Stephen Marche & Shining at the Bottom of the Sea September 27, 2007

The Georgia Straight , Sophia Books, and Penguin Canada present Stephen Marche in a discussion with John Burns of the Georgia Straight about Marche's new book, Shining at the Bottom of the Sea.

The evening promises to be not without its moments of strangeness.

From the publisher:

In this stylistic tour de force, Stephen Marche creates the entire culture of a place called Sanjania—its national symbols, political movements, folk heroes, a group of writers dubbed “fictioneers,” a national airline called Sanjair, and a rich literary history. Sanjania is an island nation whose English-speaking citizens draw upon the English, American, Australian, and Canadian literary traditions. This brilliant story is an anthology, taking the reader from the rough and tumble pamphlets of 1870s Sanjania to the burgeoning Sanjanian nationalistic awareness in the 1930s literary journal, The Real Story, to the extraordinary longing of the writings of the Sanjanian Diaspora. These works develop into a Rashomon-like story, introducing us to illustrious Sanjanian figures such as the repentant prostitute Pigeon Blackhat and the magically talented couple Caesar and Endurance. The result is a vibrant evocation of a country— from the birth pangs of its first settlers and their hardy vernacular to is revolutionary years and all the way to the present—all told in Stephen Marche’s innovative and accomplished writing.

Official Website: http://www.penguin.ca/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780670066179,00.html