Dreams of Speaking

Dreams of Speaking

by Gail Jones (Author)

Synopsis

'We must talk, Alice Black, about this world of modern things. This buzzing world.' Alice is entranced by the aesthetics of technology and, in every aeroplane flight, every Xerox machine, every neon sign, sees the poetry of modernity. Mr Sakamoto, a survivor of the atomic bomb, is an expert on Alexander Graham Bell. The pair forge an unlikely friendship as Mr Sakamoto regales Alice with stories of twentieth-century invention. His own knowledge begins to inform her writing, and these two solitary beings become a mutual support for each other a long way from home. This novel from Man Booker longlisted author Gail Jones is distinguished by its honesty and intelligence. From the boundlessness of space walking to the frustrating constrictions of one person's daily existence, "Dreams of Speaking" paints with grace and skill the experience of needing to belong despite wanting to be alone.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 224
Edition: 1st
Publisher: Harvill Secker
Published: 09 Mar 2006

ISBN 10: 1843431971
ISBN 13: 9781843431978
Book Overview: Metropolitan lives and modern invention are juxtaposed with troubled histories, love, loss and loneliness in this exquisitely crafted new novel from the author of Sixty Lights.
Prizes: Shortlisted for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2008 and Miles Franklin Literary Award 2007.

Media Reviews
'A very special novel indeed ... a uniquely talented writer' Independent on Sunday (reviewing Vintage PB)
Author Bio
GAIL JONES teaches literature, cinema and cultural studies at the University of Western Australia. She is the author of Sixty Lights (Harvill/Vintage) for which she was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2004. One previous novel, Black Mirror, and two collections of short stories have been published in her native Australia and for these Gail is the recipient of numerous literary awards.