Bad Eminence

Name: Bad Eminence
Brand: Unknown
SKU: 9781913505349
Price: 44.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

By James Greer

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3.15

( 312 ratings, 77 reviews)

Summary

Vanessa Salomon, a wealthy and misanthropic French-American translator, grapples with jealousy towards her famous twin sister and the tragic loss of the only man she loved. As she takes on translating a provocative thriller by a deceased author, she is offered a chance to translate a new work by a renowned French writer. This decision pulls her into a labyrinth of literary traps, con games, mysticism, and dark secrets, culminating in revelations about the essence of life itself. Bad Eminence blends literary satire with sharp social commentary, infused with witty humour and surreal encounters.
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Format: Hardback

$44⁹⁹

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Bad Eminence

$44⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy literary satire, metafiction, and sharp social commentary. Fans of authors such as Vladimir Nabokov or those intrigued by complex, stylish thrillers with intellectual depth and dark humour will find Bad Eminence compelling.

Screenwriter (Unsane) and bass player (Guided by Voices) James Greer returns to the literary fold with a hilarious novel about the perils and pleasures of promiscuous translation.

‘I take exception to the characterization of my hair as “difficult”, as my hair is in fact perfect, which I can prove in a court of law. Everything else James wrote is exactly as it happened, to the best of my memory’- Juno Temple

Description

Meet Vanessa Salomon, a privileged and misanthropic French-American translator hailing from a wealthy Parisian family. Her twin sister is a famous movie star, which Vanessa resents deeply and daily. The only man Vanessa ever loved recently killed himself by jumping off the roof of her building. It's a full life.

Vanessa has just started working on an English translation of a titillating, experimental thriller by a dead author when she's offered a more prominent gig: translating the latest book by an Extremely Famous French Writer who is not in any way based on Michel Houellebecq. As soon as she agrees to meet this writer, however, her other, more obscure project begins to fight back—leading Vanessa down into a literary hell of traps and con games and sadism and doppelgangers and mystic visions and strange assignations and, finally, the secret of life itself.

Peppered with "sponsored content" providing cocktail recipes utilising a brand of liquor imported by the film director Steven Soderbergh, and with a cameo from the actress Juno Temple, Bad Eminence is at once an old-school literary satire in the mode of Vladimir Nabokov as well as a jolly thumb in the eyes of contemporary screen-life and digital celebrity.

Strong writing and shrewd perceptions prevail, backed by wry humour, compelling stumblebum characters, a true-blue louche atmosphere, and arresting insights into the dream of art, be it literature or rock and roll. — Donna Seaman, Booklist

A Nabokovian thriller, light-hearted and caustic, which is also a subtle reflection on all forms of manipulation, be they criminal, corporate, amorous or... novelistic. — Éric Chevillard, Le Monde

Greer's lyrical erudition is both serious work and seriously fun... proof that there remain new places to go, both on paper and in the known universe. — Publishers Weekly

Greer does a superb job of transcending conventional genrefication, bringing something fresh to contemporary literature... A very enjoyable read [with a] highly inventive structure, full of eccentricities... — Library Journal

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Donna Seaman, Booklist: 'Strong writing and shrewd perceptions prevail, backed by wry humour, compelling stumblebum characters, a true-blue louche atmosphere, and arresting insights into the dream of art.'

ric Chevillard, Le Monde: 'A Nabokovian thriller, light-hearted and caustic, also a subtle reflection on all forms of manipulation.'

Publishers Weekly: 'Greer's lyrical erudition is both serious work and seriously fun, proof that there remain new places to go on paper and in the known universe.'

Library Journal: 'A very enjoyable read with a highly inventive structure, full of eccentricities.'

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781913505349

Publisher: And Other Stories

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 05 July 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: And Other Stories

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 428g

Pages: 224

Collections

Fiction General Fiction James Greer Literary Fiction

About the Author

James Greer is a novelist, screenwriter, and musician. His previous books include the novels Artificial Light and The Failure, and the story collection Everything Flows. As a screenwriter, he's written or cowritten written several movies, including Max Keeble's Big Move, Just My Luck, The Spy Next Door, and Unsane. He's also played in a number of not-very-well known indie-rock bands.