The Wake: Man Booker Prize 2014 Longlist Edition Read online

  when we was in the brunnesweald nebbs all blaec hydan in the grene holt lic the afeart bucc oft i was thincan of my grandfather. a great man he was strong in all he wolde weep to see what angland has becum. efen he strong man that he was wolde weep lic a cilde to see us hidan there runnan from ingengas in our own land that is no longer our own land

  tales he wolde tell me of many things. of the great scips he seen cuman in from the sea with the wilde denes all afyr callan for the blud of their gods. of eald aethelred cyng he who broc us of the great death at maldon the sea druncen with anglisc blud. of cnut who was denisc then becum anglisc and other tales from farther baec of the time of his grandfather of great aelfred and of aethelstan of the eald wundors of angland

  of this haeric star i was specan but my grandfather a great tall man he was hwit beard hwit haer his own sweord all on the beam of his hus what becum my hus. he wolde spec micel of the eald daegs of the anglisc of our folcs cuman here to these grene lands from across the wid sea. and those daegs he wolde always sae those daegs was best for our folc for we was as one agan the ingenga and we was free. no thegns there was then no preosts no crist no cyng of angland but free men alone in the wilde tacan the land men in freodom not in thrall. marc this he saes this is how angland moste always be gif no geld lysten to no law if thu can run from it for always they will cum to tac from thu what is thine always the gerefa the thegn the wapentac the eorl the cyng always this thought is in them what can i get from these free men how can i tac from them and cepe them down. mor years of this saes my grandfather mor years of this and we will be thralls lic the wealsc tac heed

  thu will see why i tells thu these things but lysten now the haeric star

  o but why sceolde i spec now of these things why sceolde i tell thu all is gan now all is too laet. what can cum now by specan of these things at efry teorn the gods was agan us

  for so long i felt sum thing was cuman try to lif thy lif when sum thing is cuman when ahead of thu on the path is sum deorcness. try to lif lic this none can lif lic this the deorcness waitan for thu i will not tell thu mor i can not

  no i will go on i will tell it i moste

  it is early in the mergen it is gan eostur now when the land waecens from winter all the land is cuman open all is grene and waecnan. water crows is callan in the fenn the alor treow is grene haras is in the felds fugols in the water and the heofon there is micel goodness here beyond what man has macd. my folc was in the fenns before the crist cum to angland this ground is in our bodigs deop

  two geburs i had to worc for me on my land these geburs was bound first to my father they did not loc up to him none did but they locd up to me for what i done. they was bound to me two daegs in efry wice and three daegs at haerfest

  this mergen early with the sunne high in the heofon the wind clene a wundor it is to be in the fenns in these times a wundor it was before the beornan cum. this mergen i was on my land i was sean to my geburs they was sawan flax. one man he was called gamel i had put him to haro the blaec ground with blaec thorn twigges the other he was called asger he was sawan the seed after. this asger i moste tac care of always for he was an esol of a man. bound to me he was but it wolde be better sum times for my swine to do this worc so dumb was he

  thu will haf my wifman to answer to if this does not cum up i saes to this gebur. my wifman she colde spin flax from all of angland so micel linen does she mac if there is no flax i will haf no scyrte and thu will haf no hands a blue feld i wants to see two month from now. asger he saes naht to this only locs at me. to be triewe to him i wolde haf to sae that asger is a good man though with no wifman and no cildren thus he must worc for me but his hus is not the wyrst still he is a gebur and dumb lic a hund

  there was a barn by my hus and ofer the winter sum timber had gan rotin and i was needan to see to this. i was about to be leafan this asger to his luc when i hierde the sound of folc from the path what cum ofer the fenn from the ham

  buccmaster cums this call buccmaster and ecceard is cuman up to me under the welig and alor treows from the west and not alone. ecceard has with him two men from the wapentac of course i is thincan they is cuman to put sum thing on me

  this is my ground ecceard i saes and there is naht thu has on me. i can find twentig oath helpers in one daeg to spec agan what efer thu puts on me do not cum here with these men to afryht me on my own ground my grandfathers sweord is in my hus i is a free man

