Ken KalfusResenhas

Rounding up a star because it means well but I did not like this. The vagueness seems to be aimed at achieving a universalness but it comes across to me as reductionist and simplistic, capable of only banal insights such as that highly contested issues in a society can appear baffling to complete outsiders from other societies. Its refusal to countenance the idea that one side in a civil conflict could bear more responsibility or be more unjust than the other, instead wholly embracing a bothsidesism, also does not sit well.

If you told me that ‘Ken Kalfus’ was a pen name for Chuck Todd, I would not be that surprised.

This book is speculative fiction that imagines a future in which the US has been split apart by a civil war based on the political divide. Many Americans are forced to relocate to other countries. Protagonist Ron Patterson is an American refugee. He finds work as an inspecting and repairing mysterious electrical boxes. Ron keeps a low profile but eventually gets prevailed upon by local authorities to provide information about the two groups of Americans, who have carried their divisive politics to the new (unnamed) country. He learns more about horrible war atrocities committed in his hometown. It is structured in two segments. The first provides Ron Patterson’s experience in the US prior to fleeing, and the second shows his life as a refugee in the new country. The two are tied together by an enigmatic woman.

This book is intentionally vague. Ron has a rare condition that inhibits facial recognition (prosopagnosia). The storyline does not specify the causes of the war, the countries involved in accepting refugees, or even whether or not the characters are the same people referenced in earlier scenes. Ron is an extreme version of an unreliable narrator. He confuses the women in his life to a degree that it occasionally provides comic relief.

The author does a great job of portraying Americans as refugees. They live in an area that is designated “Little America.” The host country’s population has trouble distinguishing one American from another. They are treated as a lesser class. It turns the tables, and I found it an extremely effective technique. The prose is atmospheric, bordering on surrealistic. The climax of the book involves Ron’s espionage for local authorities. He must eventually choose among unpleasant alternatives. The author takes America to task for our divisiveness. It is a social commentary approached from an atypical perspective.

I guess you could describe this book as a novel about the experiences of a refugee/emigrant far from his home country, having to make a new life, a member of the underclass in his new country, subject to deportation at any time, forced to work menial jobs. Perhaps familiar territory. Except that in this case, the refugees are American, forced from country to country, despised and rejected everywhere.

Set in the near future, the American economy has collapsed, and, although not explicitly depicted the country is engaged in a civil war among various factions and militias. Lawlessness and mayhem prevail. Ron Patterson is one such refugee, and as he states, "People around the world shared contempt for how far our country had fallen." As the story progresses some of the factions from America are re-forming into criminal gangs, intimidating other groups of Americans, and Ron is having a hard time staying under the radar.

This is not a realistic dystopian tale, however. It's told in a surreal and meandering way. For example, Ron is constantly coming across women he believes he knew in his past in America. And he has difficulty recognizing faces--when he sees a woman he has met before, he cannot remember her, and when he meets a new woman, he thinks she is someone he already knows. We are never in on which is the truth. I couldn't tell is this was a literary device to emphasize Ron's loss and disorientation, or whether Ron had an actual malady causing these symptoms.

There were many other surrealistic aspects to the book, and it frequently failed to make sense to me. It did not feel like a cohesive future world was being created, as would have been the case with a more conventional dystopian novel. But this is a complaint that relates to my expectations of what I wanted the book to be. I think that this is the book the author wanted to write, even though it wasn't the one I wanted to read. It was, however, well enough written, and original and imaginative enough that I would read another novel by this author.

2 1/2 stars

First line: "Like many people my age, I found myself in a foreign city where I took a low-paying job in a semi-menial field that I hadn't previously contemplated."

Last line: "The driver looked very familiar."½

This book flips the perspective in Exit West, where the immigrants were presumably from an undisclosed Middle Eastern nation living in identified Western nations. In 2 AM in Little America, Americans are the immigrants living in undisclosed nations around the globe. The impression is clear: immigrants anywhere are the underclass. I also relate this to Slaughterhouse Five, as the only other book I've read in a day. A personal lesson: why I like dystopian novels? I look for cultural threads in our world and how they are expressed in the imagined future. Kalfus imagines our ever fractious division is taken into those few countries willing to accept us. Novel themes included personal memories and our relationship with our dog. This latter helps decide which camp we belong in. Ron, our hero, remains apolitical, and conflates memory of girls from high school with those he observes and meets.

2.5

How much do I love the idea of a 19th century astronomer obsessed with digging an enormous equilateral triangle (300 miles on each side) in the Egyptian desert, filling it with pitch and setting it aflame to convey our presence to our Martian neighbors? A lot. More than I love the execution of that premise. More here.

