The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance

by Edmund de Waal
5 stars 0 comments

The history of a family through 264 objects - set against a turbulent century - from an acclaimed writer and potter

Available Formats

Synopsis

264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them larger than a matchbox: potter Edmund de Waal was entranced when he first encountered the collection in the Tokyo apartment of his great uncle Iggie. Later, when Edmund inherited the 'netsuke', they unlocked a story far larger than he could ever have imagined... The Ephrussis came from Odessa, and at one time were the largest grain exporters in the world; in the 1870s, Charles Ephrussi was part of a wealthy new generation settling in Paris. Charles's passion was collecting; the netsuke, bought when Japanese objets were all the rage in the salons, were sent as a wedding present to his banker cousin in Vienna. Later, three children - including a young Ignace - would play with the netsuke as history reverberated around them. The Anschluss and Second World War swept the Ephrussis to the brink of oblivion. Almost all that remained of their vast empire was the netsuke collection, dramatically saved by a loyal maid when their huge Viennese palace was occupied. In this stunningly original memoir, Edmund de Waal travels the world to stand in the great buildings his forebears once inhabited. He traces the network of a remarkable family against the backdrop of a tumultuous century and tells the story of a unique collection.

Editorial Reviews

"From a hard and vast archival mass...Mr de Waal has fashioned, stroke by minuscule stroke, a book as fresh with detail as if it had been written from life, and as full of beauty and whimsy as a netsuke from the hands of a master carver." - The Economist

"This remarkable book... a meditation on touch, exile, space and the responsibility of inheritance... like the netsuke themselves, this book is impossible to put down. you have in your hands a masterpiece." - Frances Wilson, The Sunday Times

"Few writers have ever brought more perception, wonder and dignity to a family story as has Edmund de Waal in a narrative that beguiles from the opening sentence" - Eileen Battersby, Irish Times

"Part treasure hunt, part family saga, Edmund de Waal's richly original memoir spans nearly two centuries and covers half the world" - Evening Standard

"A book that combines the charm of a personal memoir with the resonance of world history." - Rosemary Hill, The Scotsman

"[de Waal) weaves together with great delicacy various strands of the lives of a glamorous dynasty" - Gerald Jacobs, The Telegraph

"The miracle of this book is that, by the end, we do learn the itinerant life of this collection. How did the netsuke escape the Gestapo? How did they return to the family and move to Tokyo? The answers, like much in this book, are incredible" - Frances Spalding, The Independent

"Unputdownable, exquisitely crafted family memoir about the fortuned of a collection of Japanese figurines" - The Sunday Times Summer Reading

"Objects have always been... stolen, retrieved and lost. It is how you tell their story that really matters.' He has told their story wonderfully. Oh, and this is a beautiful and unusual book, as a physical object. Someone really cared." - Veronica Horwell, Guardian

"This book (is) every bit as exquisite as the diminutive sculptures that inspired it" - Daragh Reddin, Metro

Click to rate 0 stars

Your Reviews

Comment

Comments as a guest, or become a member - Log in or Register

Edmund de Waal Books

More

Others Also Viewed