The Jules Verne Steam Balloon: Nine Stories
by Guy Davenport
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Description
Guy Davenport's cerebral and innovative stories intricately assemble centuries' worth of images and ideas Guy Davenport's stories seamlessly illuminate his vast knowledge of theology, philosophy, botany, and art, in his singular style of finding harmony in the juxtaposition of different themes. Whether critiquing the politics of socialist realist art in "We Often Think of Lenin at the Clothespin Factory," revisiting biblical tales in "Jonah," or depicting an ancient Greek philosopher in show more "The Meadow," Davenport demonstrates his talent for blending high-minded ideas with literary wit. Davenport's writing is at its most confident when the author weaves between time periods and ideas, such as when he revisits Descartes through the eyes of an ancient Greek skeptic in "Pyrrhon of Elis," wherein a doubting philosopher declares, "I may not be, I think"; or in "The Bicycle Rider," in which a doctoral student studying imagery of demons in the Gospels is visited by angelic spirits and attempts to save the life of a nihilistic prostitute. In these stories and the others collected in The Jules Verne Steam Balloon, Davenport's signature approach to culture and humanity is on bold display. show lessTags
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The Bicycle Rider, one of the short stories is a Utopina fiction where supremely bright and beautiful 12-year-old boys embrace sexual liberation with themselves and adults.
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Author Information
63+ Works 2,740 Members
Author, artist, literary critic and translator Guy Davenport was born on November 23, 1927 in Anderson, South Carolina. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University in 1948 and was selected as a Rhodes Scholar. He earned a Bachelor of Literature from Merton College, Oxford University in 1950 and a Doctor of Philosophy from Harvard show more University in 1961. He taught English at several universities from 1951 until his retirement in 1990. He received numerous awards including the O. Henry Award for short stories, the 1981 Morton Douwen Zabel award for fiction from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and translation awards from PEN and the Academy of American Poets. He died on January 4, 2005 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1987
- Dedication
- For my friend
HUMPHRY 1971-1986
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Statistics
- Members
- 89
- Popularity
- 361,434
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.46)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 3
