Thirst - Softcover

Kalfus, Ken

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0671034820 ISBN 13: 9780671034825

Publisher: Washington Square Press, 1999

Synopsis

In "the story collection of the year" (Paper magazine), Ken Kalfus mines a vast terrain of geography and metaphor to create a stunning series of portraits of people caught in the seismic collision of cultures, be they real, hallucinated, dreamed, or desired. With his "magical, transformative, and captivating" (Boston Book Review) mix of fantasy and dark humor, Kalfus has crafted an extraordinary collection that is, by turns, hilarious, mysterious, and touching.

About this title

Review:

Five stars and a 10-gun salute: Kalfus fractures the concept of traditional short fiction with this debut collection. Deservedly cheered by David Foster Wallace ("Infinite Jest"; "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again"), Kalfus's audacious stories have both charm and vision in multiple formats that reflect fiction's fabulous future.

The premier vignette, "Notice," explores the concept of "thirst," the interminable yearning that shapes human curiosity and achievement. Cynically set in the language of copyrights and legalese, "Notice" depicts the love life of the printed word, from its visceral seductiveness to our jealous control of its activities. In "Bouquet," a young au pair's aversion to open sexuality leads to a strange gift from a man who has been following her: a bouquet of flowers with a surprise that separates the prudish from the practical.

"The Republic of St. Mark, 1849" is an absolute jewel, surprising in its juxtaposition of the horrors of war and the mystical capacity of the human spirit. Alexandro "has been dying his whole life," but the eerie weapons of balloons and braziers that torment his besieged city finally bring him to death's surprising threshold, lofted into thinnest air by his own imagination.

Ken Kalfus quenches one's thirst for entertaining and intriguing fiction.

About the Author:

Born in New York, Ken Kalfus has lived in Paris, Dublin, Belgrade, and, most recently, Moscow. His stories have been published in many literary magazines, some in Serbo-Croatian and Russian translation. He has recently moved back to the States with his wife, Inga, and their daughter, Sky. This is his first collection of fiction. His second collection is soon to be published, and he is at work on a novel.

About this edition

• Publisher: Washington Square Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0671034820
• ISBN 13: 9780671034825
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 205