Moonstone - Couverture souple

Sjón, .

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0374536929 ISBN 13 : 9780374536923

Editeur : FSG Adult, 2017

Synopsis

The mind-bending miniature historical epic is Sjón's specialty, and Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was is no exception. But it is also Sjón's most realistic, accessible, and heartfelt work yet. It is the story of a young man on the fringes of a society that is itself at the fringes of the world--at what seems like history's most tumultuous, perhaps ultimate moment.

Máni Steinn is queer in a society in which the idea of homosexuality is beyond the furthest extreme. His city, Reykjavik in 1918, is homogeneous and isolated and seems entirely defenseless against the Spanish flu, which has already torn through Europe, Asia, and North America and is now lapping up on Iceland's shores. And if the flu doesn't do it, there's always the threat that war will spread all the way north. And yet the outside world has also brought Icelanders cinema! And there's nothing like a dark, silent room with a film from Europe flickering on the screen to help you escape from the overwhelming threats--and adventures--of the night, to transport you, to make you feel like everything is going to be all right. For Máni Steinn, the question is whether, at Reykjavik's darkest hour, he should retreat all the way into this imaginary world, or if he should engage with the society that has so soundly rejected him.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

Sjón's prose is never histrionic or overwrought, balancing rage and hallucination . . . with a gentleness of spirit, an affection for precision and the small scale. The result is sure to delight his fans and convert many new ones. (Hari Kunzru Guardian)

MOONSTONE is Sjón's slim, simmering masterpiece. Vibrant and visceral, briskly paced but meditative, unsettling yet droll and flecked with beauty, it is a pitch-perfect study of transgression, survival and love. ( David Mitchell)

A work of miniaturist perfection: a brief, brilliant jewel of a book in which each paragraph is precision-cut, each sentence burnished. (Sarah Crown Guardian)

A magical book, the work of a great illusionist. You see the historical moment unfurl, luminous with desire and imagination and the flames of an erupting volcano, dark with repression, disease and death. You see it all through the poetic, poignant images of Máni Steinn's story. And then in a final flourish you see it all vanish in a way that makes it unforgettable. ( Adam Foulds)

Sjòn's Moonstone is a marvel of a novel, queer in every sense of the word - an impeccable little gem ( Rabih Alameddine)

ICELAND: -
A masterful, intricately woven story with unforgettable images, an intense style, and a unique hero. The reading experience of the year.

( Frettabladid)

A joy to read. An amazing book. ( DV Daily)

DENMARK:-
****** A small, poignant novel about the greatest things. (6 out of 6 stars)

( Politiken)

***** Concentrated enjoyment (5 out of 5 stars) ( Berlingske Tidende)

****** Sublime (6 out of 6 stars) ( Weekendavisen)

FINLAND: -
A fascinating story about an exotic country in a time of plight. Sjón manages to distil great emotions into short sentences.

( Iltalehden Ilona)

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Winner of the Icelandic Literary Prize

The year is 1918 and in Iceland the erupting volcano Katla can be seen colouring the sky night and day from the streets of Reykjavik. Yet life in the small capital carries on as usual, despite the natural disaster, a shortage of coal and, in the outside world, the Great War grinding on.

There, sixteen-year-old Máni Steinn lives for the new fashion - the movies. Asleep he dreams altered versions of them, their tapestry of events threaded with strands from his own life. Awake he hovers on the fringes of society. But then the Spanish flu epidemic comes ashore, killing hundreds and driving thousands into their sick beds. The shadows of existence deepen and for Máni everything changes.

Capturing Iceland at a moment of profound transformation, this is the story of a misfit in a place where life and death, reality and imagination, secrets and revelations jostle for dominance. With not a word wasted, this mesmerising and original novel is the work of a major international writer.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: FSG Adult
• Date d'édition: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0374536929
• ISBN 13: 9780374536923
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 156