The Horrific Sufferings Of The Mind-Reading Monster Hercule Barefoot: His Wonderful Life And His Terrible Hatred (Vallgren, Carl-Johan)
All books are secondhand and in good condition unless otherwise stated in the description below
Guaranteed Safe Checkout
The Horrific Sufferings of the Mind-Reading Monster Hercule Barefoot: His Wonderful Life and His Terrible Hatred
About This Book
Condition & Size
📖 Condition: Score 6.5/10 Good-Very Good
Observations: Random House complimentary sticker on the front page
📏 Size: Format C (Large Format 138x216/156x234mm) Paperback
Summary
Pitiably misshapen, a mind-reading midget struggles toward transcendent beauty in this lacerating yet lyrical fable set in the bordellos, monasteries and asylums of 19th-century Europe.
In the first English translation of his eight books, Swedish author Vallgren works wonders. Psychic cousin to the Elephant Man, Hercules is born under the darkest of stars; in Immanuel Kant’s hometown of Königsberg, he’s hatched as an affront to every sunny dream of the Age of Reason, nightmare child of a prostitute who dies delivering him— stunted, mute, earless, practically armless, his back “covered with black hair as thick as a goat’s.” Down the hall in the love shack known as Your House of Desires, the Beauty to his Beast arrives simultaneously, sweet Henriette, his soulmate. He penetrates with oracular empathy Henriette’s heart and that of any kind soul: Hercules not only senses their deepest desires, but silently empowers them to act on them. Denounced by the townsfolk, however, as the Devil’s offspring, he’s booted from Königsberg after psychically solving a whore’s murder, much to the burg’s embarrassment. After languishing in an asylum, he’s rescued by a monk who fosters the deaf wunderkind’s freakish talent: Hercules soars at the organ, playing with his toes. From his sanctuary, then, he’s wrenched, as peasants storm the gates to eject the “monster.” His picaresque quest unfolds, harrowing adventure after adventure, all in service of his heart’s longing for Henriette. From Rome to Copenhagen to Martha’s Vineyard, where he dies at 101, Hercules ventures, all the while conjuring in those around him inner disturbances that change their lives. Dostoevsky’s Prince Myshkin and Jerzy Kosinski’s Chauncy Gardener are Hercules’s literary forebears; he joins them as an unforgettable hero, an unsettling miracle-worker whose path to love is filled with incredible pain.
A truly fantastic tale of a heartbreaking saint.
About ReadMatter: Your Online Bookshop for Secondhand Books
At ReadMatter, we’re all about bringing books to life and connecting stories with readers across South Africa. We stock over 10,000 books and 4,000 authors at any time, with a massive reservoir of 100,000 additional titles available on request. Whether you're searching for a beloved classic or a hidden gem, we’re here to help you find your next great read.
Since we started in 2019, we’ve delivered over 15,000 books to readers all across the country. Every week, we add more than 250 new books to our website, ensuring there’s always something new to discover. With a monthly sell-through rate of 30%, 1 in 3 books you see today will find a new home within a month—so don’t wait too long to grab your favourites!
The stat we’re most proud of? Our perfect 5-star Google rating and 100% positive customer satisfaction on Bobshop. These reflect our commitment to delivering not just books, but also happiness and joy to every reader.
We’re big enough to deliver anywhere in South Africa with a street address but small enough to care deeply about every book we send out. At ReadMatter, every order makes a difference. Join us in celebrating the magic of stories and the joy of reading.