connections back in 2011 art, books, paris. Aug 21, 2018 the author, a wellknown ceramics artist, is the greatgrandchild of a prominent austrian member of the family. If you had to make a bet, a good one would be that a book about netsuke.
The familys fabulous wealth derived from the graintrading business, operating between paris and vienna. First edition second impression in near fine condition, flat signed by author to title page, there is a mark to front boards along with some minor wear to extremities, no internal markings, pages clean, spine firm, please see pics, no jacket as issued, please see pics, paypal accepted, any questions please get in touch. Years after the war, she would find a way to return them to the family shed served even in their exile. Aug 31, 2009 the hare with amber eyes is biography and is a wonderful story of 264 japanese wood and ivory carvings and the unlocking of a story that spans from paris to vienna and to japan as the journey of the netsuke unfolds and that of the prominent and wealthy jewish ephrussi family. After our lunch hed open the sliding doors of the long vitrine that took up most of one wall of the sitting room and would get out the netsuke one by one. If you are the publisher or author of this book and.
Michael dirda, the washington post book worldthis is a book sebald would have loved. Perhaps the paperback edition of the book omitted the detailed photos of the objects and this skewed my reaction. The hare with amber eyes a closer look at the netsuke. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. For me the hare with amber eyes was a cantputdown experience. But the netsuke were smuggled away by a loyal maid, anna, and hidden in her straw mattress.
The hare with amber eyes in vienna american girls art. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Michael dirda, the washington post book world this is a book sebald would have loved. I have spent the last few years writing a very personal book. Le west end one sunny april day i set out to find charles. Michael howard, the times literary supplement elegant. The young potter was studying in japan and every week he lunched with his great uncle. Louis used bookstore before my return journey home. The hare with the amber eyes, is a personal story but one that is teemed with history. The ephrussis were a grand banking family, as rich and respected as the rothschilds, who burned like a comet in nineteenthcentury paris and vienna society. Ive been a fan of the hare with amber eyes for years. Ultimately though it leaves me feeling a despair for mankind. The author, a wellknown ceramics artist, is the greatgrandchild of a prominent austrian member of the family. The hare with amber eyes in vienna american girls art club.
The hare with amber eyes is a wondrous book, as lustrous and exquisitely crafted as the netsuke at its heart. On recent travels to austria, i remembered there was a vienna connection to this book and i was determined to track it down. The hare with amber eyes, a journey through the history of a. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. But the title of the book and the expectations of a discussion about 264 netsuke are misleading. Having spent thirty years making beautiful pots which are then sold, collected, and handed on he has a particular sense of the secret lives of objects.
The ephrussis lost almost everything in 1938 when the nazis aryanized their property. Sweeping yet intimate, it is a highly original meditation on art, history, and family, as elegant and precise as the netsuke themselves. Who was your favourite character in the book and why. The hare with amber eyes a closer look at the netsuke youtube.
The hare with amber eyes, and it has been with me ever since. The hare with amber eyes belongs on the same shelf with vladimir nabokovs speak, memory. A familys century of art and loss is the story of the ephrussis, a great jewish family that lived in austria but was displaced with the advent of the nazis. Once, when i was in paris, i met a lovely fellow actor and her husband for dinner. And the hare with amber eyes is about how the netsuke came into the authors possession, and where it was before. This study guide consists of approximately 34 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the hare with amber eyes. Its the most beautiful book ive read this year tracy chevalier, the daily telegraph published january 2011 by vintage books uk category. The author inherits from his greatuncle iggy, living in japan, a collection of netsuke, tiny japanese sculptures of ivory or wood one of which is the hare with amber eyes, which were originally purchased by charles ephrussi. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear.
A tiger, all shoulder and feet, turning round to snarl. Discover book depository s huge selection of robert d hare books online. Edmund shares his story about discovering the history of his family while in search of the history of a japanese netsuke. Jan 30, 2011 the hare with amber eyes a familys century of art and loss. Aug 31, 2010 there are few, though, whose raw material has been crafted into quite such an engrossing and exquisitely written book as the hare with amber eyes. A familys century of art and loss from the worlds largest community of readers. It is the story of the ascent and decline of a jewish dynasty, about loss and. Jan 25, 2011 its the most beautiful book ive read this year tracy chevalier, the daily telegraph published january 2011 by vintage books uk category. Yet by the end of world war ii, almost the only thing remaining of their vast empire was a collection of 264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them larger than a matchbox. Edmund was apprenticed as a potter, studied in japan, and read english literature at cambridge university. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. A fan of the book when it was published in 2010, ben kingsley still loves talking about it. Charles, who assembled the collection, was a dandyish art collector who settled in paris at the age of 21, wrote art criticism and a book on durer and patronized the early impressionists. The hare with amber eyes is a powerful book, not least because it tells a true tale.