Bonifaz Vogel, the owner of a bird shop in Dresden, begins to hear a voice. It belongs to young Isaac Dresner, who takes refuge in the cellar of Vogel’s shop on the run from the nazi soldier who shot his best friend. Thus begins the story of two Dresden families, fractured and displaced by the devastating bombing of the city in 1945, their fates bound also to that of a life-sized doll commissioned by the artist Oskar Kokoschka in the image of his lost lover.

Based on a curious true story, this is an imaginative and playful novel that transports the reader to Dresden, Paris, Lagos and Marrakesh, introducing them to an unforgettable cast of characters along the way.

 

WINNER OF THE 2012 EUROPEAN UNION PRIZE FOR LITERATURE 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRANSLATION AVAILABLE

 

“What truly distinguishes Cruz, apart from using quotations clearly invented by him in the middle of many well-referenced ones, is how he can combine a philosophical thinking with a surprising writing, rich with imagery.” Ana Dias Ferreira, Time Out Lisbon

“Kokoschka’s Doll is some sort of a gamebook, highly recommended for its imaginative, playful character, though it tells many stories of sad love.” Pedro Mexia, Público

 

280 pages – Original language: Portuguese (Companhia das Letras, 2010). Rights sold to: Arabic (Masciliana), Albania (Dudaj), Bosnia (Agarthi Comics), Brazil (Dublinense), Bulgaria (Prozoretz), Croatia (Naklada Ljevak), Czech Republic (Argo), Denmark (Jensen & Dalgaard), English (MacLehose Press), Hungary (Typotex), Italy (La Nuova Frontiera), Latin America (Panamericana), Macedonia (Congress Service Centre), Poland (Wydawnictwo Nisza), Serbia (Geopoetika), Slovenia (V.B.Z.), Spain (Rayo Verde), Thailand (Library House Bangok), Turkey (Tekin Yayinevi).