Love Today

By Maxim Biller

Book Overview

Following the appearance of two stories inThe New Yorker, German author, playwright, and journalist Maxim Biller makes his English-language debut with a collection of remarkable and beautifully wrought short stories,Love Today.These twenty-seven exquisite vignettes reveal the frustration, longing, and loneliness of human intimacy and love in the twenty-first century. A moment of dialogue between two people seated in an empty bar in "Baghdad at Seven-Thirty" evokes fragility, helplessness, and regret. The childhood friends who meet accidentally throughout the years in "Ziggy Stardust" are alternately drawn toward and repulsed from each other; and the fleeting text messages exchanged in "The Maserati Years" change everything between two lovers in an instant. Collectively, the result is romantic, voyeuristic, and deeply moving.Already a force in contemporary German literature, Maxim Biller has received praise from critics and readers alike throughout Europe for his perceptive, enchanting prose and the hauntingly familiar emotions his stories can provoke.Love Todayintroduces a new and gifted writing talent, and an accomplished international literary voice.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416572651
• ISBN13: 9781416572657
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

modern love

I first saw the story "The Mahogany Elephant" in The New Yorker and was amazed by Biller's insight and precise rendering of the tricks and currents of modern love. I flipped back to the start of it a few times just to burn his name into my head so I would remember to buy the book when it came out. And the book is no disappointment. Biller is sharp, almost surgical in his spare portrayal of relationships. Any reader can recognize moments they've lived themselves -- except with a new understanding from getting the perspective of Biller's all-seeing eye. Not every story coheres; at times the emotional distance keeps you from connecting with the characters. But many of the stories will just blow you away, and collectively, they have real power. You realize you're in the hands of a master, that his apparently simple writing is anything but, and that Biller not only sees but understands. A great debut. Can't wait for more!