The Twilight World
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The Twilight World
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Narrated by:
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Werner Herzog
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
The great filmmaker Werner Herzog, in his first novel, tells the incredible story of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who defended a small island in the Philippines for 29 years after the end of World War II.
In 1997, Werner Herzog was in Tokyo to direct an opera. His hosts asked him, 'Whom would you like to meet?' He replied instantly: Hiroo Onoda. Onoda was a former solider famous for having quixotically defended an island in the Philippines for decades after World War II, unaware the fighting was over. Herzog and Onoda developed an instant rapport and would meet many times, talking for hours and together unravelling the story of Onoda's long war.
At the end of 1944, on Lubang Island in the Philippines, with Japanese troops about to withdraw, Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda was given orders by his superior officer: Hold the island until the Imperial army's return. You are to defend its territory by guerrilla tactics, at all costs.... There is only one rule. You are forbidden to die by your own hand. In the event of your capture by the enemy, you are to give them all the misleading information you can. So began Onoda's long campaign, during which he became fluent in the hidden language of the jungle. Soon weeks turned into months, months into years and years into decades—until eventually time itself seemed to melt away. All the while Onoda continued to fight his fictitious war, at once surreal and tragic, at first with other soldiers, and then, finally, alone, a character in a novel of his own making.
In The Twilight World, Herzog immortalises and imagines Onoda's years of absurd yet epic struggle in an inimitable, hypnotic style—part documentary, part poem and part dream—that will be instantly recognisable to fans of his films. The result is a novel completely unto itself, a sort of modern-day Robinson Crusoe tale: a glowing, dancing meditation on the purpose and meaning we give our lives.
©2022 Werner Herzog (P)2022 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Twilight World
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 22-07-23
Stunningly good!
Problem is finding a book to follow it! An amazing story and brilliantly read. Herzog places you deep in the jungle
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rachel Bell
- 11-03-24
Strange and wonderful
More like a fairy story or a fever dream- such a strange and moving story. I would lister to Werner Herzog recite the phone directory, his voice is mesmerising.
Brilliant.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gianni Grassi
- 19-08-22
Amazing
I love Werner Herzog in any form of his expressions for so long and in this incredible story reading he is superb . Deeply recommend it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 12-07-22
Werner Herzog is a god amongst us.
Werner Herzog is a living god amongst us, perhaps the greatest human being who has ever lived. If not, at the very least, he is like a grandfather to me, the greatest grandfather who ever lived.
Carl Jung once said, ‘the greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of the parents.’
Herzog has lived a full life, and if anything he is teaching us the importance of NOT being a hollow wimpy academic, to walk the earth and get our hands dirty. What a tragedy to spend your entire life wafting throughout the dusty hallways of a university, never to experience an ounce of Herzog’s wonder and creativity.
Let Herzog be a spiritual guide.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. G. W. Howes
- 27-07-22
Extraordinary story about an extraordinary man.
Werner Herzog narrates his book for Audible. I was gripped from the opening chapter. But as well as being a thumping good listen, the final five to six minutes are very thought provoking. Highly recommended.
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1 person found this helpful