Дэн Роудс – лучшие книги

Молодой британский писатель Дэн Роудс выпустил в свет два сборника рассказов и роман. На этом он намерен закончить свою писательскую карьеру. "Антропология" - его первая книга, она составлена из коротких историй, по содержанию часто напоминающих детские страшилки или садистские стишки. Вся книжка - сплошной формальный эксперимент: тексты расположены по алфавиту, всего рассказов - сто один, и в каждом ровно по сто одному слову. Но за этой игрой возникает совершенно неожиданный образ лирического героя - нежного, трепетного, ранимого, наивного и сентиментального. Роудс не зря называет себя "неизлечимым романтиком". Ни формализм, ни традиции…

"This is Life" is a missing baby mystery and an enchanted Parisian adventure. Hand in hand with lovable heroine Aurelie Renard, you will see life as you've never seen it before, discover the key to great art, witness the true cost of love, and learn how all these things may be controlled by the in-breath of a cormorant. Chock-full of charming characters and hilarious set-pieces this is a hugely enjoyable novel that will make you see life anew.

One of John Updike's most sophisticated and moving novels, Marry Me casts a mature eye on infidelity, a subject about which he wrote more insightfully than anyone else. In 1962 Connecticut, married Jerry Conant has entered into a life-altering affair with his equally married neighbor, Sally. Earnest and religious, never one to take love lightly, he's desperate to make an honest woman of her--much to the astonishment of their far more sensible spouses. Written in the seventies, Marry Me is a stunning memory piece about a time when passion, unanalyzed or medicated, could still wreak havoc and cause wonderment.

In a room above a bizarre German museum, and far from the prying eyes of strangers, lives the Old Man. Caretaker of the museum by day, by night he enjoys the sound of silence, broken by the occasional crunch of a spider between his blackened teeth. Little Hands Clapping brings together the Old Man with the respectable Doctor Ernst Frohlicher, his greedy dog Hans and a cast of grotesque and hilarious townsfolk, all of whose lives are thrown together as the town uncovers a crime so outrageous that it will shock the world. From its sinister opening to its explosive denouement, Little Hands Clapping blends lavishly entertaining storytelling…

Like a Welsh 'Amélie' set in a pub, 'Gold' is a tender, understated tale of love, loss, and growing up. It is also vintage Dan Rhodes, one of the most critically beloved novelists working today. Miyuki Woodward, lover of beer and microwaveable food, has been taking a two-week vacation—away from her companion—to the same seaside town in Wales for the last eight years. She is made to feel at home at the salty seaside pub, where Short Mr. Hughes, Tall Mr. Hughes, and Mr. Puw are happy to add her to their trivia-contest team. This year, following an impulsive artistic act involving gold spray paint, Miyuki will take part in the most turbulent events the village has seen since Tall Mr. Hughes returned from the pub toilet without remembering to button up. 'Gold' is a bittersweet, idiosyncratic, funny affirmation of life and a touchingly satisfying story rich in pathos, insight, and asides from the best-selling author of 'Timoleon Vieta Come Home' and 'Anthropology'.

Simplicity finds enormous power in Dan Rhodes's offbeat collection of short (very short) stories. With his award-winning Timoleon Vieta Come Home and chick-lit send-up (under the nom de plume Danuta De Rhodes) The Little White Car, his authorial range became obvious. Now his remarkable collection, Anthropology, only enhanced Rhodes's reputation. Declared one of Granta's Best Young British Novelists in 2003, Rhodes possesses a talent for understated wallops and profound humor, which he devotes to unraveling sex, love, dating, and the confoundingly beautiful, inscrutable girlfriend in these short (but intense) musings.