Author: Niccolo Ammaniti Year: 2009 Rank: Rating: Original Rating: Pop Rating: Genres/categories: Fiction, Contemporary, Humor
Purchase/reserch links:
ISBNs: 9780802121110 9788806191016 080212111X 8806191012 |
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"Let the Games Begin may well be the print version of La Dolce Vita set today." --L'UnitĂ
In Let the Games Begin, internationally best-selling author Niccolo Ammaniti, winner of the prestigious Strega Prize, fuses a riotous dose of anarchic absurdity with a clear-eyed critique of contemporary society caught in a narcissistic spiral of longing and striving.
It begins on the night of the most decadent party of the century. A rags-to-riches real estate magnate has planned an over-the-top weekend safari for the who's-who of celebrities at his sprawling residence in Villa Ada--once a public park, now the largest private home in Rome. Starlets, politicians, soccer stars, and intellectuals all turn up to rub elbows. Among them is a neurotically charming author struggling to write his next literary tome and pining for renewed recognition. In an unexpected turn of events, he crosses paths with The Wilde Beasts of Abaddon, a satanic sect planning to ruin the evening's festivities in order to go down in history as a world-famous cult. What was intended as the most spectacular fĂȘte of the year quickly descends into apocalyptic chaos. In this satirical tragicomedy, Ammaniti reveals a side of modern culture riddled with superficiality and vulgarity that nourishes our deepest dreams and insecurities.
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