Damon Galgut presents The Promise in conversation with James Wood

Winner of the 2021 Booker Prize, Damon Galgut’s The Promise (Europa Editions) is an epic drama that unfurls against the unrelenting march of national history, a modern family saga written in gorgeous prose. Haunted by an unmet promise, the Swart family loses touch after the death of their matriarch. Adrift, the lives of the three siblings move separately through the uncharted waters of South Africa: Anton, the golden boy who bitterly resents his life’s unfulfilled potential; Astrid, whose beauty is her power; and the youngest, Amor, whose life is shaped by a nebulous feeling of guilt. Reunited by four funerals over three decades, the dwindling family reflects the atmosphere of its country — one of resentment, renewal, and, ultimately, hope. Galgut was joined in conversation by James Wood, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of How Fiction Works.

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