Here we have the anatomy of the contemporary writer, imagined by the pseudonymous, "post-exotic" Antoine Volodine. His writers are not the familiar, bitter, alcoholic kind; nor are they great, romantic, tortured geniuses; and least of all are they media darlings and socialites. In Volodine's universe, the writer is pitted in a pathetic struggle against silence and sickness, when she is not about to be murdered by random lunatics or fellow inmates. Consisting of seven loosely interlocking stories, Writers exposes a chaotic reality in which self expression elicits repercussions both absurd and frighteningly familiar.
--
Here we have the anatomy of the contemporary writer, imagined by the pseudonymous, "post-exotic" Antoine Volodine. His writers are not the familiar, bitter, alcoholic kind; nor are they great, romantic, tortured geniuses; and least of all are they media darlings and socialites. In Volodine's universe, the writer is pitted in a pathetic struggle against silence and sickness, when she is not about to be murdered by random lunatics or fellow inmates. Consisting of seven loosely interlocking stories, Writers exposes a chaotic reality in which self expression elicits repercussions both absurd and frighteningly familiar.
"Reminiscent of Beckett, the writer-characters in Writers try to stop going on writing, but they do so in intricate, fascinating, terrifying worlds—worlds riven by an absolutely just yet absolutely shattered dream of revolution."–Diana George, 3:AM Magazine
"These are finely crafted pieces. Volodine is a thoughtful and precise writer, and there's an elegance to these stories. There's a great deal of humor, too–mainly in artistic failure."–M.A.Orthofer, Complete Review
"His quirky and eccentric narrative achieves quite staggering and electric effects (...) Dazzling in its epic proportions and imaginative scope" – The Nation
"Clever and incisive." — New York Times Book Review