The jump artist - Austin Ratner

Austin Ratner's superbly crafted, prize-winning novel The Jump Artist tells the story of one of the twentieth century's most renowned artists -- and a murder trial that shook Europe.

'A bold and wondrous combination of dark history and beautifully delicate psychology' A D Miller, author of Booker Prize Shortlisted Snowdrops

'In The Jump Artist Austin Ratner gives life to a story both emblematic of the horror at the heart of the 20th century and absolutely personal in its particulars - the extraordinary life of Philippe Halsman. A terrific debut'
Anna Funder, author of Stasiland

Austria, 1928. A young man stands unjustly accused of murdering his father. Albert Einstein and Thomas Mann speak out on his behalf. Sigmund Freud is called to testify. The trial that ensues, in which he attempts to clear his name, sends shockwaves throughout Europe. In this crucible of injustice and grief, one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century is formed.

From prison cell and psychological trauma to bohemian Paris at its height and Europe on the eve of war, from tragedy and injustice to freedom and, eventually, to fame, this is the story of The Jump Artist.

In this superbly crafted, prize-winning novel, Austin Ratner recreates the remarkable true story of Philippe Halsman, a photographer whose portraits of some of the greatest names of our times - Dal, Einstein and Monroe among them - ensured his enduring fame, but whose renown masked a shocking tragedy that haunted him throughout his life, and a remarkable journey from darkness into the light...

'A remarkable work [that] documents a triumph of the human spirit over tremendous adversity' Harper's

'Tremendous resonance ... one of the most promising debuts of the year' Publishers' Weekly

'A beautifully scrupulous, intricately detailed novel about joy and despair ... like a great photograph, it seems to miss nothing, and to catch its subject in all his complexity' Charles Baxter, author of The Soul Thief

Austin Ratner studied at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, having previously graduated from John Hopkins School of Medicine. The Jump Artist won the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature in 2010. It is his first novel.