  ecceard cums to me with these two ealdors eadbert it is from crugland where there is a great abbodrice and also lidmann of the holt by durwins water. these is high men of the wapentac nefer has i seen them near this ham befor

  buccmaster of holland saes ecceard thu is thincan wrong now loc thu cnawan these men. he is right i cnawan these men lic them i has a seat on the wapentac as a great man i greets them well now as i seen they is cum in freondscipe

  buccmaster saes ecceard how is it thu is worcan on thy ground lic it is any daeg

  thy ham is all afeart saes this lidmann all hams in these parts is

  sum thing is cuman saes ecceard this is what thu saed buccmaster thu spac to me of sum fugol and i mocced thu well it colde be this was wrong of me

  it cannot be seen from this ground saes eadbert he is locan to the heofon all these treows

  lic him i locs to the heofon then and my geburs they locs too

  the fugol is baec i saes does thu smerc now ecceard

  no saes ecceard no there is no fugol cum with me we moste go a lytel way. he walcs then ofer to my hus and past my hus and my barn we gan beyond the ox hege and to the east of the strips to the ecg of the holt where i has my swine

  now loc saes ecceard and i locs baec ofer to where these geburs sceolde be sawan my flax but they has cum with me and i cannot harm them now for the heofon has sum thing greater for all of us and it is scinan lic another sunne efen in the daegs bryhtness

  what is this fuccan thing i saes

  this is a haeric star saes lidmann buccmaster of holland it is cum to spec to us

  we is telt thu seen sum other sign before saes eadbert a fugol

  this is triewe i saes it was wid lic a hus it spac to me it breathed fyr it saed buccmaster of holland sum thing is cuman

  this fugol spac thy name saes eadbert in sum wundor. of course i colde haf saed mor but loc at this haeric star. the daeg was high and clere but this star it was bright lic the mona as if it was mid night and lic the mona it cum ofer the heofon and from it a tael lic fethras

  we has spoc to the preost saes eadbert he has hierde from the biscop this haeric star it is bad for angland

  the preost i saes thu might as well spec to my oxen

  buccmaster thu will not spec these things to the men of the wapentac saes ecceard and he specs to me lic it is a warnan

  it is the cyng saes lidmann then and he specs lic a man what is dragged from water

  what saes ecceard

  it is this cyng the crist is agan him

  spec not this way of our cyng saes eadbert

  well there is none to hiere in this fenn the biscop specs thus when there is none to hiere. this cyng he is not of cyngs blud he brings the frenc man and the dene on us for his corona now there is this haeric star the crist is tellan us our cyng has synned

  harald godwineson is our cyng saes ecceard gifan the corona by a witan of triewe anglisc men. who wolde thu haf as thy cyng there is none other he is an anglisc man a man of wessex not to be tacan from his place by ingengas

  the crist will tac him if he ceoses saes lidmann there has not been a thing lic this in angland that any lifan has seen. fugols specan to thy socman here now this haeric star in the heofon

  sum thing is cuman i saes i has telt thu

  then it may be sige saes ecceard sige for angland

  thu will lysten next time ecceard i saes

  this is from the deoful saes lidmann it is from the deoful

  so thu seen what men was lic in these lands thu seen they was not ready for what was cuman. i saes men but they was mor lic wi
fmen sum of them runnan lic cycens round their ground not ready for fuccan their wifmen not ready for what was cuman all afeart of sum star. but who wants to see what is cuman who wants to see if what is cuman is blaec lic the graef. none wants to see all wants to haro and plough and drinc and fucc lic the blaec will nefer cum

  lif is a raedel for dumb folc but the things i has seen it is not lic they sae. the bocs and the preosts the bells the laws of the crist it is not lic they sae

  to the cros road i walc to the wilde cros road by the wilde grene holt where there is no hus of man and at the cros road a man hangs from a pal for crimes agan his folc by law of the wapentac after ordeal and beneath this pal is an other man and this man he lifs

  this man capd he is in grene and he wers upon his heafod a wid hat and until i is near i can not see his nebb. and then he teorns to me he locs at me with his one eage one beornan eage

