Night Work (Glavinic novel)

Night Work (German: Die Arbeit der Nacht) is a 2006 novel by Austrian writer Thomas Glavinic. The book was translated into English in 2008 by John Brownjohn for Edinburgh-based publisher Canongate.

Night Work
UK paperback edition
AuthorThomas Glavinic
Original titleDie Arbeit der Nacht
TranslatorJohn Brownjohn
CountryAustria
LanguageGerman
GenreLiterary fiction
PublisherHanser (Germany)
Canongate (UK)
Publication date
2006
Published in English
2008
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)
Pages400 (Germany)
386 (UK)
ISBN978-1-84767-051-9
OCLC442553734
Preceded byWie man leben soll 
Followed byDas bin doch ich 

Plot summary

The novel, set in modern-day Vienna, is a post-apocalyptic exploration around themes of solitude and existential philosophy.

The plot concerns a central character, Jonas, who wakes up one day to discover that everyone else has vanished from the city, perhaps the world, without trace; he appears to be the only person left.

As he attempts to discover what could possibly explain such a situation, the days pass and he begins to realise that he is performing strange activities when asleep. A struggle ensues as Jonas tries to control his unconscious actions while he continues to search in vain for other human life.

Critical reception

The UK edition received a generally positive reception from critics. The Guardian referred to the book as being “at times genuinely horrific” because of the author’s skill in manipulating the “reader's constant anxiety that [he] won't, indeed can't, deliver a solution to his own mystery”.[1] The Independent claimed that the novel, “functions both as an outstanding fictionalisation of Freud's essay The Uncanny, and as a superior literary thriller packed with invention and suspense”.[2] The Scotland on Sunday said it was “strong on intrigue” and “seriously frightening”.[3]

References
  1. "Review: I am legend". The Guardian. 26 July 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  2. "Night Work, by Thomas Glavinic, trans John Brownjohn". The Independent. 11 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  3. "Book review: Night Work by Thomas Glavinic". Scotland on Sunday. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
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