A deliberately paced novel, but brilliantly written. Very slow, without much intimacy with the characters--but it's a great story and compelling nevertheless. Just don't expect science fiction--this is definitely written with a literary audience in mind.

Mine is actually hardcover, but you don't really care. I bought it based on the DFW blurb, and it's great.

Blech. Awful people doing awful things to each other in the midst of a divorce amid the backdrop of NYC during and after 9/11.

In the late 1800s, Giovanni Schiaparelli's discovery of "canals" on Mars has allowed a (fictional) astronomer to fan interest in Mars into worldwide financial and political support for the building of a massive equilateral triangle in the deserts of Egypt. Over three hundred miles to a side, with a paved roadway filled with liquid oil, it is to be set on fire when Earth and Mars are close, in order to alert Martians that the inhabitants of Earth are ready to take their place among the universe's intelligent species. Our intelligence will be demonstrated by various astronomical and geometrical signs, including the timing of the fire, the exact shape of the image, and the directions the triangle points. 900,000 African workers have toiled for two years at the time the book opens, and despite mutinies and thefts, public support is still high and the image is set to be finished more or less on time.

Although these events never happened, of course, the author uses the notions and prejudices of the day to spin a delightful story which leaves today's reader in wonderment at what was believed at the time: that the "canals" indicated a highly developed and ancient civilization on Mars which would recognize the symbolism of the Equilateral and want to contact us. Particularly wonderful here are the portrayals of parallel Western biases which presume to understand the natures of both the Martians and the workers, the latter of whom are considered an underclass, destined to provide labor but incapable of understanding the significance of the endeavor. In fact, the astronomer is certain the Martians have long ago evolved into two species (intellectuals and laborers), to enable works as grand as the canal system to be built, and he is sure they will see the need for force in dealing with the workers as a phase they too will have had in their past. The astronomer thinks a great deal about what Martian society is like and how the two planets can best communicate.

In many ways this seemed to me a companion piece to Arthur Phillips's "The Egyptologist", a book I loved and keep on my shelves. Phillips' protagonist is an archaeologist who is determined to prove that a little hillock he's excavating holds as important a burial site as the Tut tomb, which has just been discovered. Madness ensues. The astronomer has a much more willing audience and is not reduced to the same measures, but his quest is still a fantastical undertaking which we of the 21st century can observe with humor and some shaking of our heads. His ability to bring off the political and economic alliances necessary does seem a bit unlikely, but aside from that this is a delightful tale which extrapolates from history to describe an absurd conclusion and jumps off from there. Very entertaining.

A bit all over the place, but interesting. The set-up is the thing: a man and his wife both think the other died in 9/11 but neither actually did, plus they want a divorce. Oh well.½

This is a novel about a British astronomer (Sanford Thayer) in the late 1800s who designs and oversees the construction of a giant equilateral triangle in the middle of the desert in order to contact intelligent beings on Mars. Based o this description, I thought this would be a science fiction novel, but it turned out to be more (and less) than that.

Kalfus paints a picture of a refined genius and his patrons who are all convinced they are working to achieve the greatest feat in human history; there is no way the African and Middle Eastern workers who slave away building the triangle can even comprehend the magnitude of what they're trying to accomplish. But, of course, the opposite turns out to be true. Thayer, increasingly becoming more self-deluded, is almost manic in his conviction that there is intelligent life on Mars and that they must be contacted. His secretary tries to hide her feelings for him while at the same time keeping an eye on the servant girl whom Thayer covets.

I thought this book was an excellent and strange look into the minds of humans who think themselves the epitome of intelligence (at least on Earth), and who are almost comically ignorant of their own follies.

Not quite sure the point of this other than to suggest the importance of the emergence of film as a propaganda tool. Didn'the we know that? The first half surrounding the death of Tolstoy is more interesting than the second.½

Mr. Kalfus may be a brilliant writer of the Hitchcock variety, maybe. That said, I find myself disappointed when story after story leaves one wondering what happened. In one story there is a discovery in a closet that leads to an arrest, what was in the closet? My mind comes up with countless possibilities... but I'll never know. Same type of unresolved information presents itself in other stories as well. I'm left wanting, is that the mark of literary genius??? I'm not sure, if so our author qualifies!

Perfectly pieced together cover art for a novel that can't be categorized - in the best way possible.

