Reminiscent of the sweeping scale of classic American adventure films, this Medici Prize–winning novel chronicles the construction of an immense suspension bridge in a fictional city in California. Maylis de Kerangal interweaves the stories of a dozen men and women from the consortium of workers who converge on the site. With their various nationalities and social classes, these engineers, designers, divers, overseers, and protesters present a microcosm of not just California, but of humanity as a whole. Their collective effort to realize the megaproject recounts one of the oldest of human dramas, to domesticate—and to radically transform—our world through built form.
Kerangal's writing has been widely praised for its scope, originality, and use of language. The style of her prose is rich and innovative, playing with different registers (from the most highly literary to the most colloquial slang), taking risks and inventing words, and playing with speed...
Fiction

lgrsfic/R:\0day\eng\2014-10-01 Part 2-2\Maylis de Kerangal - Birth of a Bridge (retail) (epub).epub

lgli/Maylis de Kerangal - Birth of a Bridge (retail) (epub)

Naissance d'un pont

Maylis de Kerangal, Jessica Moore, Jaime Zulaika Goicoechea

Maylis de Kerangal; translated by Jessica Moore

de Kerangal, Maylis; Moore, Jessica

Talonbooks,Talonbooks

Talonbooks, Limited

Electronic edition: 2014, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 2014

Canada - English Language, Canada

6, 2014

lg_fict_id_1294217

Translation from the French of: Naissance d'un pont.

<div>From one of the most exciting novelists writing in France today comes this literary saga of a dozen men and women &#150; engineers, designers, machinery operators, cable riggers &#150; all employees of the international consortium charged with building a bridge somewhere in a mythical and fantastic California.<BR><BR>Told on a sweeping scale reminiscent of classic American adventure films, this M&#233;dicis Prize&#150;winning novel chronicles the lives of these workers, who represent a microcosm of not just mythic California, but of humanity as a whole. Their collective effort to complete the megaproject recounts one of the oldest of human dramas, to domesticate &#150; and to radically transform &#150; our world through built form, with all the dramatic tension it brings: a threatened strike, an environmental dispute, sabotage, accidents, career moves, and love affairs &#133; Here generations and social classes cease to exist, and everyone and everything converges toward the bridge as metaphor, a cross-cultural impression of America today.<BR><BR>Kerangal&#8217;s writing has been widely praised for its scope, originality, and use of language. The style of her prose is rich and innovative, playing with different registers (from the most highly literary to the most colloquial slang), taking risks and inventing words, and playing with speed and tension through grammatical ellipsis and elision. She employs a huge vocabulary and, most strikingly, brings together words not often combined to evoke startling comparisons. Not since Vikram Seth&#8217;s <I>Golden Gate</I> has such a great Californian novel been told.</div>

"From one of the most exciting novelists writing in France today comes Birth of a Bridge -- the story of a handful of men and women of various backgrounds and classes, who assemble around the construction of a giant suspension bridge in Coca, a fictional city somewhere in a mythical and fantastic California.Told on a sweeping scale reminiscent of classic American adventure films, this Médicis Prize-winning novel chronicles the lives of these individuals, who represent a microcosm of not just mythic California, but of humanity as a whole. Their collective effort to complete (or oppose) the mega-project recounts one of the oldest of human dramas, to domesticate -- and to radically transform -- our world through built form, with all the dramatic tension it brings: a threatened strike, an environmental dispute, sabotage, accidents, career moves, and love affairs ... Here generations and social classes cease to exist, and everyone and everything converges toward the bridge as metaphor, a cross-cultural impression of America today. De Kerangal's writing has been widely praised for its scope, originality, and use of language. Her rich prose plays with different registers (from the most highly literary to the most colloquial slang) as well as speed and tension through grammatical ellipsis and elision. She employs a huge vocabulary and invents new relationships between words in a completely innovative use of language"-- Publisher's description

From one of the most exciting novelists writing in France today comes Birth of a Bridge – the story of a handful of men and women of various backgrounds and classes, who assemble around the construction of a giant suspension bridge in Coca, a fictional city somewhere in a mythical and fantastic California.
Told on a sweeping scale reminiscent of classic American adventure films, this Médicis Prize–winning novel chronicles the lives of these individuals, who represent a microcosm of not just mythic California, but of humanity as a whole. Their collective effort to complete (or oppose) the mega-project recounts one of the oldest of human dramas, to domesticate – and to radically transform – our world through built form, with all the dramatic tension it brings: a threatened strike, an environmental dispute, sabotage, accidents, career moves, and love affairs ... Here generations and social classes cease to exist, and everyone and everything converges toward the bridge as metaphor, a cross-cultural impression of America today.
De Kerangal's writing has been widely praised for its scope, originality, and use of language. Her rich prose plays with different registers (from the most highly literary to the most colloquial slang) as well as speed and tension through grammatical ellipsis and elision. She employs a huge vocabulary and invents new relationships between words in a completely innovative use of language.

From Maylis de Kerangal comes this story of a dozen men and women – engineers, designers, machinery operators, cable riggers – all employees of an international consortium charged with building a bridge somewhere in a mythical and fantastic California. Their collective effort to complete the megaproject recounts one of the oldest of human dramas, to domesticate – and to radically transform – our world through built form, with all the dramatic tension it brings: a threatened strike, an environmental dispute, sabotage, accidents, career moves, and love affairs ... Here generations and social classes cease to exist, and everyone and everything converges toward the bridge as metaphor, a cross-cultural impression of America today.

The Consortium Of Workers Who Gather During Construction Of A Mythical Bridge - Engineers, Designers, Divers, Overseers, Protesters - With Their Various Nationalities And Social Classes Present A Microcosm Of Not Just California, But Humanity As A Whole. Through Strong Use Of Metaphor, The Story Of The Bridge's Construction Becomes, In A Sense, The Story Of Construction Of The Novel.

2015-12-07