  upon the pal then there is a raefen

  from the holt then a wulf calls to an other

  this man then he specs to me he saes only one word

  it is lic my grandfather saed to me lic what i saed to ecceard to these wapentac men this hwit crist he lies. it is hard to sae these things they moste be saed in thy hus only if thu is hierde the preost and the thegn and the gerefa and the wapentac they will tac thu down. but it is lic my grandfather saed before the crist cum our folcs gods was of anglisc wind and water now this ingenga god from ofer the sea this god he tacs from us what we is. there is sum of us saes my grandfather still cepan alyf the eald gods of angland efen in these times and he wolde spec to me of these things when my father was not lystnan a thrall was he to those who wolde tac from him what macd him man

  this is not of what i was specan not of my father of him i does not spec but it seems to me thu moste cnaw it was the crist and the bastard what toc from me what i was what i is for men of all places was afeart of both. all is afeart in this world is not fear what cepes the gebur from cwellan the thegn who cepes him down is not fear what cepes us from slittan the throtas of the preosts when they tells us we is born to die that we synns by fuccan or drincan is not fear what macs us hyd lic hunds liccan our beallucs when we is telt

  angland was not in synn angland was in fear

  now the bastard he grows fatt on it

  sum daegs it was after this time sum daegs after the haeric star. folcs in the ham was runnan around cloccan lic cycens for all the time this star was in the heofon and for ecceard at last there was sum thing to do in cepan these men stille for there was lytel worc done while this star was with us. my geburs they was moanan lic the ox in the lihtnen storm they muttered and loced to the heofon all the daeg lic this star wolde fall on them lic the crist wolde cum up abuf the alor treows to stric me down and tac them from their worc to his fathers hus

  well the crist nefer cum for them as the crist nefer cums for no man. the haeric star it beorned for one wice but the cyng was still the cyng by the end and angland was still angland and my gebur asger was still dumb lic my swine and the sunne it cum up as it cum up for my grandfather but still i cnawan this was not the end of this thing for had there not been sum time betweon the cuman of the fugol and the cuman of this star and had not that time seemed lic ten years past or ten years to cum. yes and all was well but all was soon not to be well and i colde see this colde feel this colde feel this lic i colde feel the regn cuman. i colde feel things what other men was too dumb to see this is how i still lifs while others from that ham is rottan in the ground this is why i was cyng of the grene holt lic my sistor wolde sae my brothor thu is not lic other men

  i is not specan neither of my sistor to thu these is not things to be specan to thu

  but loc after one wice this star was gan. i cum out of my hus early in the daeg the grasses is wet with dew lic hwit silc ofer my land the sunne risan to the heofon the fugols callan the treows wacan all is fresh and grene and open no man is to be seen or hierde only the greatness of the fenn and all its lif

  so i cum out one wice or mor after this star was in the heofon and i locs for this star as i had efry daeg since it cum and this star is gan and all is as it was in the heofon and on the land. and i has my swine to loc to and there is madder to be sawan but i is wantan to cnaw if there is any men in the ham has not hyd in their hus or run to the holt for fear of this star so leafan the hus to my wifman and my cildren i walcs the path to the ham

  in the ham i was hopan to see all those cycan men runnan i wolde haf smerced at this i wolde haf thought ah buccmaster of holland safe thu is on thy land and strong while these lytel men is runnan from stars but this was not what i seen. there was a stillness in the ham on this mergen the mergen after the haeric star had gan from angland a stillness lic the fenn in winter lic a curse was gan from the land

  our ham was lytel it was not sum great tun there was six hus on the straet and sum four mor hus set baec from it around fenn and feld but no mor than this a lytel place only and what was good it had no circe. a preost there was who cum oft to lie to us for there is no part of angland now can hyd from these things but there was no hus of the crist. efry sunnandaeg men of this ham must go ofer three miles of fenn to the circe at bacstune there to be sung to of hel and of all the things that they moste do efry daeg to cepe them selfs from it. many lic ecceard and others on the wapentac seen that i was not at the circe on many daegs and this did not mac them blithe and sum there was talcced of ordeal for me and saed this was not right and that sum thing moste be done for the crist was mocced. and i belyf sum thing might haf been done i belief sum thing was cuman for me that the men of the crist was cuman for me wolde do sum thing to cepe me down in the eages of the folc to cepe the eald gods down but then the beornan cum and all was broc

