T.C. Boyle

A deep-dive into human behavior in an epic story of science, society, sex, and survival, from one of the greatest American novelists today, T. C. Boyle, the acclaimed, bestselling, author of the PEN/ Faulkner Award–winning World’s End and The Harder They Come. It is 1994, and in the desert near Tillman, Arizona, forty miles from Tucson, a grand experiment involving the future of humanity is underway. As climate change threatens the earth, eight scientists, four men and four women dubbed the "Terranauts," have been selected to live under glass in E2, a prototype of a possible off-earth colony. Their sealed, three-acre compound comprises five biomes—rainforest, savanna, desert, ocean, and marsh—and enough wildlife, water, and vegetation to sustain them. Closely monitored by an all-seeing Mission Control, this New Eden is the brainchild of ecovisionary Jeremiah Reed, aka G.C.—"God the Creator"—for whom the project is both an adventure in scientific discovery and a momentous publicity stunt. In addition to their roles as medics, farmers, biologists, and survivalists, his young, strapping Terranauts must impress watchful visitors and a skeptical media curious to see if E2’s environment will somehow be compromised, forcing the Ecosphere’s seal to be broken—and ending the mission in failure. As the Terranauts face increased scrutiny and a host of disasters, both natural and of their own making, their mantra: "Nothing in, nothing out," becomes a dangerously ferocious rallying cry. Told through three distinct narrators—Dawn Chapman, the mission’s pretty, young ecologist; Linda Ryu, her bitter, scheming best friend passed over for E2; and Ramsay Roothorp, E2’s sexually irrepressible Wildman—The Terranauts brings to life an electrifying, pressured world in which connected lives are uncontrollably pushed to the breaking point. With characteristic humor and acerbic wit, T.C. Boyle indelibly inhabits the perspectives of the various players in this survivalist game, probing their motivations and illuminating their integrity and fragility to illustrate the inherent fallibility of human nature itself.

A Novel

The Terranauts

A provocative new novel from bestselling author T.C. Boyle exploring the first scientific and recreational forays into LSD and its mind-altering possibilities In this stirring and insightful novel, T.C. Boyle takes us back to the 1960s and to the early days of a drug whose effects have reverberated widely throughout our culture: LSD. In 1943, LSD is synthesized in Basel. Two decades later, a coterie of grad students at Harvard are gradually drawn into the inner circle of renowned psychologist and psychedelic drug enthusiast Timothy Leary. Fitzhugh Loney, a psychology Ph.D. student and his wife, Joanie, become entranced by the drug’s possibilities such that their “research” becomes less a matter of clinical trials and academic papers and instead turns into a free-wheeling exploration of mind expansion, group dynamics, and communal living. With his trademark humor and pathos, Boyle moves us through the Loneys’ initiation at one of Leary’s parties to his notorious summer seminars in Zihuatanejo until the Loneys’ eventual expulsion from Harvard and their introduction to a communal arrangement of thirty devotees—students, wives, and children—living together in a sixty-four room mansion and devoting themselves to all kinds of experimentation and questioning. Is LSD a belief system? Does it allow you to see God? Can the Loneys’ marriage—or any marriage, for that matter—survive the chaotic and sometimes orgiastic use of psychedelic drugs? Wry, witty, and wise, Outside Looking In is an ideal subject for this American master, and highlights Boyle’s acrobatic prose, detailed plots, and big ideas. It’s an utterly engaging and occasionally trippy look at the nature of reality, identity, and consciousness, as well as our seemingly infinite capacities for creativity, re-invention, and self-discovery.

Outside Looking In

A NEWSWEEK BEST NOVEL OF THE YEAR A TOP 10 BOOK OF 2015 (Michiko Kakutani, New York Times) Set in contemporary Northern California, The Harder They Come explores the volatile connections between three damaged people—an aging Vietnam veteran, his psychologically unstable son, and the son’s paranoid, much older lover—as they careen toward an explosive confrontation. On a cruise to Central America, seventy-year-old Sten Stensen kills an armed robber menacing a busload of tourists. The reluctant hero is relieved to return home to Fort Bragg, California—only to find that his delusional son, Adam, has spiraled out of control. Adam has become involved with Sara, a hardened member of a right-wing anarchist group. As his mental state fractures, he becomes increasingly delusional until a schizophrenic breakdown leads him to shoot two people, spurring the biggest manhunt in California history. As T.C. Boyle explores a father’s legacy of violence and his powerlessness in relating to his equally violent son, he offers unparalleled insights into the American psyche. Inspired by a true story, The Harder They Come is a devastating and indelible novel from a modern master.

