Bøger af Jenny Diski

Jenny Diski’s prose is as sharp and steely as her imagination is wild and wondrous. When she died of cancer in April 2016, after chronicling her illness in an unforgettable series of essays in the London Review of Books, she was mourned by readers, admirers, and critics around the world, who had come to love the cool and unflinching tone that defined her singular voice. She explored the subjects of sex, power, domesticity, femininity, hysteria, and loneliness with humor and honesty.The stories in The Vanishing Princess showcase a rarely seen side of this beloved writer. In a Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale turned on its head, a miller’s daughter rises to power and wealth to outwit the title villain. “Bath Time” tells the story of a woman’s life through her attempts to build the perfect bathtub, chasing an elusive moment of peace. In “Short Circuit,” the author mines her own bouts in mental institutionsoutside London to question whether those we think are mad are really the sanest among us. Sharper, more experimental than her novels, The Vanishing Princess presents Jenny Diski as we knew her but also as we could never quite capture her irreverent, bizarre, political, morose, and gloriously unruly on the page.

Using two cross-country trips on Amtrak as her narrative vehicles, British writer Jenny Diski connects the humming rails, taking her into the heart of America with the track-like scars leading back to her own past. As in the highly acclaimed Skating to Antarctica, Diski has created a seamless and seemingly effortless amalgam of reflections and revelation in a unique combination of travelogue and memoir.

What if God fell in love and the person was already married? A bitter story of the very first love triangle between a man, his wife, and their God First came Adam, whose fall soured His quest for absolute authority, then Noah, whose dreary sense of duty He found dull. God resolves for a third and final time to get it right, to select a vessel through whom He can direct human affairs, and to whom He can communicate directly His will. He chooses a solitary figure whose trust must be wooed, but whose faith, once secured, will surely reflect even greater glory and love. Were matters only that simple. In "Only Human, Jenny Diski's brilliant and affecting retelling of the Abraham and Sarah story, God learns that no man, chosen or not, is solitary, and that the bonds forged by the human heart are resilient even to divine commandment. Diski transforms an archetypal tale of Old Testament obedience into a fierce love triangle, a test of wills over not only mankind's future, but over who will tell the story of its past.

* Reissue of one of Jenny Diski's most powerful early novels, on the theme of power and collusion in a sado-masochistic relationship* New afterword from the author examining the passions her story roused in its readers

What does Jenny Diski know about animals? She's really not sure. She remembers the animal books she read in her childhood; the cartoons she watched; the meals she ate; the strays she found; the animals who have lived and still live with her. She examines human beings, too, and the way in which we have looked at, studied, treated and written about the non-human creatures with whom we share the planet. Subtle, intelligent and brilliantly observed, What I Don't Know About Animals is an engaging look at what it means to be human - and what it means to be animal.

Marie de Gournay was eighteen when she read, and was overwhelmed by, the essays of the French philosopher Montaigne. She had to be revived with hellebore. When she finally met Montaigne, she stabbed herself with a hairpin until the blood ran in order to show her devotion. He made her his adopted daughter for the two months they knew each other. He died four years later, after which, though scorned by intellectuals, she became his editor. Jenny Diski engages with this passionate and confused relationship between 'father and daughter', old writer/young acolyte, possible lovers, using both their voices. Much of their story is about absence of the people they love. In Jenny Diski's hands it becomes a fascinating tale.

From the award-winning, fabulously unique writer - comes a most unusual series of journeys from Lapland to New Zealand to Somerset. Now in paperback. 'A luminous, brilliantly witty account of the trials of seeking stillnes' Joanna Kavenna, Telegraph

Stranger On A Train is a fascinating piece of literature penned by the talented Jenny Diski. Published by Little, Brown Book Group in 2004, this book offers a unique blend of travel, memoir, and reflection. Diski's narrative takes the reader on an unexpected journey, just as the title suggests. The genre of this book is hard to pin down as it seamlessly blends elements of travelogue, memoir, and social observation. Diski's writing style is engaging and thought-provoking, making it a must-read for those who appreciate insightful and beautifully crafted prose. The book is more than just a journey on a train; it is a journey into the mind and experiences of the author herself. Published by the Little, Brown Book Group, this book is a testament to Diski's storytelling prowess and her ability to captivate readers with her unique perspective and compelling narratives.

* 'This is Jenny Diski's best novel yet' LITERARY REVIEW

A wonderfully animated collection of Diski's essays from the London Review of Books, The Guardian, New Statesman and the Observer.

Skating to Antarctica' is both an intimate memoir and a captivating travelogue of a journey to the bottom of the world.

JENNY DISKI beslutter da hun er omkring de 50, at rejse til Antarktis. Det føles som en drift! Hun har ikke noget specielt formål med rejsen, ud over at hun længes efter det hvide, tyste og uberørte. Opholdet i Kahyt 532 på det russiske krydstogtskib bringer hende imidlertid videre end til isbjergenes glitrende landskaber. I erindringen kommer hun tilbage til sin barndomsverden med en frysende kold mor der ønskede sig en skøjteprinsesse, men fik et barn. Diski har mere i bagagen end de fleste og var kun fjorten år da hun første gang havnede på psykiatrisk afdeling. Stik imod de vante forestillinger om forsoning og tilgivelse overlevede hun ved simpelthen at kappe båndet til sin mor! Med tør humor og selvironi skildrer Diski en Antarktis-færd der ud over mødet med pingviner, polarfugle og sære medpasssagerer også blev en uventet rejse tilbage i tiden.