Spaceman of Bohemia: NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX FILM - Softcover

Kalfar, Jaroslav

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1473639999 ISBN 13: 9781473639997

Publisher: Sceptre, 2018

Synopsis

'An incredible experience... I can honestly say I loved every page. Every sentence. Spaceman of Bohemia is unforgettable: a work of breathtaking scope and heart, and a reflection of humanity that's raw and strange and profound and true.' Lisa McInerney, Baileys-Prize-winning author of The Glorious Heresies

Set in the near-distant future, Spaceman follows a Czech astronaut as he launches into space to investigate a mysterious dust cloud covering Venus, a suicide mission sponsored by a proud nation. Suddenly a world celebrity, Jakub's marriage starts to fail as the weeks go by, and his sanity comes into question. After his mission is derailed he must make a violent decision that will force him to come to terms with his family's dark political past.

An extraordinary vision of the endless human capacity to persist-and risk everything-in the name of love and home, by a startlingly talented young debut novelist.

About this title

Review

A superb debut (Sam Kitchener Literary Review)

Dizzyingly inventive, alternately lyrical, earthy, silly and sad. (Kathryn Murphy TLS)

A frenetically imaginative first effort, booming with vitality and originality . . . Kalfar's voice is distinct enough to leave tread marks . . . He has such a lively mind and so many ideas to explore . . . Kalfar has an exhilarating flair for imagery . . . He writes boisterously and mordantly (Jennifer Senior New York Times)

[An] excellent debut . . . This book could mark the launch of an astronomical career (James Marriott The Times)

Reading Spaceman of Bohemia reminded me of the thrill of unearthing Everything is Illuminated from the mound of entries to the Guardian First Book Prize

(Claire Armitstead Guardian)

A joyfully intellectual book; the whole narrative could be read as a dream, as a clever paradigm in ways that resonate with David Mitchell. (Ruth McKee Irish Times)

This wonderful debut is a fine addition to the tradition of eastern European émigré writers [Vladimir Nabokov and, more recently, Gary Shteyngart and Aleksandar Hemon] producing dazzling fiction in English, their second language. (Metro)

An incredible experience . . . I can honestly say I loved every page. Every sentence. Spaceman of Bohemia is unforgettable: a work of breathtaking scope and heart, and a reflection of humanity that's raw and strange and profound and true. (Lisa McInerney, Baileys-prize-winning author of The Glorious Heresies)

A hauntingly beautiful story of solitude, hope, family, and love that transcends, uplifts, carries the reader away. (Dinaw Mengestu, author of ALL OUR NAMES)

Spaceman of Bohemia represents the fiery, funny launch of an exciting new voice. Jaroslav Kalfar, like a good literary astronaut, finds levity in gravity, and vice versa. (Sam Lipsyte, New York Times bestselling author of The Ask)

Book Description

A dazzling, ambitious, original, funny literary debut spanning duplicitous love, family secrets, political intrigue, a historical riddle and a cloud of spacedust over Venus - Everything is Illuminated meets Life of Pi.

About this edition

• Publisher: Sceptre
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1473639999
• ISBN 13: 9781473639997
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304