The Faraway Mountains

Radu Guiasu

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Hardback

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English

Addison & Highsmith Publishers
14 February 2024

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

A dark chapter in recent human history

The first part of this novel follows the adventures of three young friends during a memorable last mountain climbing trip to a remote area of a country under the control of a ruthless authoritarian regime. During their journey, the young men have to cope with:

bear encounters,venomous adders,colorful locals, storms,dangerous climbs,flooded caves, and other challenges, as the main purpose of their trip is gradually revealed.

A second story, intertwined with the first one, focuses on a brilliant young pianist and his ill-fated quest for freedom. Urban life, in the dreary capital where the young men regularly reside, is the focus of the second part of the novel, when the friends begin to go their own separate ways and come to terms with their very different future prospects. The challenges of life in the capital, which include run-ins with feral dog packs and the secret police, are very different than those faced in the mountains, but not less dangerous. Ultimately, this is a book about friendship, the noble, irreverent and indomitable aspects of the human condition, as well as a dark chapter in recent human history, and the various ways in which different people cope with difficult and unfair conditions.

It is an often hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking exploration of the absurdities of life under an increasingly erratic dictatorship which is gradually losing its grip on the people it could never fully control.

By: Radu Guiasu
Imprint: Addison & Highsmith Publishers
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 228mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 390g
ISBN: 9781592113170
ISBN 10: 1592113176
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 14 February 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Radu Guiasu was born and raised in Bucharest, Romania during the time of the Communist dictatorship led by Nicolae Ceausescu. He moved to Canada at the age of 18, following his high school graduation. Today he is a biologist and an award-winning tenured Associate Professor in the Biology Program at Glendon College, York University in Toronto.

Reviews for The Faraway Mountains

A remarkable piece of highly enjoyable reading, and, at the same time, an eye-opener for many of those unacquainted with life in Eastern Europe during communism.""—Dr. Demetrio Boltovskoy, a Senior Researcher at the University of Buenos Aires. ""A quirky account of four young compadres, doing their best to resist a crushing communist system with resilience and cynical humor.""—Dr. Martin Schlaepfer, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Geneva. ""The novel is a window into the functioning of a Communist state and the ways people found to survive its arcane and illogical way of life. It is a celebration of the endurance of the human spirit in the face of dictatorship; it is a gripping human story.""—Professor Emeritus Stanislav J. Kirschbaum, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, author of A history of Slovakia: the struggle for survival, and professor at York University.