"Thayer has to remind the engineers of the Equilateral's purpose and fundamental principles. If the figure is forced to conform to the Egyptian landscape, the astronomers of Mars will be placed in the same difficult position as their colleagues on Earth: unable to convince parochial skeptics that the markings on the distant planetary surface are the work of sentient beings. It's the disregard of the natural landscape that proves man's intelligence."

Clearly, we're not in 2013 anymore. Ken Kalfus' Equilateral is set in 1894, where British astronomer Sanford Thayer has spent several years working toward the construction of a massive equilateral triangle in Egypt. Thayer has come to believe that the triangle has the ability to communicate with living beings on Mars if completed and set aflame on a specific date, allowing the planets to properly align.

Equilateral is a fascinating studying of time, place and purpose. While the blend of science, math and hint of science fiction alone are enough to make for an interesting plot, it is the historical commentary that can catch and pull you in. With delicate precision, Kalfus is able to travel back in time and piece together phrases offensive enough to come from a colonial-minded 19th century man. I found myself highlighting line after line, in awe of this story so opposite our politically correct world.

I'm not sure if it's the cover's fantastic design or the time period combined with the focus on astronomy, but early in the novel I made a connection to French filmmaker Georges Méliès and had a hard time letting go. I pictured the rest of the book as this hand colored fantasy, edited with camera tricks and illusion. It was perfect. Can we get a director to make this happen?

Equilateral has much to offer to so many different readers; brilliant writing, math and science notes, a telescope into history. It's unlike anything I've ever read and deserves to be picked up by as many people possible.

What a strange treat of a novel. Neat!½

This was mildly very interesting, that's the best way I can describe this novel. It takes place in the late 19th century, after astronomers view canals on Mars and decide they are really are canals and there is intelligent life on that planet. To communicate with them, a British astronomer undertakes a crazy project in the Egyptian desert, constructing a giant equilateral triangle in the sand that will be visible to Martians.

Nearly all of that is by way of setting, not plot. It's not quite a plot-driven book. The atmosphere is one of Brits in Egypt, living large and vaguely wondering why Arabs are such barbarians. The overarching theme is about cultural contact -- you've got these Westerners obsessed with making contact with Martians, who are deemed to be a superior race, and assuming that's going to go really, really well for them, at the same completely not understanding at all why the Egyptians, and anyone else non-white, are not thrilled out of their minds to be an inferior race. Gender comes under the microscope, too.

Overall, it's a very thoughtful book, and one impressive thing is that you the reader are totally exasperated with 19th guy being so clueless and lacking in self-awareness, but also completely convinced that his passion for astronomy and discovery is genuine.

I loved how it drew upon a Burroughs-esque view of Mars and combined it with a Fu Manchuian view of Egypt, but again, just a caution, that's all to set the mood and this isn't any sort of steampunk or SF novel at all.

This is a most unusual book. I would compare it to a recipe that calls for flour, celery, cherries, hot pepper sauce, and coffee grinds and then declare it delicious. This book is a strange combination of history, romance, cultural differences (East vs. West), astronomy, comedy, math, and science fiction.

The main character of Thayer, the British astronomer, is comedic yet pathetic. Other characters, both major and minor, are unique but believable. The clash between Eastern thinking and Western "reasoning" is a major part of how the plot is drawn. The very idea of attempting to communicate with Martians via a perfectly drawn triangle is far-fetched, but history has recorded more than one far-fetched (or horrifying) idea that seemed perfectly acceptable at the time. With all our scientific knowledge and rational thinking, are we being just as foolish today?

I would never have thought that mathematical drawings would interest me, but the drawings in this book are fascinating and necessary additions to this very strange but very enjoyable novel. Probably not for everyone, but if you are inclined to see humor in the most unusual places, try this.

This is a most unusual book. I would compare it to a recipe that calls for flour, celery, cherries, hot pepper sauce, and coffee grinds and then declare it delicious. This book is a strange combination of history, romance, cultural differences (East vs. West), astronomy, comedy, math, and science fiction.

The main character of Thayer, the British astronomer, is comedic yet pathetic. Other characters, both major and minor, are unique but believable. The clash between Eastern thinking and Western "reasoning" is a major part of how the plot is drawn. The very idea of attempting to communicate with Martians via a perfectly drawn triangle is far-fetched, but history has recorded more than one far-fetched (or horrifying) idea that seemed perfectly acceptable at the time. With all our scientific knowledge and rational thinking, are we being just as foolish today?

I would never have thought that mathematical drawings would interest me, but the drawings in this book are fascinating and necessary additions to this very strange but very enjoyable novel. Probably not for everyone, but if you are inclined to see humor in the most unusual places, try this.

