Solenoid

Solenoid is a novel by Mircea Cărtărescu that combines fiction with autobiography and history to explore the alternate dimensions of life and art. It was named one of the best books of 2022 by several publications. The novel is based on Cărtărescu's own experience as a high school teacher and explores philosophical accounts of life, history, philosophy, and mathematics. It is set in Romania in the late 1970s and early 1980s and includes sequences in a tuberculosis preventorium, encounters with an anti-death protest movement, a society of dream investigators, and an extended visit to the miniscule world of dust mites living on a microscope slide. The text searches for escape routes through the alternate dimensions of life and art, as various monstrous realities erupt within the present.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 672 pages
Publication date: 08 December 2022
Publisher: Deep Vellum Publishing

A highly acclaimed masterpiece of fiction, Solenoid, by Mircea Cărtărescu, the author of Blinding and Solenoid, is a creation that emerges from diverging paths. Drawing from Cărtărescu's personal experiences as a high school teacher, the novel begins with the ordinary details of a diarist's life and swiftly evolves into a philosophical exploration of life, history, philosophy, and mathematics. Set in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Romania, the novel vividly portrays the realities of that time, including the frightening state of healthcare, the absurdities of the education system, and the hardships of family life. At the same time, Solenoid's broader inquiries into other universes, dimensions, and timelines aim to bridge the gap between life and art. The text includes sequences in a tuberculosis preventorium, encounters with an anti-death protest movement, a society of dream investigators, and an extended visit to the microscopic world of dust mites living on a microscope slide. One character asks another, "When you rush into the burning building, will you save the newborn or the artwork?" Solenoid seamlessly blends fiction with autobiography and history, featuring characters such as Nikola Tesla and Charles Hinton alongside the enigmatic Voynich manuscript. As various monstrous realities erupt within the present, the novel searches for escape routes through the alternate dimensions of life and art.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781646052028