The Wall of America [Paperback]

Thomas M. Disch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Surreal and satiric, this collection of short fiction pays a mesmerizing visit to the shadowy zone that lies between present everyday life and a perilous near future that is frighteningly tangible. In "The Wall of America," the Department of Homeland Security has put up a border wall between the U.S. and Canada, but the NEA has plans to turn it into the world’s largest art gallery. After the Rapture, working-class life for "A Family of the Post-Apocalypse" is not as different as one might imagine, despite the occasional plague of biker-gang locusts. Between addiction and art is "Ringtime," where a criminal is trapped in a recursive compulsion to visit other people's memories while he is forced to record his own for an eager audience. A Somali schoolgirl living in post-WWIII Minneapolis goes on a bloody crusade to rid her town of a familiar predator, one who might just be a monster, in "White Man." Vivid, starkly imagined, and strikingly articulate, this disquieting compilation is a journey that skillfully straddles the line between absurdity and irony.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Decrying but not despairing, this collection of 19 later short pieces by author and poet Disch (1940–2008) lovingly tears into the realities and fantasies of American life. Belief and delusion walk side by side as primal fears of vampirism overtake so-called civilized society (The White Man) and alien abduction hoaxes are used to rescue abused children (The Abduction of Bunny Steiner, or, A Shameless Lie). Art is commerce in Canned Goods and it's transcendence in The Wall of America, and Disch offers delicious revenge on those who exploit art as mere entertainment (One Night, or, Scheherazade's Bare Minimum) or treat it condescendingly as a charity case (The First Annual Performance Art Festival at the Slaughter Rock Battlefield). Though sometimes light and slight, these tales show Disch at his masterful, acerbic best. (Nov.)
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From Booklist

Disch, who died in July 2008, leaves a legacy of brilliantly written poetry, essays, and fiction, including such classic sf novels as Camp Concentration (1968) and 334 (1974). His final story collection offers 19 satiric and often surreal stories that showcase his legendarily versatile imagination and keen eye for the absurd. In the title story, the NEA and the Department of Homeland Security team up to offer itinerant artists space to create their masterpieces on the 2,000-mile wall separating Canada from the U.S. In the postapocalyptic society depicted in “Canned Goods,” an art connoisseur barters away his cherished paintings for a handful of food supplies. The protagonist of “Ringtime” is a criminal trafficking in memories, illicit and otherwise, recorded on small metal rings. Whether Disch is eavesdropping on the conversations of geriatric serial killers or dissecting the literary ambitions of a UFO abductee, his subtle wit and provocative ideas are irresistibly captivating. His distinctive voice in sf will be sorely missed. --Carl Hays

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tachyon Publications (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892391821
• ISBN-13: 978-1892391827
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,626,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)