 The Invisible Ones - Karel van Loon
Min Thein, a lawyer in a sleepy provincial town in
Burma, has struggled to avoid confrontation with
his country’s military regime, despite defending
its victims. But when he incurs the wrath of the
district commander, he is shadowed, intimidated
and thwarted – he loses his country, his wife and
his sight. In this gripping novel about the life of
a refugee, harrowing descriptions of the fate of
Burma’s political prisoners blend with Buddhist
myth, lyrical descriptions of the land and
memories of a carefree childood.
The Invisible Ones is translated from Dutch by
David Colmer, supported by the Foundation for
the Production and Translation of Dutch Literature
'A timely novel... as compelling an example of witness fiction as one might hope to find.' - The Independent
‘This remarkable Dutch novelist is not just one to watch – he is one to live by’- The Times
‘The accessibility that van Loon achieves in
his work, and which flows forth by itself from
his fluid natural writing style, is another plus
point . . . a movingly told story’
- Spitz
'A beautiful evocation of a lost land... It is quite simply stunning' - New Books Magazine
About the Author
KAREL VAN LOON researched this book while
living for three months among Burmese refugees
in Mae Sot, Thailand. He is the acclaimed author of
three novels which have been translated into many
languages; A Father’s Affair was published in the
UK by Canongate in 2002. He was born in Holland
in 1962 and died in July 2005.
Publication date for The Invisible Ones: 2nd July 2006
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