The Harder They Come

While T.C. Boyle is known as one of our greatest American novelists, he is also an acknowledged master of the short story and is perhaps at his funniest, his most moving, and his most surprising in the short form. In The Relive Box, Boyle's sharp wit and rich imagination combine with a penetrating social consciousness to produce raucous, poignant, and expansive short stories defined by an inimitable voice. From the collection's title story, featuring a Halcom X1520 Relive Box that allows users to experience anew almost any moment from their past to "The Five-Pound Burrito," the tale of a man aiming to build the biggest burrito in town, the twelve stories in this collection speak to the humor, the pathos, and the struggle that is part of being human while relishing the whimsy of wordplay and the power of a story well told. In stories that span a variety of styles and genres, Boyle addresses the enduring concerns of the human mind and heart while taking on timely social concerns. The Relive Box is an exuberant, linguistically dazzling effort from a "vibrant sensibility fully engaged with American society." (The New York Times)

The Relive Box and Other Stories

I Walk Between the Raindrops

Als Boyles "Wassermusik" 1981 erschien und noch niemand den merkwürdigen Namen Coraghessan aussprechen konnte, war trotzdem sofort klar, dass dieser Roman das Zeug zum Kultbuch hatte. Boyle erzählt darin die weitgehend wahre Geschichte des schottischen Forschers Mungo Park, der im 18. Jahrhundert als erster Weißer den Verlauf des Niger erkundete. Zur Seite stellt er ihm die frei erfundene Figur des Ned Rise, einen englischen Grabräuber und Galgenstrick, der mit dem Entdecker im tiefsten Afrika die wildesten Abenteuer besteht. Außerdem dabei: ein phantastisches Panoptikum von Hexen und Schlägern, Kannibalen, Huren, Glücksrittern. Sein legendärer Erstlingsroman nun in einer fulminanten Neuübersetzung.

Roman

Wassermusik

Die Terranauten

San Miguel

From New York Times bestselling author T.C. Boyle, a powerful, gripping novel that explores the roots of violence and anti-authoritarianism inherent In the American character Set in contemporary Northern California, The Harder They Come explores the volatile connections between three damaged people—an aging ex-Marine and Vietnam veteran, his psychologically unstable son, and the son's paranoid, much-older lover—as they careen toward an explosive confrontation. On a cruise to Central America, seventy-year-old Sten Stensen unflinchingly kills an armed robber menacing a busload of tourists. The reluctant hero is relieved to return home to Fort Bragg, California—only to find that his delusional son, Adam, has spiraled out of control. Adam has become involved with Sara, a hardened member of a right-wing anarchist group that refuses to acknowledge the laws of the state. Adam's senior by some fifteen years, she becomes his protector and inamorata. As Adam's mental state fractures, he becomes increasingly delusional until a schizophrenic breakdown leads him to shoot two people. On the run, he takes to the woods, spurring the biggest manhunt in California history. As T.C. Boyle explores a father's legacy of violence and his powerlessness in relating to his equally violent son, he offers unparalleled insights into the American psyche. Inspired by a true story, The Harder They Come is a devastating and indelible novel from a modern master.

Blue Skies

Wie storm zaait / druk 1

A “riveting” (Wall Street Journal) portrait of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the women in his life – 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of Wright’s birth Having brought to life eccentric cereal king John Harvey Kellogg in The Road to Wellville and sex researcher Alfred Kinsey in The Inner Circle, T.C. Boyle now turns his fictional sights on an even more colorful and outlandish character: Frank Lloyd Wright. Boyle's incomparable account of Wright's life is told through the experiences of the four women who loved him. There's the Montenegrin beauty Olgivanna Milanoff, the passionate Southern belle Maude Miriam Noel, the tragic Mamah Cheney, and his young first wife, Kitty Tobin. Blazing with his trademark wit and inventiveness, Boyle deftly captures these very different women and the creative life in all its complexity.

The Women

Ein Mann legt sich nach dem Tod seiner Ehefrau eine Schlange zu. Doch schon die erste Ratte, die er an sie verfüttern will, erregt sein Mitleid. Er besorgt weitere Ratten, damit die anderen nicht so einsam sind, und, ehe er sichs versieht, wird aus der Schlangengrube ein Rattennest.

Dreizehnhundert Ratten

T.C. Boyle's most powerful and fully realized work yet-"terrifically exciting and unapologetically relevant" (The Washington Post). Principally set on the wild Channel Islands off the coast of California, T.C. Boyle's new novel is a gripping adventure with a timely theme. Alma Boyd Takesue is a National Park Service biologist spearheading the efforts to save the islands' native creatures from invasive species. Her antagonist, Dave LaJoy, is a local businessman who is fiercely opposed to the killing of any animals whatsoever and will go to any lengths to subvert her plans. As their confrontation plays out in a series of scenes escalating in violence, drama, and danger, When the Killing's Done relates a richly humane tale about the dominion we attempt to exert, for better or worse, over the natural world.

