An Apprenticeship or The Book of Pleasures

Oct 22, 2024 2:39 AM

Author:Clarice Lispector,Stefan Tobler

'One of the very great writers of the last century' Guardian

'Lispector had an ability to write as though no one had ever written before' Colm Tóibín

'He'd wait for her, she knew that now. Until she learned'

Lóri yearns for love yet is scared of herself, and of connecting with another human. When she meets Ulisses, a Professor of Philosophy, she is forced to confront her fears. As both of them will learn, to be worthy of another person, they must first be fully themselves. The book of which Clarice Lispector said, 'I humanized myself', An Apprenticeship is about the ultimate unknowability of the other in a relationship, and what it means to love and be loved.

Translated by Stefan Tobler

Edited by Benjamin Moser with an Afterword by Sheila Heti

Reviews

Her brilliant and bewildering style is helping me to imagine how to write again

—— Jenny Offill , The Times

One of the very great writers of the last century

—— Guardian

An Apprenticeship or The Book of Pleasures teaches us how to love. And how love lies in spaces. In waiting

—— Carlos Valladares , Gagosian Quarterly

Lispector had an ability to write as though no one had ever written before

—— Colm Tóibín

A refreshing and engaging coming-of-age story centring a complex, relatable British-Iranian woman straddling two worlds and her search for identity, sense of self, and love, juxtaposed against her mother's own experiences navigating the societal expectations and familial pressures placed on young women in 1970s Iran. Sara Jafari is a compelling new voice in contemporary fiction.

—— Lauren Ho, author of Last Tang Standing

Heartbreaking and compelling

—— Haleh Agar, author of Out of Touch

I absolutely devoured [it] . . . Soraya and Neda's stories were so gorgeously told

—— Beth Reekles, author of The Kissing Booth

Utterly gorgeous! A smart, modern romance . . . I adored it

—— Abbie Greaves

A compelling read . . . the family dynamics are so brilliantly charted

—— Zeba Talkhani, author of My Past is a Foreign Country

Wonderful vibrant characters and [a] wickedly dry sense of humour. Absolutely loved it

—— Kirsty Capes, debut author of Careless

An entertaining, heart-warming coming-of-age tale about first love, clashing cultures and finding your place in the world

—— CultureFly

Half romance, half tender coming-of-age alternating between Soraya's story and her mother Neda's marriage in the aftermath of Iran's Islamic Revolution, Jafari's novel probes into the nature of repressed desire, and the ways in which cultural context moulds sexuality in unspoken ways

—— The Skinny

An entertaining, heartening coming-of-age tale about first love, clashing cultures and finding your place in the world. The Mismatch is also an exploration of identity, expectations and children suffering from the faults of their parents. Jafari balances these varying elements of her novel with a deft hand, ensuring readers feel a whole spectrum of emotions whether they're following Soraya's journey or Neda's. Soraya is a wonderfully written character; she's torn between the strict rules and rigid beliefs she's been brought up by, but she's also a typical young woman living in contemporary Britain. Relevant, enlightening and refreshing in its portrayal of complex family dynamics, Sara Jafari's debut is a rewarding read that packs a lot into its pages

—— CultureFly

A bright new voice on the horizon

—— Eastern Eye

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