A City Made of Words
Outspoken Authors
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- 7,49 €
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- 7,49 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
Paul Park is one of modern fiction's major innovators. With characters truly alien and disturbingly normal, his work explores the shifting interface between traditional narrative and luminous dream, all in the service of a deeper humanism. 'Climate Change,' original to this volume, is an intimate and erotic take on a global environmental crisis. 'A Resistance to Theory' chronicles the passionate (and bloody) competition between the armed adherents of postmodern literary schools. 'A Conversation with the Author' gives readers a harrowing look behind the curtains of an MFA program. In 'A Brief History of SF' a fan encounters the ruined man who first glimpsed the ruined cities of Mars. 'Creative Nonfiction' showcases a professor's eager collaboration with a student intent on wrecking his career. The only nonfiction piece, 'A Homily for Good Friday,' was delivered to a stunned congregation at a New England church. Plus: a bibliography and a candid Outspoken Interview with one of today's most accomplished and least conventional authors.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Park pushes the boundaries of speculative fiction in this collection of eight fascinating short pieces that defy categorization. "Climate Change" details an intense erotic entanglement in the midst of global disaster. "A Short History of Science Fiction, or The Microscopic Eye" describes a fan's encounter with John Palmer, the man who first viewed the ancient cities on Mars, and Palmer's gradual mental deterioration. Both "Punctuality, Basic Hygiene, Gun Safety" and "A Conversation with the Author" eschew traditional narrative structure for tongue-in-cheek metafiction. "A Resistance to Theory," in which postmodern literary students wage bloody wars against one another, is perhaps the most avant-garde work in the collection; Park's inclusion of mundane details balances the over-the-top premise. A nonfiction piece, "A Homily for Good Friday," takes an unsentimental look at the differences between belief and faith. Park's writing is sharp, darkly comedic, and laced with pathos. He captures the fragility of the human condition (and the human ego) while offering a sympathetic rendering of human struggles to find answers in a complex world. Seasoned speculative fiction fans will enjoy Park's innovative detour into the unknown and uncanny.
