Reinhardt's Garden

In this delightfully dense, fast-paced comedy with notes of László Krasznahorkai and Saul Bellow, Jacov and his scribe cross continents in search of the legendary prophet of melancholic philosophy.

At the turn of the twentieth century, as he composes a treatise on melancholy, Jacov Reinhardt sets off from his small Croatian village in search of his hero and unwitting mentor, Emiliano Gomez Carrasquilla, who is rumored to have disappeared into the South American jungle—“not lost, mind you, but retired.” Jacov’s narcissistic preoccupation with melancholy consumes him, and as he desperately recounts the myth of his journey to his trusted but ailing scribe, hope for an encounter with the lost philosopher who holds the key to Jacov’s obsession seems increasingly unlikely.

From Croatia to Germany, Hungary to Russia, and finally to the Americas, Jacov and his companions grapple with the limits of art, colonialism, and escapism in this antic debut where dark satire and skewed history converge.

Publication date: October 1, 2019 

Format: Trade Paper

Dimensions: 5 x 7.75

Page count: 168 pages 

ISBN: 9781566895620

Mark Haber was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Florida. His debut novel, Reinhardt’s Garden (2019, Coffee House Press), was longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award. His second novel, Saint Sebastian’s Abyss (2022, Coffee House Press), was named a best book of 2022 by the New York Public Library and Literary Hub. Mark's fiction has appeared in Guernica, Southwest Review, and Air/Light, among others. Mark lives in Minneapolis.

Longlisted for the 2020 PEN/Hemingway Award for a Debut Novel

A Texas Observer Best Texas Book of the Decade

A Millions Most Anticipated of 2019

“A strange but lavishly imagined tale of a hard-to-describe feeling.”

—Kirkus

“An exhilarating fever dream about the search for the secret of melancholy. . . . Haber’s dizzying vision dextrously leads readers right into the melancholic heart of darkness.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Heart of Darkness viewed in a fun house mirror.” 

—Library Journal

“Haber, who has been called 'one of the most influential yet low-key of tastemakers in the book world,' is about to raise it up a level with the debut of his novel.” 

—The Millions

“An enchanting story of satirical wit, dark humor, and luminous creativity. . . . an exhilarating grand adventure of passion, obsession and lunacy.”

—The Literary Review

“Outstanding . . . the descent into the heart of darkness at the very core of modernity.” 

—BOMB Magazine

“Hilarious and thrilling. . . . this novel may look like something new, but it reads like that timeless treat, a rollicking good yarn.” 

—The Star Tribune

“The cynicism of Haber’s book is tempered with a sweetness that gives it a lovely balance. . . . an innovative piece of fiction.” 

—The Houston Chronicle

“An absurdist delight, a grand adventure of passion and lunacy, a brilliant book about melancholy that is anything but doleful.”

—Texas Monthly

“There is a strange, beautiful aesthetic in the spun thread of tightly, smoothly laminated prose. . . . to accomplish this art in narration, and Haber has, is masterful, touching on genius.” 

—Lone Star Literary Life

“Written in one long paragraph, this feels more like a long, frantic piano piece, or like cutting through the jungle with a machete, and I recommend it to fearless readers everywhere.”

 —Fernando A. Flores

“In prose as sure as a poison-laced dart, Mark Haber takes the reader on a delirious journey to the heart of melancholy.” 

—Sjón

“Melancholy has never felt more euphoric.” 

—Hernan Diaz

“An adventurous journey into the country of melancholy. A fascinating dissection of human vulnerability.”

—Guadalupe Nettel

“Reinhardt’s Garden is one of those perfect books that looks small and exotic and melancholic from the outside but, once in, is immense and exultant in the best possible way.” 

—Rodrigo Fresán