Equilateral was really weird. I kept reading it, wondering when Kalfus was going to stop setting things up and get to the story, and then I got to the end and it never really happened. But there were explosions, and the implication of Martians, and science and geometry. So, I'm really not disappointed. I enjoyed it!

I read the title story after hearing the HBO (or was it Showtime) movie was really good. The story is pretty good and ends with a great moment. I really like Kalfus's writing, so I'll be sure to finish this off in the near future.

At times funny, at times grim, Kalfus's novel about the birth of propaganda in the Soviet state has great moments, particularly in the third section. I found the final chapters particularly well down, especially when Kalfus abandons conventional sentence structure to describe Lenin's stroke.

The beginning is a bit uneven, as the novel tries to find the protagonist. Considering most of the novel is about Grishbin/Astapov, the fact that it opens with 3 men on a train who seem to have equal importance is a bit misleading. I realize that Astapov's relationship to those three men is crucial. Also, I feel Stalin and Lenin are not fully developed, nor is the true complexity of Stalin's rise to power given a clear account. Still, the novel does not try to be a recounting of the revolution or the introduction of the worst murderer of the 20th century -- it's all about the role of the image and the death of the word. In that case, Kalfus has done some good things.

“Copyright 1998. All rights reserved. No part part of this paragraph may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, oral, or telepathic, including photocopy, recording, transcription, tracing, hot type, cold type, mimeograph, ditto (in school, the copies, made between classes, would be handed to us while they were still warm and moist, their ink bearing a thick, intoxicating fragrance that would compel us to raise the sheets to our faces and think, so, this is what blue smells like) teletype, telefax, telephone, semaphore, skywriting, whisper, seance, confession……….”



Above is the start of the first tale - whether it’s a short story, preface, essay or poetry (I could accept it as a poem), I’m not sure - but in two & a half pages it begins as though it were a legal document, before becoming a list that soon developes nostalgic yearnings leading it in the direction of Proust's “ À la recherche du temps perdu”, where through descriptions of devices you cannot use to copy the piece with, memories are evoked and, like some temporal shift you are back to a point in time “where thirty adolescents press inky sheets of paper against their faces as if,” before ending two and a half pages later with

“The memory still resists full description. After such failure, of what use is copyright? This paragraph contains the complete text of the hardcover edition. NOT ONE WORD HAS BEEN OMITTED”

David Foster Wallace described this book, as a book to give someone who is negative about the future of American fiction, going on to say that there are hip, funny writers and there are wise, moving and profound writers. Kalfus is all of these at once, whether it’s a tale of sexual awakening in Paris (Le Jardin de la Sexualité), or a fictitious series of questions, that has more to do with the Human story, than the given answers (The Joy and Melancholy Baseball Quiz), or a tale that appears to be a homage to Calvino’s “Invisible Cities” (Invisible Malls) which starts

“Kublai Khan does not necessarily believe everything Marco Polo says when he describes the indoor shopping malls visited in his travels around the empire, but he listens to the young Venetian with greater attention than he has shown any other messenger or explorer”.

Marco then goes on to describe a series of shopping malls like Monica, an indoor shopping mall entirely occupied by the past, filled with boutiques with mickey mouse watches & ashtrays from the 1939 New York world’s fair. Then there are malls dealing with desire, here you can see items - golden fleeces, holy grails, elixirs that deliver eternal life etc.- however everything is priced slightly higher than you think it’s worth, so you leave, regret this decision and return with the realisation that the item that took your fancy was worth more than you originally thought, only to discover the price has been raised, this goes on ad infinitum. Invisible malls describes several other malls as well as the ones mentioned above.

Thirst also has tales set in a rain soaked third world jungle and a plague ridden Renaissance Venice, whether they are nostalgic tales about childhood, or adults living parallel lives, Kalfus manages to amaze with his slightly skewed stories, tales that although, on the surface humorous, still manage to make you aware of the tragedy lurking beneath. These are fantastic stories full of the absurd and more real for it.

http://parrishlantern.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/thirst-ken-kalfus.html

The idea of this book was really good: we see a married couple in a bad divorce, with 9/11 in the background. However, for me the divorce and 9/11 stayed two separate story lines, both of which were not executed very well. The fighting is at times ridiculous, and makes the husband and wife unsympathetic, because they completely ignore their kids in this. You can feal some of the despair of 9/11, but that is overshadowed by the divorce. All in all, it would have been better if there was more focus on one thing in this book.

Like the beginning half, the rest, not so much½