A Whole Life

“In this quiet, serenely powerful novel, a man lives out his life in a remote mountain village as the bulk of the 20th century sweeps past.” —Kirkus Reviews

An International Bestseller

Winner of the Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize

Shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award

Andreas Egger knows every path and peak of his mountain valley, the source of his sustenance, his livelihood—his home.

Set in the mid-twentieth century and told with beauty and tenderness, Robert Seethaler's A Whole Life is a story of a man's relationship with an ancient landscape, of the value of solitude, of the arrival of the modern world, and above all, of the moments, great and small, that make us who we are.

“From the very first page, you know it’s about to rearrange your mental universe. It is a breathtaking, heartbreaking story that encapsulates a universe of change, loss, resilience.” —The Millions

“A compact work of grace and beauty.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Heartrending and heartwarming . . . For all its gentleness, a very powerful novel.” —Jim Crace