When the Killing's Done

One of the acknowledged masters of the short story gives readers a gripping ride through narratives that shock, compel, and always entertain. Few authors in America write with such sheer love of language and imagination as T.C. Boyle, and nowhere is that passion more evident than in his inventive, wickedly funny, and widely praised short stories. In After the Plague, Boyle speaks of contemporary social issues in a range of emotional keys. The 16 tales gathered here address everything from air rage to abortion doctors to first love and its consequences. The collection ends with the brilliant title story, a whimsical and imaginative vision of a disease-ravaged Earth. Presented with characteristic wit and intelligence, this collection will delight readers in search of the latest news of the chaotic, disturbing, and achingly beautiful world in which we live. “Fine, vigorous short stories . . . this is a writer who can take you anywhere.”—The New York Times “Uproarious and unforgiving.”—The New Yorker “In an age of war where the foe is indistinct and difficult to identify, Boyle has become both the poet and the prophet of our time.”—Los Angeles Times “Reads like a flip through the A-section of the newspaper . . . a vivid collage of millennial American life.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer "Boyle's imagination and zeal for storytelling are in top form here."—Publishers Weekly

and Other Stories

After the Plague

In sixteen stories, T.C. Boyle tears through the walls of contemporary society to reveal a world at once comic and tragic, droll and horrific. Boyle introduces us to a death-defying stuntman who rides across the country strapped to the axle of a Peterbilt, and to a retired primatologist who can’t adjust to the “civilized” world. He chronicles the state of romance that requires full-body protection in a disease-conscious age and depicts with aching tenderness the relationship between a young boy and his alcoholic father. These magical and provocative stories mark yet another virtuoso performance from one of America’s most supple and electric literary inventors.

Stories

If the River Was Whiskey

Wenn bei T.C. Boyle von "Good Home" die Rede ist, muss man auf alles gefasst sein: Ein Witwer legt sich eine Schlange zu, aber die Ratten, mit denen er sie füttern will, wachsen ihm so sehr ans Herz, dass er Dreizehnhundert von ihnen beherbergt. Eine Zwölfjährige soll vor Gericht gegen ihren alkoholkranken Vater aussagen; und plötzlich gibt es viele Wahrheiten. Eine betörende Frau lässt sich auf den Hundemann ein – kurz zuvor hatte sie ihm ihre Kätzchen anvertraut, doch was er mit denen vorhat, kann sie nicht ahnen. Der Bestsellerautor erkundet in seinen neuen Erzählungen, die dieser Band versammelt, die dunkle Seite der amerikanischen Seele – witzig, exzentrisch, unheimlich.

Good Home

Es ist das Jahr 1939, und auf dem Campus der Universität Indiana ist eine Revolution ausgebrochen. Alfred Kinsey, Zoologe, beschäftigt sich mit dem sexuellen Verhalten von Männern und Frauen - rein empirisch natürlich. John Milk, Student und ehrgeiziger Provinzler, gerät in seinen Bann und in seinen engsten Forscherkreis. T. C. Boyle erzählt die Geschichte eines genialen, fanatischen Helden und porträtiert dabei die prüde und heuchlerische Gesellschaft des Amerikas der vierziger und fünfziger Jahre.

Dr. Sex

Eine amerikanische Ehe: Der steinreiche Erbe Stanley McCormick heiratet im Jahr 1904 die schöne Katherine Dexter. Alles paßt zusammen: Reichtum, Schönheit, Prestige, Intelligenz. Doch McCormick leidet unter sexuellen Wahnvostellungen und kann nicht mit einer Frau allein gelassen werden - schon gar nicht mit der eigenen. Primatenforscher, Quacksalber und Freudianer versuchen sich als Ärzte, aber nur seine Frau und ein Pfleger bleiben ihm wirklich treu. Eine bizarre, anrührende Liebesromanze.

Riven Rock

À l’université d’UCSM, en Californie, un sujet est dans toutes les bouches : le passage à la télé du professeur Guy Schermerhorn et de son chimpanzé Sam – un singe pas comme les autres : il parle, Guy l’ayant initié à la langue des signes. C’est alors que, dans le hall, Aimee tombe sur un prospectus indiquant que le professeur cherche des étudiants pour l’assister dans ses recherches (comprendre : s’occuper de Sam). « Aucune expérience nécessaire, est-il précisé. Seulement de la patience et un dos à toute épreuve. » En effet, la tâche n’est pas de tout repos, ce dont peut témoigner la prédécesseuse d’Aimee, défigurée après une grave morsure. Mais la jeune étudiante s’en sort à merveille. Grâce à sa douceur maternelle, elle arrive à canaliser l’animal. Et puis elle lui change ses couches, lui donne le bain, répare ses bêtises, le câline, lui fait la cuisine – quand Guy ne commande pas des pizzas (le plat préféré de Sam). Voilà de quoi satisfaire le professeur : il a trouvé en elle la parfaite nounou. Et la parfaite petite-amie... Cependant, une mauvaise nouvelle va mettre fin à cette idylle. D’après une étude qu’un certain Borstein s’apprête à publier, seuls les humains peuvent apprendre le langage, ce qui pousse le professeur Donald Moncrief – le grand manitou de la primatologie et à l’initiative de l’expérience menée par Guy – à mettre un terme à celle-ci. Il rapatrie Sam chez lui, dans l’Iowa, et l’enferme dans sa « grange aux chimps » sans autre forme de procès. Sauf que pour Aimee, Sam c’est toute sa vie. Et elle va tout faire pour le libérer. On reconnaît ici l’humour grinçant si caractéristique du style de T.C. Boyle. Mais pour loufoque qu’il soit, ce roman n’en est pas moins sous-tendu par une réflexion métaphysique et éthique profonde : quelle est la frontière entre l’humain et l’animal ? Traduit de l'anglais ( États-Unis) par Bernard Turle

T.C. Boyle

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