Times in Cornwall

Wolfgang Hildesheimer
translated by Nicola Barnes

This subtly experimental memoir of the celebrated twentieth century German playwright, novelist and artist’s Times in Cornwall is translated here for the first time by Nicola Barnes.

Wolfgang Hildesheimer (1916-91) was a German Jew who fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s, travelling to Britain and studying at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. From here he made trips to Cornwall, staying to work in and around the artist communities of St Ives, Port Isaac and Mousehole. Times in Cornwall is a playful, meditative reflection on this period, written when Hildesheimer revisited Cornwall in the 1960s.

Hildesheimer is associated with the Theatre of the Absurd and was a member of Gruppe 47. His best known works, translated into English, include a biography of Mozart and the novel Tynset.

Times in Cornwall includes an introduction by the translator and cover art by Hildesheimer. It is printed on Mohawk Superfine papers, section sewn and produced in Cornwall.