  so in the ham on this daeg in the bright mergen there was sum stillness and i seen why as i cum to the gathran place where the straet from the west cum in. the folc of the ham had stopped worc though in this ham there was little worc done on any daeg this was why my geburs was so weac. there is sum thing in this fenn macs sum men weac. esols they is here cycan men it is best to cepe awaeg from them. but on this mergen they is gathered round sum other folc all is there efen ecceard as i cum up he locs up lic he does not want me there

  buccmaster he saes buccmaster of holland it is early to see thu

  what of it ecceard i saes

  he saes naht gretans that is all my freond

  the star is gan ecceard

  the star is gan buccmaster and sum thing has cum

  saltmen

  they has cum with tidans

  the star did not beorn for saltmen this fugol did not call for saltmen

  well loc buccmaster they is here

  saltmen has cum on this mergen to the ham from the pans at offerthun on the saltpath from the east. they pans salt from the wid sea and they tacs it all across holland they cuts it efry man cnawan this they is not to be trusted but still it is bought to cepe the mete of the swine through the winter

  there is two saltmen i cnawan i has seen them before but now there is sum other man i has not seen before and it is this one what is specan and all is gathred round him. he is a thynne fello eald in his loc a long cenep but no beard he is lic sum ghast. nebb long and hwit haer thynne he is not yonge and i sees cwic that he is no saltman neither though he has cum with them. this is a gleoman a teller of tales bringer of tidans from other places

  if this gleoman does bring tidans he first has dumb folc to spec to so i moste stand and lysten to his rot and his raedels or they will be restless for they is dumb folc in this ham and to laugh is all they wants they wolde be blithe to haf naht but laughter and fuccan and ealu all their lytel lifs

  ah i is a freond to all wifmen saes this gleoman he is holdan this lytel throng with his words

  my stem is hard he saes in a bed it is standan proud

  all these esols they laughs hard at this

  i is haeric under neath

  coughan and spittan

  and now sum girl she tacs me in her hand she holds me
hard she runs her hwit hand along my hard stem

  they is almost ceocan now

  and she peels me and she tacs my heafod in her mouth

  the gleoman is blithe with himself here. it moste be the same in all hams all ofer angland when he specs this raedel. sum of these geburs they is almost rollan on the ground it is hard not to cicc them

  and lo i will mac that girls eages water

  a pintel cries sum dumb gebur thu is a pintel

  thu is dumb saes his freond this is what thu is meant to thinc it is a raedel

  a hund saes sum other is it a hund

  a fuccan hund thu is a hund

  i is saes the gleoman puttan an end to this with a roll of his eald heafod a leac

  a leac a leac saes all these fools as if they had always cnawan. well i will not listan to mor of this scit i is a socman with three oxgangs

  gleoman i saes does thu bring tidans

  this gleoman then he locs at me and his eages is strong this one he is not a dumb man

  tidans i saes what of this haeric star what of angland

  of angland he saes now what is angland

  do not be dumb i saes i is a socman of these parts i is not sum gebur to be mocced with raedels tell us what tidans of angland now that we has seen such things in this land

  of angland he saes i can tell thu naht. i colde tell thu of hams in wessex in the land of the golden wyrm and of the hwit clifs in the south where they locs ofer the sea in fear and i colde tell thu of the holtmen of the andredesweald who belyfs they is safe beneath the great ac treows. i colde tell thu of the great blaec duns what macs a line betweon mierce and the wealsc and i colde tell thu also of where the tees runs a deop deorc ea what foams ofer the fells of the north where the hams of the folc is cold beneath. i colde tell thu of west wealas where the folc specs a tunge spoc by no anglisc and where blaec folcs in scips from hot lands tacs their men efry daeg to be thralls far from this ground in their land of dust. but i colde not tell thu of angland for this word is too lytel for all the folc of this land to lif within