The Impostor

Javier Cercas was born in 1962. He is a novelist, short-story writer and columnist, whose books include Soldiers of Salamis (which sold more than a million copies worldwide, won six literary awards in Spain and was filmed by David Trueba), The Tenant and The Motive, The Speed of Light and The Anatomy of a Moment. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. He lives in Barcelona.

‘[The Impostor] vibrates with an insomniac energy . . . it has the hot, charged energy of sitting through a trial . . . The language is precise, distinctive and delicious.’ New York Times

‘A fascinating, highly charged, scalpel-sharp dissection.’ The Times

‘The Impostor is a humane, artistically responsible and civilised book, one that you finish feeling heartened that such a serious-minded writer as Cercas is at work.’ Sunday Times

‘No Spanish writer has probed the unhealed wounds of the country’s history with more subtlety and rigour than Mr Cercas.’ Economist

‘Besides being a piece of nifty journalistic detective work, Cercas’ book is an insightful psychological study . . . Both convincing and compelling.’ Spectator

‘Javier Cercas is one of Europe’s most serious and attractive writers . . . Cercas is not content with the easy story, in this case the unmasking of a false hero. He boldly searches for the hidden truths of his elusive subject and his times.’ Literary Review

‘Masterly . . . Cercas probes this mysterious and extraordinary life with uncommon patience, uncommon skill and uncommon sympathy.’ Scotsman

‘Truth and fiction blend in an outstanding novel about a Holocaust impostor.’ Sunday Times “Must Reads”