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What if?

An adventure in counterfactuals
by
September 2021, no. 435

Civilisations by Laurent Binet, translated by Sam Taylor

Harvill Secker, $32.99 pb, 310 pp

What if?

An adventure in counterfactuals
by
September 2021, no. 435

Acclaimed as the most original novel of the 2019 rentrée littéraire, and recipient of the Grand Prix du Roman de l’Académie Française, Laurent Binet’s most recent book, Civilisations (2019), is a cleverly crafted uchronia, or speculative fiction. The author is inviting us on an epic journey that devises alternative key moments in history, from a Viking tale to an Italian travel diary, and from the Inca chronicles to the capricious destiny of Cervantes. Let the adventure of counterfactuals begin …

Cristina Savin reviews 'Civilisations' by Laurent Binet, translated by Sam Taylor

Civilisations

by Laurent Binet, translated by Sam Taylor

Harvill Secker, $32.99 pb, 310 pp

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