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The Catastrophist
 
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The Catastrophist (Paperback)

by Ronan Bennett (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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  • This item: The Catastrophist by Ronan Bennett

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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Headline Review; New Ed edition (8 April 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747260338
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747260332
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.9 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 53,883 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #1 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > B > Bennett, Ronan

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Ronan Bennett writes screenplays for television and film as well as novels. His third book, The Catastrophist, set in the Belgian Congo during the decolonisation struggles of 1959 to 1960, imprints a cinematic vision on the reader's eye, rendering images of indolent colonials blinded by the African sun to the realities of African decolonisation and the momentum of the Congolese independence movement led by the resolute Patrice Lumumba.

James Gillespie, Irish by origin, arrives in Léopoldsville in the hope of saving his relationship with Inès Sabiani, an Italian journalist increasingly involved in central African nationalist politics. James, "the trained observer", watches dispassionately from the wings, mystified by the politics of commitment to a political cause, but desperate for personal love and commitment from Inès. She, however, is lost to him, but found to the cause of the overthrow of the colonial occupation of the Belgian Congo. The impasse at the heart of their love affair hinges upon the dilemma between the politics of belief and the role of art in society. This is summed up by the fact that while Inès uses her journalistic skills as an instrument of political struggle, James believes writing is the art of disbelief. As In&eobtuse;s remarks: "Politics of that sort demands conviction, fiction demands doubt."

The Catastrophist, justly shortlisted for the 1998 Whitbread Novel Award, is an insightful and patient study of masculine self-delusion that--even better--shows the good sense to keep it's distance from overplaying it's narrative claims to insight into In&eobtuse;s' psychology. In fact, this novel derives much of its psychological realism precisely from its depiction of the pain and confusion of a man who cannot understand why a woman can say "I am still loving you", but not be able to give up her life for him. --Rachel Holmes



Financial Times

‘As lush and sensual as ripe mangoes'

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The Catastrophist
84% buy the item featured on this page:
The Catastrophist 4.5 out of 5 stars (19)
£5.98
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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unfair criticism, 22 Dec 2000
This review is from: Catastrophist (Paperback)
...the book is about a apathetic, stranger's trip to Africa in the middle of upheaval. If the book lacks nuances of African culture it is because it is about an alien looking disinterestedly into this radically, different world. The book may be dense but is a cracking read that not only entertains but also makes you consider the selfishness behind caring, intelligent people's actions when lust, trust or situation cloud their judgement. It's well worth a pick up. I haven't recommended it to one person who hasn't thanked me for it.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Everything an adverture story should be, 1 May 2000
By A Customer
A story of colonial mismanagenment and a true love story, beautifully written and terrifyingly real - all the characters are still with me. I was acutally involved in the evacuation of the Belgians from the Congo, acting as an interpreter for them in what was Salisbury, Rhodesia. I well rememhber the utter astonishment of the evacuees who could not believe what was happening to them, and I also remember following the disintegration of the Congo, the failure of the leaders etc, all of which is foreshadowed in this book.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A flawed novel...so much the better!, 17 Oct 2005
By A Customer
I picked this up having enjoyed the marvellous 'Havoc in its Third Year' and was not disappointed. This novel has flaws and they are part of what makes its success. Gillespie the narrator is a confused Irishman and follows his love/lust to Africa to conquer her at the same time as decolonisation is taking place in the former Belgian Congo. Gillespie is indifferent to politics, part of his Northern Irish background (it is the 1960s and 'the troubles' are yet to begin) in contrast with Ines's passionate yet naive belief in the politics she encounters. The novel explores passion of various kinds, belief, cynicism, background and family and tries to get to the question about what makes people love and how they love. Why do I call it flawed? Because there are echoes of Brian Moore/Graham Greene here. This novel is flawed in the same way.....you can't get much better than that. I am going to read the other Bennett novels I can get my hands on - he is definitely one to watch!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, passionate, intense
This is a book which very successfully merges the story of an intensely erotic love affair with events in The Congo when Belgian colonialism came to an end. Read more
Published 2 months ago by E. Shaw

2.0 out of 5 stars Overly introspective
Despite its fascinating setting - both geographical and historical - The Catastrophist manages to be tediously introspective, wallowing in the boring lovesickness of its... Read more
Published 4 months ago by BookWorm

5.0 out of 5 stars The Catastrophist
Ronan Bennett writes in a very fast moving style, creating his characters with clarity, grit and conviction. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jac Aranda

3.0 out of 5 stars slightly disappointing
This is an OK book, with some nice (but not brilliant) writing, but ultimately its a disappointment. Read more
Published 6 months ago by David

4.0 out of 5 stars "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality."
On June 30, 1960, the Congo was emancipated from Belgium. African nationalist leader Patrice Emery Lumumba became the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo... Read more
Published on 1 May 2006 by Jana L. Perskie

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
This is a truly superb novel. It has everything and it does it all well. It is a beautifully written thriller with a number of interesting themes. Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars Politics and passion in the Congo....
Set in Belgian Congo in the 60s, as it moves from being a colony to an independent state. The narrator is Gillespie, an Irish journalist and writer. Read more
Published on 15 Oct 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling romance surrounded by a piece of history
This novel was incredible. It molded the history of the Belgian Congo's independence with a heartbreaking romance between two people not destined to be together. Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars A Journey of Exoticism and Eroticism
Written in the present tense, James tries to impart to the reader, his obsession with the beautiful Ines. Read more
Published on 27 May 2000 by mari.flynn@tesco.net

5.0 out of 5 stars Enduring and Harrowing
Bennett's prose is refreshingly prudent and yet at the same time astutely passionate. He succeeds in creating a convincingly textured world in which the machinations of love and... Read more
Published on 17 May 2000 by rowans@frances-lincoln.co.uk

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