Vilnius Poker - Hardcover

Gavelis, Ricardas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1934824054 ISBN 13: 9781934824054

Publisher: Open Letter, 2009

Synopsis

Detailing a man's mental breakdown—and his obsession with a seductress named Lolita, the omnipresent "them," and the need to uncover what's "really going on"—Vilnius Poker is an epic, paranoid novel about the surreal absurdities and horrors of life under Soviet rule. In the words of Kirkus Reviews, "think of it as The Matrix behind the Iron Curtain—unsettling and profoundly interesting."

About this title

About the Author:

Ricardas Gavelis was a prose writer, playwright, and journalist. His novels include Seven Ways to Commit Suicide, The Last Generation of Men on Earth, and The Life of Sun-Tzu in the Sacred City of Vilnius.

Elizabeth Novickas graduated from the University of Illinois-Chicago with a M.A. in Lithuanian Language and Literature. She has worked previously as a bookbinder, newspaper designer, cartographer, and computer system administrator.

Review:

"Gavelis's first novel to be translated into English is philosophical, symbolic, and full of imagery that is both disturbing and beautiful. ... Keep reading and you will be rewarded with a provocative and chilling narrative, one that suggests Joyce, Kafka, and Camus." -Library Journal. "Narratives and divergent timelines collide in apparent chaos, without losing the thread of the story for a second. We finally understand: this is a fractal epic, very cleverly put together, where the smallest anecdotal detail refers to the macrocosm of history as a whole. ... Terrifying and awesome." -Mehdi Belhaj Kacem, Philosophie Magazine. "At times shocking, at times depressing, Gavelis's Vilnius bursts with intensity and purpose, demanding that attention be paid to it. This novel is not for the faint of heart; it is a forceful statement that is on its way towards becoming a touchstone of 20th-century literature." -Andrew Wessels, bookslut.com. "Gavelis's urban grunge and his portrayal of the bleakness and absurdity of Soviet life provide the perfect backdrop for what, at times, is a curiously hilarious novel. ... Uncertainty reigns in Gavelis's Vilnius, and the novel challenges its reader with the simple question: who's crazy now?" -Julija ukys, Lituanus."

About this edition

• Publisher: Open Letter
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1934824054
• ISBN 13: 9781934824054
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 498