Author
Marek Šindelka (1984) studied cultural studies, dramaturgy and screenwriting. He regularly writes about literature for Hospodářské noviny. He is a poet and novelist, one of the most popular and translated Czech authors of the youngest generation. He has received numerous prestigious awards for his writing, including the Magnesia Litera award for prose.
Overview
An amazing mix of genres and styles shifting from a crime novel to a (Japanese) horror story, from science fiction to a post-apocalyptic story of ecological disaster. A tale of three childhood friends and their various fates, which become fatally entangled when they smuggle the wrong plant – and expose the fragile relationships we cultivate to the environment in which we live and to each other.
Praise
Šindelka’s writing is truly something to behold, and that’s why the book is worth reading [...] what makes it work are the long passages in which the author describes train stations, flooded cities, greenhouses, and the plants therein [...] the language is crisp and clear and frankly quite beautiful, a tribute to both the author and Nathan Fields, the translator.
A chilling an intellectually stimulating tale, told through beautiful prose and elegant narrative poetry – lovingly translated by Nathan Fields – Aberrant draws you deep into its tight knit web, and makes you realise that you have probably tasted the poison that in some way or another pervades all our lives.
