A witty novel of 'sublime simplicity' about an alcoholic vagrant who has a series of lucky breaks that lift him briefly onto a different plane of existence.

'One of the greatest European novelists of the century' Sunday Times Andreas is an alcoholic and a vagrant who lives under a bridge. Downtrodden, submerged at the bottom of society, he lives a fortuitous life - dictated by happenstance and the whims of others - until a run of exceptionally good luck lifts him, briefly, onto a different plane of existence. First published after Roth's death in 1939, The Legend of the Holy Drinker is haunting and melancholic, yet filled with empathy. A secular miracle-tale, it is an unforgettable testament to Roth's lucidity and compassion.

"A short, boozy, perfectly cut gem of a story... Translated and introduced by that legend of a holy writer Michael Hofmann, it's funny and remarkable" - Dazed and Confused

"The Legend of the Holy Drinker is a tale of patience rewarded... a dreamy Parisian Catholic setting, destitution softened by fairy tale" - Times Literary Supplement

"Poignant" - Daily Mail

"This is a little book of sublime simplicity... magically told" - Daily Express

"One of the greatest European novelists of the century" - Sunday Times