The Flame Alphabet - Ben Marcus

Category: Literature, Novel
Language: English
Keywords: Dystopia metaphysical Satire Surrealism Yiddish Folklore

Written by Ben Marcus
Read by Andy Paris
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 96 Kbps
Unabridged

In The Flame Alphabet, language is toxic to everyone but children. For adults this means no speaking, no reading, no writing, no listening - at least not without severe allergic reaction, depression or crippling pain. In telling the story, Sam, a man whose family has come apart, is literally dying a slow death. It’s poisoning him to write the words that we read. The story is set in our time, but that time has been just slightly broken open to accommodate a world where children have all of the power and where adults must shield themselves from language in any way that they can. Marcus’s narrative touches on a wide range of interests and issues, including a speculative conception of allergy science, rogue tactics of self-improvement, the trauma that surrounds aphasia, confidence games between excessively powerful children, the future of writing as a technology and cruelty within families. The novel is part satire and lament, dystopian fantasy and family tragedy.

Audio Release Date:
January 17 2012

11 hrs and 6 mins