Germs

Written over a period of twenty years, philosopher Richard Wollheim’s daring memoir of his childhood comes alive in incandescent prose that recalls the sensibilities of Marcel Proust and W.G. Sebald.

Wollheim describes his childhood in a well-to-do household in England, in the twenties and thirties, where he was raised by nannies and governesses, and surrounded by culture and the cultural figures of the day, including Kurt Weill and the famous ballet master Diaghilev. His German-born father, who makes rare appearances, was an impresario in London. His mother was a former showgirl, whose obsessive daily cleaning of the house inspired the book’s title. Isolated from conventional parenting, and perhaps from love, Wollheim developed his own intense and unique view of the world as his creative imagination and overweening intelligence took shape.

Disturbing, profound, witty, Germs is spellbinding in its dark beauty and rich powers of recollection. Recently published in the U.K., the book is destined to become an international classic.