Bed

By Lin, Tao

Publishers Summary:
"Tao Lin writes from moods that less radical writers would let pass-from laziness, from vacancy, from boredom. And it turns out that his report from these places is moving and necessary, not to mention frequently hilarious."-Miranda July, author of No One Belongs Here More Than You "Tao Lin's territory is the rich, neglected space between the bigger things we thought we already knew. Only in his hands everything becomes strange-a little warped, a little sad, and a whole lot more intriguing. With understated lyricism, he reminds us that if we can't fix things, then at least we can try to see them with perfect clarity."-Todd Hasak-Lowy, author of The Task of This Translator A startlingly original voice announces itself immediately in this collection of award-winning stories. Tao Lin's absorbing writing style matches a minimalist prose with a lyric sensibility, poignant compassion with a hysterical sense of humor, bitter reality with enchanting fantasy, and youthful outlandishness with a gentle, mature perceptiveness-all in shaped stories that are a tribute to the form. In a series of pinpoint portrayals, Lin's tales depict young people in a surreal place between irresponsible youth and workaday adulthood, wanting to reject both cultures in order to craft something different. But such rebellion is harder than ever in a culture dominated by outrageousness, and Lin sensitively portrays the struggle in a way that is highly entertaining, impressively smart, and ultimately moving. It will leave some cheering the war against a dumbed-down culture, others laughing at the tactics, and all concerned feeling like they've got a new champion in Tao Lin. Tao Lin lives in New York City.

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ISBN
978-1-93363-326-8
Publisher
Melville House Publishing


REVIEWS

Library Journal

Reviewed on June 25, 2007

This set of nine pseudo-autobiographical, woe-is-our-generation absurdist tales updates Oblamov for worried 21st century slackerdom. Lin's characters will be familiar to MySpace denizens, whether they're struggling through college in a busy city, stifling in an exhausted relationship just for the body heat, or missing their parents (but not knowing how to tell them without sounding as if asking for money). Settings are...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

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