I Hear Voices [Paperback]

Paul Ableman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 21, 2010

Paul Ableman's modern masterpiece was published in Paris in 1958 to instant acclaim. The narrator of "I Hear Voices" is a young schizophrenic who transports himself, and the reader, through a wondrously transfigured city where the real and the fantastic blend together in a seamless enchantment. The continual stream and buzz of events is often comical, occasionally wrenching, and always unpredictable. Encounters with Miss Carpet, The Commissioner, Merkitt and Mrs Oil, among others, are filled with poignant satire and disquieting honest in this vision of the fragmentation of contemporary life. 'The book, not excluding Lolita, which gave me the greatest pride and pleasure to publish' - Maurice Girodias. 'Subtle, humorous, clinically authentic' - "Times Literary Supplement".

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

First published in Paris 30 years ago, this novel by noted playwright Ableman is being released in the United States for the first time. Although the narrator is a young schizophrenic confined to a hospital bed, the reader gets involved with his wanderings "outside of the hospital walls." The characteristics associated with the narrator's severe mental disorder include intellectual deterioration, social isolation, and perhaps delusions about life; and certainly the social isolation becomes evident whenever the narrator hears the voice of his brother Arthur--a voice that, throughout the novel, he is always trying to impress. The reader finally comes to empathize with the narrator and his plight. Strongly recommended.
- Vicki Cecil, Johnson Cty. P.L., Greenwood, Ind.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

Arresting and brilliant...A breathtaking precision about states of mind, played off against a hilarious vagueness about physical reality.-- New York Times Book Review

Psychodrama, mythic journey, and an exciting diversion. -- Kirkus Reviews

Exceptionally funny, in its dialogue, eccentric characters and dead-pan style. --Washington Post Book World --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Faber Finds M/D (January 21, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571259049
• ISBN-13: 978-0571259045
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars difficult but worth the effort, December 27, 2003

By 

Unutterable (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Hear Voices (Hardcover)

Very interesting novel - it purports to tell a stream of consciousness story from the point of view of a young schizophrenic, but at times it reads like automatic writing, William S. Burroughs' cut-ups, and perhaps some of Gertrude Stein's more abstract work. It's a very difficult read, but worth the effort.