Equilateral: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Description

It is the turn of the twentieth century and a British astronomer, Thayer, high on Darwin and other progressive scientists of the age, arrives in Egypt to embark on the project of a lifetime: the excavation of a triangle in the desert, with sides hundreds of miles long, to be filled with petrol and set alight. The purpose: to send out a signal to life on Mars (for which he has evidence) that humans exist. But as work progresses, the huge task force of Egyptian workers is struck by disease and rebellion, and the success of Thayer's project looks increasingly uncertain.

Reviews

Irresistibly eccentric and clever * The Times *
Beautifully judged, haunting Highly intelligent and rich work of fiction * Guardian *
There are hip writers, there are technically innovative writers, and there are wise, moving, and profound writers. Kalfus is all of these at once * David Foster Wallace *
When a new Ken Kalfus novel appears I stop eating, drinking, shaving and breathing until I finish it. Equilateral is one of his smartest and most ambitious books yet. It left me thinking and wondering well past my bedtime * Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story *
Equilateral skilfully blurs real-life events with fantasy ... Kalfus continues the tradition of richness-in-restraint that runs through his other works of fiction * Financial Times *
Ken Kalfus is a talent to watch * Sunday Telegraph *
Kalfus has a demonic imagination. The glamour of consistent disaster is recognizable in every line, every scene, every lacquered articulation: it is what we moderns like to call a neo-classical construct. Im overcome by the splendor of what hes done * Richard Howard *

Author Bio

Ken Kalfus is the author of two novels, The Commissariat of Enlightenment and A Disorder Peculiar to the Country, which was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award. He's also published two collections of stories, Thirst and Pu-239 and Other Russian Fantasies, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. His books have been translated into more than ten foreign languages. He lives in Philadelphia.