Geometric Regional Novel     by Gert Jonke, Translated by Johannes Vazulik Original title: Geometrischer Heimatroman Original language: German Published by Dalkey Archive Press Pub. Date: June 1, 1994 Format: Cloth, 131 pages Dimensions: (in inches): 0.61 x 8.76 x 5.74 ISBN: 1564780481 Edition: 1st Edition List Price: $19.95, £13.99 buy now directly from the publisher Free Shipping Worldwide Published by Dalkey Archive Press Pub. Date: 1994 Format: 131 pages Not available for ordering

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Geometric Regional Novel is an innovative satire on the process by which bureauc racy and official regimentation insidiously pervade society. In a deadpan, pseudo-scientific tone, the nameless narrator takes us on a tour of a bizarre village whose inhabitants lead such habitual, regulated lives that they resemble elements in a mathema t ical equation. The traditional village leaders—the mayor, the priest, the teacher—uphold the status quo with comically exaggerated attention to ceremony and trivia, and nearly every aspect of life has been codified. Contrasting with the mathematical des criptions of village life are flashes of colorful, surrealistic writing, exemplifying the power of the imagination to counter the monotonous routines of daily life.

"An important voice in the contemporary German-language literary scene. . . . This deligh tful novel makes a welcome addition to the postmodernist canon. . . . Jonke has achieved what his American counterparts merely dream of: highly experimental fiction that is both entertaining and accessible."—Kirkus

"Leavened with irreverent humor, this Kafka-esque fun house of a novel raucously protests the regimentation and standardization of modern life."—Publishers Weekly

"It offers the pleasure of new discoveries, fresh experiences in reading. The reader gets to enjoy both an amusing book and the act of reading it."—Peter Handke

"The novel is written in a style not unlike that of Samuel Beckett's late works—precise, objective, deliberately unemotional. Even in translation, it appears to be a masterpiece."—Booklist

"Like a great Bach fugue, themes are stated and then repeated in endless variations."—J.K. Fugate, Choice