Support Ukraine through donations here

Shopping Cart

Your cart is empty

Continue Shopping

Norbert Gstrein

The English Years

€12,00

A literary masterpiece, a reclusive author and a war-time mystery. Gabriel Hirschfelder is a literary icon, his book an acknowledged masterpiece. He is living out his days in Southend-on-Sea. But fame has come at a price. He fled Vienna shortly before the outbreak of war, and in 1940 he was classified an "undesirable alien" and sent to a camp with other internees on the Isle of Man. The friends he made there changed his life for ever. Who were Lomnitz and Ossovsky? And who was the fourth man, Harrasser? Was he really deported to Canada or was he murdered? What happened on the Isle of Man to haunt Hirschfelder to his dying day? After his death, a young woman happens to meet his third and last wife and her curiosity is aroused. Her own ex-husband was obsessed with Hirschfelder, so she already knows a little bit about him. But now she feels impelled to make contact with the other women in his life. Her search brings to light many surprises as she uncovers a story with far-reaching implications for Hirschfelder's posthumous reputation. The English Years is a brilliant novel which combines the literary invention of Paul Auster with the European cultural sensibility of W.G. Sebald.

Secondhand book, very good condition
Format: Hardcover
Published: in UK in 2003
Publisher: Harvill Press
Pages: 320
Language: English
ISBN 13: 9781860469466
ISBN 10: 1860469469

Shipping & Delivery

Please allow us 24-48 hours to prepare your order. Once your order is ready to be dispatched, we will send it via Deutsche Post DHL which quotes the following delivery times:


Within Germany: 3-5 working days
Within Europe: 7-10 working days

We currently only ship to countries in Europe and the United Kingdom. If you have a request for shipping to another area of the world, please contact us at shakespeareandsons@gmail.com.

Refunds & Returns

At Shakespeare & Sons you can shop with confidence. We are happy to provide a refund or voucher of equal value where the goods are returned within 21 days of purchase unused, in original condition, accompanied by proof of purchase.

To return an online order within the refund policy period, please contact us and we will then give you instructions on how best to return your order so we can process your refund.

To return an in store purchase, please bring the purchased item and proof of receipt into the store, within 21 days of purchase.

Please note we do not offer discretionary exchange or refunds on Gift Vouchers, Sale Items, or damaged products. 

Gift Wrap & Cards

Shakespeare & Sons offer gift wrapping and greeting cards. To have your items gift wrapped, head to our Gift Wrap collection, choose the paper you prefer and add it to your cart. We will wrap the items for you and send them to the address you have submitted or have it ready in store for you to collect (depending on what option you select at check out).

Check out our Greeting Card collection here. If you would like us to include a message in your selected card, forward your purchase confirmation onto shakespeareandsons@gmail.com with some words and we will add these in for you. 

We're here to help

Can't find what you're looking for?

If the book you're after is not displayed on our website or is 'sold out' please feel free to contact us at shakesandsonsberlin@gmail.com or come into the store and we can let you know the cost of ordering it and expected arrival time.

The English Years

€12,00