Ivan Vladislavic

The Folly Ivan Vladislavic

Marc Notes: Originally published: Cape Town: David Philip, 1993. Biographical Note: Ivan Vladislavi was born in Pretoria in 1957 and lives in Johannesburg. His books include the novels "The Restless Supermarket, The Exploded View" and "Double Negative," and a compendium of short stories titled "Flashback Hotel." In 2006, he published "Portrait with Keys," a sequence of documentary texts on Johannesburg. He has edited books on architecture and art, and sometimes works with artists and photographers. "TJ/Double Negative," a joint project with photographer David Goldblatt, received the 2011 Kraszna-Krausz Award for best photography book. His work has also won the Sunday Times Fiction Prize, the Alan Paton Award and the University of Johannesburg Prize. He is a Distinguished Professor in the Creative Writing Department at Wits University."Review Quotes: http: //quarterlyconversation.com/unlearning-the-art-of-getting-lost-the-fiction-of-ivan-vladislavic "A slim, symbolic novel with allegorical overtones. . . It's clear the author wants us to focus on the ideal rather than the real, and his stylistic playfulness pulls us into his vision, much as Malgas is pulled into Nieuwenhuizen's. Playful fiction with a corresponding (and paradoxical) seriousness of intent." " Kirkus Reviews" "[A]heady, lively, and darkly surreal novel by South African writer Vladislavic. . . Vladislavic s cryptic, haunting tale echoes Jorge Luis Borges and David Lynch, drawing readers into its strange depths." " Publishers Weekly" "Vladislavic is without doubt the most significant writer in South Africa today.""-- Focus on Africa" ""The Folly," by Ivan Vladislavic, was wonderful. It s a political allegory (or parable? or something in between?) that must have been amazing to read in the context of emerging democratic South Africa in 1993 but has lost none of its power over the years." " "Audrey Schoeman, "The Guardian" "Vladislavic is a rare, brilliant writer. His work eschews all cant. Its sheer verve, the way it burrows beneath ossified forms of writing, its discipline and the distance it places between itself and the jaded preoccupations of local fiction, distinguish it.""-- Sunday Times" "His art is about loosening the terrible grip of a world of dead images and opening the flow of new perceptions and fresh understanding."" -- Sunday Independent" ""TheFolly"is mysterious, lyrical and wickedly funny amasterful novel about loving and fearing your neighbor. Ivan Vladislavi is oneofthemost significant writers working in English today. Everyone should read him." Katie Kitamura, author of "Japanese for Travellers - A Journey""""Therise and fallof"theplan" attheheartofthis potent short novel is as brilliant as it is unsettling. Vladislavi writes with spring-loaded precision about universal dreams and local desolation. Afable fortheages, aparable for our times." Laird Hunt, author of "Neverhome""""Theprose is stunning. It givestheimpressionofthewords andthephrases having been caught fromtheinside." Tony Morphet, author of "The Eye of the Needle: Towards Participatory Democracy in South Africa" "Aparable about land, ownershipand power?Afable abouttheimagined other? An allegoryofcontestation and co-existence, orofthebuilding (and dismantling)ofsystems? Occupyingatantalizingly unnameable region between fable, allegory and parable, Ivan Vladislavi 's first novel announcesapowerfully original imagination, expressed in unparalleled stylistic precision and brilliance. Nothing shortofagreat contemporary writer, he pushes at form and content to make something strangely new and profoundofthenovel." Neel Mukherjee, author of "The Lives of Others" "Ivan Vladislavi possesses a rare ability to turn parable into page-turner. In"The Folly," which brings to mind the work of Calvino and Beckett, he conjures a chimera that hovers tantalizingly just beyond understanding. This funny and ultimately haunting novel reminds us that our desires whether for stability, meaning, or solidarity rest on the flimsiest foundations." Stephen Sparks, Green Apple Books" Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2015 (EAN 9780914671374, Paperback) Publishers Weekly 06/22/2015 (EAN 9780914671374, Paperback) Contributor Bio:  Vladislavic, Ivan Born in Pretoria in 1957, Ivan Vladislavic has published five works of fiction. Portrait with Keys was shortlisted for the Ondaatje Prize and won the Alan Paton, South Africa's major nonfiction award. He lives in Johannesburg.