The book
Ambitious, immersive, a remarkable feat of imagination, Cathedral tells a sweeping story about obsession, mysticism, art, and earthly desire. It deftly combines historical fiction, the literary novel of ideas, and a tale of adventure and intrigue.
At the center of this story is the Cathedral. Its design and construction over decades in the town of Hagenburg unites a vast array of unforgettable characters whose fortunes are inseparable from the shifting political factions and economic interests vying for supremacy. Around this narrative center, Ben Hopkins has constructed his own monumental edifice, a novel that is rich with the vicissitudes of mercantilism, politics, religion, and human enterprise.
Fans of authors like Umberto Eco, Elif Shafak, Hilary Mantel, and Jose Saramago, and readers of first-rate historical fiction will delight at the atmosphere, the beautiful prose, and the vivid characters of Ben Hopkins’s Cathedral.
“Cathedral is a brilliantly organised mess of great, great characters. It is fascinating, fun, and gripping to the very end.”—Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
“A varied cast of hugely engaging characters jostle for status, rising and falling according to the whims of pirates and Popes. An immersive, old-fashioned read that rattles along at a cracking pace.”—Richard Beard, author of Lazarus is Dead and The Day That Went Missing
The author
Ben Hopkins
Ben Hopkins is a screenwriter, film-maker and novelist. He has lived in London and Istanbul and now lives in Berlin. His films include features and shorts, fiction and documentary, and have won awards at festivals such as Berlin, Locarno, Antalya and Toronto Hot Docs. Cathedral is his first novel.
Press
- Apr 20 2021
“A clever commentary on the ironies of history.”
— The New York Times Book Review - Mar 1 2021
“Sweeping and human.”
— The New Yorker - Jan 29 2021
“...a bright new talent on the historical fiction stage.”
— The Historical Novel Society - Jan 27 2021
“An expansive fictional epic.”
— Shelf Awareness (Starred Review) - Jan 23 2021
“A tale of ambition, obsession, desire, vanity and power.”
— USA Today - Jan 21 2021
“I was sorry when it came to an end.”
— ForeWord Reviews