The Empusium

The Nobel Prize-winner’s latest work is a riveting, humorous tale of mystery that takes misogyny to task. In September 1913, Mieczyslaw, a student suffering from tuberculosis, arrives at a health resort in what is now western Poland. Every day, its residents gather in the dining room to imbibe the hallucinogenic local liqueur, to obsess over money and status, and to discuss the great issues of the day: will there be war? Do devils exist? Are women inherently inferior?

But disturbing events are happening in the guesthouse and its surroundings. Someone—or something—seems to be infiltrating their world. As our student attempts to decipher the sinister forces at work, little does he realise they have already chosen their next target.

As in her acclaimed novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, Tokarczuk blends horror story, comedy, folklore, and feminist parable with brilliant storytelling.

‘A dark, feminist novel—atmospheric, creepy, and absolutely perfect.’ LitHub

‘A potent blend of horror tropes and literary references (Franz Kafka, Thomas Mann)...Readers will find much to savour.’ Publishers Weekly

‘One among a very few signal European novelists of the past quarter-century.’ Economist

’The Empusium is an emphatic triumph—a feast of culture, both literary and popular, highbrow and low, that shows Tokarczuk writing at the peak of her powers and enjoying every moment of it…I was in thrall to this from the first page.’ Bram Presser, Sydney Morning Herald