Tom McCarthy Knihy

Román C, odehrávající se na přelomu devatenáctého a dvacátého století, zachycuje nedlouhý život Serge Carrefaxe. Jeho otec je zapálený vynálezce-amatér a vede školu pro nedoslýchavé děti. Serge i jeho sestra Sophie stráví podivné dětství mezi fonografy, radiopřístroji a chemikáliemi. Z ní vyroste nadějná studentka chemie, v sedmnácti však spáchá sebevraždu. Serge nastoupí na začátku války k leteckému výcviku. Válečné hrůzy v něm na rozdíl od ostatních vzbuzují vzrušení a zájem, stejně jako drogy, na kterých si rychle vypěstuje závislost. Ani jeho život nekončí šťastně – nejedná se o sebevraždu, nejde o důsledky války: může za to láska. Sergův život sledujeme okem kamery, poznáme jej do nejmenších detailů a naprosto bez emocí, a odhalíme podivuhodné podhoubí opakujících se „zrcadlových“ motivů a ozvěn. Díky striktní objektivitě vypravěče získávají i docela běžné události přídech bizarnosti a chladné zvrácenosti.

"Essays on literature, pop culture, and more from the cult novelist and critic Tom McCarthy Fifteen brilliant essays written over as many years provide a map of the sensibility and critical intelligence of Tom McCarthy, one of the most original and challenging novelists at work today. Typewriters, Bombs, Jellyfish explores a wide range of subjects, from the weather considered as a form of media, to the paintings of Gerhard Richter and the movies of David Lynch, to Patty Hearst as revolutionary sex goddess, to the still-radical implications of established masterpieces such as Ulysses (how do you write after it?), Tristram Shandy, and the unsung junky genius Alexander Trocchi's darkly beautiful Cain's Book. The longer "Recessional" examines the place of time in writing--how writing makes a new time of its own, a time apart from institutional time--while the startling "Nothing Will Have Taken Place" moves from Mallarme and Don DeLillo to the ball mastery of Zidane to look at how art, whether that of a poet, novelist, or athlete, destroys given codes of meaning and behavior, returning them to play. Certain points of reference recur with dreamlike insistence--among them the artist Ed Ruscha's Royal Road Test, a photographic documentation of the roadside debris of a Royal typewriter hurled from the window of a traveling car; the great blooms of jellyfish that are filling the oceans and gumming up the machinery of commerce and military domination--and the question throughout is: How can art explode the restraining conventions of so-called realism, whether aesthetic or political, to engage in the active reinvention of the world?"-- Provided by publisher

Exciting early work by the Man Booker-shortlisted author, discussing Herge's hugely popular children's books. McCarthy asks the question: is Tintin literature? and delves into a story of hushed-up royal descent in both Herge's work and the family history of the author.

Exploring the hidden depths of individual consciousness, this debut novel delves into the implications of bringing one's inner world to life. Through precise and unpretentious prose, it examines the complexities of identity and reality, inviting readers to consider the consequences of manifesting personal desires. The narrative challenges perceptions of existence and self, making it a thought-provoking read.

Bodies in motion. Birds, bees and bobsleighs. What is the force that moves the sun and other stars? Where's our fucking airplane? What's inside Box 808, and why does everybody want it? Deep within the archives of time-and-motion pioneer Lillian Gilbreth lies a secret. Famous for producing solid light tracks that captured the path of workers' movements, Gilbreth helped birth the era of mass observation and big data. Did she also, as her broken correspondence with a young Soviet physicist suggests, discover in her final days a 'perfect' movement, one that would 'change everything'? An international hunt begins for the one box missing from her records, and we follow contemporary motion-capture consultant Mark Phocan, as well as his collaborators and antagonists, across geopolitical fault lines and experimental zones: medical labs, CGI studios, military research centres ... Places where the frontiers of potential - to cure, kill, understand or entertain - are constantly tested. And all the while, work is underway on the blockbuster film Incarnation, on epic space tragedy

A novel for our times, from the Booker-shortlisted 'master craftsman who is steering the contemporary novel towards exciting new territories' (Observer). Meet U. -- a talented and uneasy figure currently pimping his skills to an elite consultancy in contemporary London. His employers advise everyone from big businesses to governments, and, to this end, expect their 'corporate anthropologist' to help decode and manipulate the world around them -- all the more so now that a giant, epoch-defining project is in the offing. Instead, U. spends his days procrastinating, meandering through endless buffer-zones of information and becoming obsessed by the images with which the world bombards him on a daily basis: oil spills, African traffic jams, roller-blade processions, zombie parades. Is there, U. wonders, a secret logic holding all these images together -- a codex that, once cracked, will unlock the master-meaning of our age? Might it have something to do with South Pacific Cargo Cults, or the dead parachutists in the news? Perhaps; perhaps not. As U. oscillates between the visionary and the vague, brilliance and bullshit, Satin Island emerges, an impassioned and exquisite novel for our disjointed times.

Highlighting the fascinating world of snipers, this collection features gripping narratives from various media, showcasing their impact throughout history. From the Revolutionary War to modern conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the anthology includes contributions from renowned figures like Chris Kyle and others. Each story captures the essence of the sniper's experience, combining personal accounts with broader historical contexts, making it a compelling read for those interested in military history and the art of marksmanship.