Registration is required
College of Arts and Humanities
This event is part of the Research Institute for Arts and Humanities Public Lectures and Events series
SpeakerAlan Bilton
Jon Gower
To: 26 Nov 2020, 8 p.m.
Location: Online Event - Please see description
*Cultural Institute Literary Salon Series*
Book Synopsis
Central Russia, 1919, a sanatorium cut off by the chaos of the Russian civil war. The murder of the chief doctor sets in motion a nightmarish series of events involving mysterious experiments, the secret police, the Tsar’s double, an enigmatic ‘visitor’, giant corpses, possessed cats, sorcery, and the overwhelming madness of war, in this fantastical and wildly exuberant historical novel.
Review
"A bold and confident novel that throws us into the deep end of post-revolutionary Russian life with fervour and wit. There are knowing nods to Gogol and Bulgakov but the voice is entirely original, with a gem of a phrase on every page. I love the quizzical, querulous, dry voice and it’s a satisfying whilst sometimes disorientating experience... the characters are larger than life, but the mud is real. Alan Bilton has a real talent for the unexpected left-hand turn, with lines that turn on a sixpence and surreal narrative twists. It reads like a very modern translation of a 19th century Russian classic – if that sounds like your kind of thing, you will love this book." - Mark Blayney
Contact: Cultural Institute - Swansea University (Email: cultural-institute@swansea.ac.uk)
Event created by: m.t.hughes