"A young Dutch geologist, Alfred Issendorf, is determined to win fame for making a great discovery. To this end he joins a small geological expedition to the far north of Norway where he hopes to be the first to identify craters made by meteorites in the landscape. It is a harsh and deserted environment, way beyond civilisation, which brings out all the faultlines in the group of young men and in Alfred's character. The tribulations mount- Alfred is unable to procure crucial aerial photographs, he falls on rocks, is soaked in a river, and is beset by mosquitoes and insomnia; the tent leaks appallingly. He is not a natural athlete, feeling incapable and superfluous to the group's needs. Alfred becomes desperate and paranoid, suspecting the others are leagued in conspiracy against him. Haunted by the ghost of his scientist father, unable to escape the looming influence of his mother, and anxious to complete the thesis that will make his name, Alfred's preoccupations multiply in this wilderness. As, piece by piece, his equipment is lost or ruined and his thinking becomes ever more disjointed, he moves towards the final act of vanity which will trigger a catastrophe. Sleep No

“In this moving tragicomedy,” an academic hoping to secure his reputation gains “self-knowledge . . . achieved at great cost” in this literary novel. (Publishers Weekly) Alfred Issendorf is a Dutch geology student obsessed with the thought of dying without a major scientific discovery to his name. Setting off on a geological expedition which brings him to Norway, Issendorf is out to prove that craters in the landscape are actually holes caused by the impact of meteorites. But his trip quickly turns sour: the unearthly atmosphere of the midnight sun makes him paranoid; nights are too hot; clouds of mosquitoes steal his sleep; he is exhausted. Suspicion takes over and he sees secret plots against his scientific work by everyone and everything. Haunted by down-and-out scientists, the ghost of his dead father, and apparitions of ancient animals, Issendorf's character is both naïve and cynical, ambitious and distrustful, grandiose and talentless and his story is one of adventure and discovery, psychology and pride. Beyond Sleep is a classic of post-war European literature: the saga of a man at the limits of the civilized world. “An exceptionally well-crafted novel. . . . [the characters are] wryly funny, and in that lies the novel's brilliance. —Booklist “An unusual and intriguing book, and a welcome introduction to the work of a neglected 20th-century master. —Kirkus Reviews "A novel of worldly disengagement trembling on the edge of tragedy, all the more comic for being related in Hermans' best poker-faced manner" —J.M. Coetzee, Nobel Prize Laureate

“I am here! Don’t worry! We have great doctors and excellent equipments. We have needed undaunted courage. We fight with death. Come! I will save you. You will have secured life.” Lena has been assaulted and she is hit hard. Now she is fighting for life. Destiny is cruel for me, Lena thought. Lena is voracious and unquenchable reader of news around the world. A flash of news reports in her memory is more disturbing. It is more hurting than her health. Where is the place of 'no death’? It is everywhere! One woman was executed in Hama province. It's an area controlled by Islamic State. Her hands and feet are tied with a rope. She is forced to kneel in a pit. She is covered head to toe. She begins to pray out loud as large rocks are seen striking her body.

His mother died giving birth to him, and now teenager Osemer comforts his dying father, who reassures him he can do anything he wants in life. Just before the father dies, he gives Osemer a special key that seems to produce noises, manifest mysterious characters, and make things move in his home, especially in the basement. He wonders if it is his imagination or a bad dream or a nightmare. Osemer hears voices during the day and even stranger things happen while he sleeps. He finds himself in a strange land, where he journeys with William and encounters a variety of animals. Their days are long and hard as they traverse valleys and see mountains and rivers. Everything revolves around the key Osemer’s father bestowed on him. Following Osemer’s adventures, Beyond Sleep explores the world of dreams, some of them so vivid one wonders if it is indeed real.

"Sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life, wellness, and longevity ... An explosion of scientific discoveries in the last twenty years has shed new light on this fundamental aspect of our lives. Now ... neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker gives us a new understanding of the vital importance of sleep and dreaming"--Amazon.com.

Dawn breaks over Vancouver and no one in the world has slept the night before, or almost no one. A few people, perhaps one in ten thousand, can still sleep, and they’ve all shared the same golden dream. After six days of absolute sleep deprivation, psychosis will set in. After four weeks, the body will die. In the interim, panic ensues and a bizarre new world arises in which those previously on the fringes of society take the lead. Paul, a writer, continues to sleep while his partner Tanya disintegrates before his eyes, and the new world swallows the old one whole.

a collection of writing reflecting the raw beauty and challenges of life with a baby in the house.