From his village in post-war France, Brodeck makes his solitary journeys into the mountains to collect data on the natural environment. Day by day he also reconstructs his own life, all but lost in the years he spent in a camp during the war. No-one had expected to see him again. One day, a flamboyant stranger rides into the village, upsetting the fragile balance of everyday life. Soon he is named the Anderer, "the other", and tensions rise until, one night, the newcomer is murdered. Brodeck is instructed to write an account of the events leading to his death, but his report delivers much more than the bare facts: it becomes the story of a community coming to terms with the legacy of enemy occupation. In a powerful narrative of exceptional fascination, Brodeck's Report explores the very limits of humanity.
Author Biography
Philippe Claudel is a university lecturer, novelist and scriptwriter. He has written 14 novels that have been translated into various languages. He was born in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe in 1962 where he still lives. Claudel says that he woke up one morning with the opening sentence of Brodeck's Report in his head: "My name is Brodeck and I am not responsible. John Cullen is the translator of more than 15 books from French, Spanish, Italian and German. He has twice been shortlisted for the IMPAC award, and was also shortlisted for the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger in 2007.
