Warm reception for the novel "Seven Houses in France"

The English edition of Seven Houses in France, originally titled Zazpi etxe Frantzian, was published this past November 3rd by UK publisher Harvill Secker.

With this latest translation, all six of Atxaga's novels are now available in English; the other novels are Obabakoak, The Lone Man, The Lone Woman, Two Brothers and The Accordionist's Son.

The first reviews of the new novel are appearing in the specialized press, and the reception has been positive. Here is what some of the reviews have said:

• Atxaga writes with an unusually subtle voice; the understated sense of dread spanning the novel that will keep you turning the page until the antiheroes meet their inescapable downfall at the hands of the very people they consider inferior to themselves. We love this book
• The quality of the writing was very high, but I hated the actions of the central character so much that I struggled to read it. At one point I almost gave up, but the entire book was a bit like a car crash – you know you are going to witness something horrible, but you are unable to avert your gaze. Farmlanebooks
• Atxaga's novel distils a regime synonymous with the rapacious exploitation of human capital. Seven Houses in France is a dark comedy about the vanity of human desires which deftly balances compassion and cynicism. Financial Times
• With his sixth novel, Basque writer Atxaga puts us squarely in Heart Of Darkness territory, although his is a more blackly absurd vision of the world than that of Joseph Conrad. Unsettling, often unpleasant, but undeniably compelling. Daily Mail

Radio

In addition to the print media, Atxaga's novel has also been a topic for discussion on a number of well-known cultural radio programs in the UK. The programs can be streamed or downloaded at the following sites:

• Saturday Review, BBC.
• The Guardian
• The Strand, BBC