Allen Kurzweil verdiept zich in de complexe passies van zijn personages, een toewijding die hem ertoe heeft aangezet pop-up boekontwerp te bestuderen en de reparatie van pianola's te leren. Zijn werk kenmerkt zich door een diepgaande betrokkenheid bij het innerlijk leven van zijn personages, wat vaak tot uiting komt in de constructie van inventieve en eigenaardige apparaten die hun complexiteit weerspiegelen. Deze unieke aanpak verleent zijn verhalen een onderscheidende diepte en fantasierijke flair.
This book is about a hotel full of animals. And an evil ice maker. And glass eyeballs -- oh, and really old panty hose and Possibly Fake Hair. But mostly, it's about Leon Zeisel and his epic quest to survive fourth grade, despite his teacher, Miss Hagmeyer, and his archenemy, Lumpkin the Pumpkin, a human tank with a deadly dodgeball throw. Luckily, Leon has friends who will stand by him even if his magical plans for rescue and revenge involve ... SPIT!
Employing scientific methods learned in Mr. Sparks's class, fifth-grader Leon competes in a potato chip tasting contest and takes revenge against Lumpkin the bully.
A delicious compendium of quirky colleagues, erotic pop-ups, deviant passions, and miraculous examples of theft, the book is a grand and complicated "timepiece," told with a devilish sense of fun. Narrated by Alexander Short, a stylish young reference librarian of arcane interests, The Grand Complication propels the reader through a card catalog of desperation and delight, of intrigue and theft. It's a novel of suspense that comes full circle, with a clock-maker's precision and a storyteller's surprise, on page 360. The account begins with Alexander's job in jeopardy and his marriage destined for the Discard shelf. Enter the improbably named Henry James Jesson III, a bibliophile who hires the librarian for some after-hours research. The task: to render whole an incomplete cabinet of wonders chronicling the life of a mysterious eighteenth-century inventor. As the investigation heats up, Alexander realizes there are many more secrets lurking in Jesson's cloistered world than those found inside his elegant Manhattan town house. With a notebook tethered to his jacket, Alexander plunges headlong into the search, only to discover that the void in the cabinet is rivaled by an emptiness in his heart.
Das Leben des hochbegabten Erfinders Claude Page, der zur Zeit der Französischen Revolution als Krönung seines tüftlerischen Genies einen künstlichen, sprechenden Türken konstruiert.
Narrated by Alexander Short, a stylish young reference librarian with arcane interests, this novel takes readers through a card catalog of desperation, delight, intrigue, and theft. It’s a suspenseful tale that unfolds with clock-maker precision and storytelling surprises. The narrative begins with Alexander facing job insecurity and a troubled marriage. Enter the uniquely named Henry James Jesson III, a bibliophile who hires Alexander for after-hours research. The task involves reconstructing an incomplete cabinet of wonders that chronicles the life of a mysterious eighteenth-century inventor. As the investigation intensifies, Alexander uncovers numerous secrets hidden within Jesson’s elegant Manhattan townhouse. Armed with a notebook, he dives deep into the search, only to find that the void in the cabinet mirrors an emptiness in his own heart. This delicious tale features quirky colleagues, erotic pop-ups, deviant passions, and miraculous thefts, presenting a grand and complicated “timepiece” told with a devilish sense of fun. The colophon notes a tiny gear, a freehand rendering of an escapement wheel from Breguet’s masterpiece pocket watch, which remains lost since its theft from a Jerusalem museum in 1983.
Der Debütroman von Allen Kurzweil spielt im aufklärerischen Paris und folgt dem jungen Schweizer Claude Page, einem Erfinder, der von einem falschen Abbe, einem Buchhändler und einer wohlhabenden Dame gefördert wird. Die Geschichte thematisiert die Ideen und künstlerischen Projekte dieser geistvollen Epoche.
