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In the Distance

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In the Distance
AuthorHernan Diaz
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre
PublisherCoffee House Press
Publication date
October 10, 2017
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages256
ISBN978-1-56689-488-3
OCLC975018812
813/.6
LC ClassPS3604.I17 I5 2017

In the Distance is a 2017 novel by writer and professor Hernán Diaz.[1] The story recounts the life of Håkan, a Swedish emigrant who is separated from his brother on their journey to the United States in the mid-19th century. Penniless, Håkan travels across the American West, sometimes in very harsh conditions, with the goal of finding his brother in New York City.[2]

Writing and composition[edit]

The novel took six years to write.[3] Diaz was drawn to the Western genre as he thought it had not "[fulfilled] its promise or potential".[3] Diaz wrote the book in Manhattan and Brooklyn.[1]

Reception[edit]

Carys Davies, for The Guardian, referred to the novel as a "thrilling narrative, full of twists and turns".[2] Catherine Taylor, for the Financial Times, praised In the Distance as an "extraordinary epic tale".[4]

The novel was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction[1][5] and the Pulitzer Prize.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Downes, Lawrence (2 May 2018). "A Debut Novel. A Tiny Press. A Pulitzer Finalist". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b Davies, Carys (6 July 2018). "In the Distance by Hernan Diaz review – a western unlike any other". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  3. ^ a b Bady, Aaron (20 November 2017). "Subverting the Western: A Conversation With Hernan Diaz". The Nation. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  4. ^ Taylor, Catherine (14 September 2018). "In the Distance by Hernan Diaz — lone star". www.ft.com. The Financial Times. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Announcing the Winner of the 2018 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction! | The PEN/Faulkner Foundation". PEN/Faulkner Award. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Finalist: In the Distance, by Hernan Diaz (Coffee House Press)". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved 7 January 2021.