The Musical Illusionist Paperback by Alex Rose

Product Details

• Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd. (2007-10-02)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 160 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780978910310
• Item Weight: 368.55 grams
• Dimensions: 0.0 x 0.0 x 0.0 cm

The second installment from Hotel St. George Press, following the release of The Session by Aaron Petrovich.

“This guy is very talented . . . one of the funniest, smartest writers I have come across in some time.” —Ross Katz, producer, Lost in Translation

In the tradition of Borges and Calvino, The Musical Illusionist is an interwoven collection of post-modern folk tales—disappearing manuscripts, neurological anamolies, teleporting bacteria, and an unforgettable composer who manipulates sound to bend perception—that masterfully blends scientific curiousity with magical-realist caprice. The collection is organized by a giant underground archive—The Library of Tangents—in which the reader takes an imaginary journey through a series of exhibitions exploring parallel understandings of space, time, language, and all of the senses.

From a mythical underground, Rose introduces a new form of parable—the Hypothetical Reality—in which the reader is never certain if Rose’s fiercely intellectual and carefully researched premises are the stuff of historic fact, or are instead an exploration of possibility. The impact of the collection is not measured by its verity, but by the way in which Rose’s illusions activate the imagination.

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