Beyond Sleep

W. F. Hermans · 1921–1995 · Netherlands

Originally Nooit meer slapen (Dutch)

Why it matters

A geology student treks into arctic Norway chasing a doctoral thesis on meteor craters and unravels amid exhaustion, rivalry, and farce. Hermans's bleakly comic study of ambition curdling into futility.

At a glance

Clear prose, but mounting absurdity and irony reward sustained attention.