‘Liquidation, suspenseful and bleakly comic, reads like a treatise on the mystery of the end of life and the mystery of suicide… A compelling if deeply unsettling work’ IndependentKingbitter, an editor at a failing publishing house, believes himself to have been the closest friend of B. , a celebrated writer and Auschwitz survivor, who recently committed suicide. Amongst the papers B.

has left him, Kingbitter finds a play entitled Liquidation that uncannily predicts the behaviour of B. 's ex-wife, his mistress and Kingbitter himself. As he obsessively reads and rereads the play, Kingbitter becomes transfixed with the idea that buried within these papers is B.

's great novel: the book that will explain his relationship with Auschwitz.

Why You Should Read?

• Explores the complex relationship between a writer's life, his art, and the lasting impact of the Holocaust.
• Features a unique narrative structure, blurring the lines between reality and fiction through a play within a novel.
• Delves into the unsettling mysteries of suicide and the search for meaning in the face of suffering.
• Offers a darkly comic perspective on life's absurdities.

About the Author

Imre Kertesz is a highly acclaimed Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor. His experiences in Auschwitz profoundly shaped his literary work, often exploring themes of trauma, identity, and the complexities of human existence. Kertesz's writing is characterized by its stark realism, philosophical depth, and unflinching examination of the human condition. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2002 for his work.