What do you think?
Rate this book
Coup de Foudre
The third collection by the celebrated author of Thirst and PEN/Faulkner Award finalist Pu-239 and Other Russian Fantasies, Coup de Foudre is the groundbreaking work of literary invention Ken Kalfus’s fans have come to expect. The book is anchored by the biting title novella, a sometimes comic, ultimately tragic story about the president of an international lending institution accused of sexually assaulting a chambermaid in a New York hotel. With irony and compassion, Kalfus skewers international political gridlock and the hypocrisies of acceptable sexual conduct.
In “The Moment They Were Waiting For,” a murderer on death row casts a spell granting the inhabitants of his city the foreknowledge of the dates they will die. In “An Earthquake in China,” a baseball player contends with a publicity visit to a hospitalized child who is far more ill than expected. “The Un-“ is a nostalgic story of a young writer's struggles as he tries to surmount the colossal, heavily guarded wall that apparently separates published writers from those who are not.
The stories in Coup de Foudre vary boldly in theme, setting, and tone, yet they each share Kalfus’s distinctive humor and intellect, inextricably bound with high literary ambition.
In “The Moment They Were Waiting For,” a murderer on death row casts a spell granting the inhabitants of his city the foreknowledge of the dates they will die. In “An Earthquake in China,” a baseball player contends with a publicity visit to a hospitalized child who is far more ill than expected. “The Un-“ is a nostalgic story of a young writer's struggles as he tries to surmount the colossal, heavily guarded wall that apparently separates published writers from those who are not.
The stories in Coup de Foudre vary boldly in theme, setting, and tone, yet they each share Kalfus’s distinctive humor and intellect, inextricably bound with high literary ambition.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2015
8 people are currently reading
404 people want to read
About the author
Ken Kalfus
31 books74 followersHe was born in the Bronx, NY and grew up in Plainview, Long Island.
Kalfus started college at Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, but dropped out after the first year. He attended various other universities including the New School for Social Research in Manhattan and Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Kalfus started writing at an early age.
Kalfus started college at Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, but dropped out after the first year. He attended various other universities including the New School for Social Research in Manhattan and Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Kalfus started writing at an early age.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 16, 2020
This remarkable collection of stories is uniquely conceived. The author is unafraid to tackle difficult subjects. Some of the stories have the aura of science fiction, such as the one in which everyone in a small town is aware of their exact date of death. The author imagines how people would deal with this information. In another story, Dr. Iraq, a journalist misses a deadline because his father is protesting against a war that he has gone on record as favoring. When his son espouses the war and threatens to join the army, the journalist is forced to alter his thinking.
The novella at the beginning of the collection imagines the Dominique Strauss Kahn incident in which Kahn forced himself sexually upon a hotel chambermaid from Eastern Europe and subsequently lost his position and his hopes for the presidency of France. The author fictionalizes the incident and tells it in the form of a long letter of apology to the chambermaid. In this writing, David is a sex addicted man who functions brilliantly at saving countries and averting economic crises, but is unable to manage his personal life. Kalfus shows this dichotomy brilliantly in an hour by hour account of the two days leading up to the incident. We are left with a complex portrait of man who defeats himself.
Other stories are humorous such as Teach Yourself Tsilanti and the last one Notes to my Literary Executor or introspective like Factitious Airs or simply ironic such as Professor Arecibo. You may not like all the stories but this courageous attempt to examine some sticky subjects should not be ignored.
The novella at the beginning of the collection imagines the Dominique Strauss Kahn incident in which Kahn forced himself sexually upon a hotel chambermaid from Eastern Europe and subsequently lost his position and his hopes for the presidency of France. The author fictionalizes the incident and tells it in the form of a long letter of apology to the chambermaid. In this writing, David is a sex addicted man who functions brilliantly at saving countries and averting economic crises, but is unable to manage his personal life. Kalfus shows this dichotomy brilliantly in an hour by hour account of the two days leading up to the incident. We are left with a complex portrait of man who defeats himself.
Other stories are humorous such as Teach Yourself Tsilanti and the last one Notes to my Literary Executor or introspective like Factitious Airs or simply ironic such as Professor Arecibo. You may not like all the stories but this courageous attempt to examine some sticky subjects should not be ignored.
November 2, 2015
A master of the short story form...
Ken Kalfus has become one of my favourite writers since I first read Equilateral, his brilliantly written take on the Mars sci-fi story. His collection of short stories about Soviet Russia, Pu-239 And Other Russian Fantasies, confirmed my first impression, while also letting me know that he is a true master of the short story form. So I was primed to love this new collection, which consists of a novella and 15 short stories. And I'm pleased to say that the book lived up to, perhaps exceeded, my high expectations.
The novella-length title story, Coup de Foudre , is a barely disguised imagining of the recent Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal (when the leader of the International Monetary Fund and possible candidate for the French Presidency was accused of having sexually assaulted a chamber-maid in a Manhattan hotel room). In Kalfus' hands, it becomes a compelling examination of a man so intoxicated by power and his own superiority that he feels he is above the common morality. Landau, the Strauss-Kahn figure, narrates the story in the form of a letter to the maid. There is much here about the then political situation, with Greece teetering on the brink of financial meltdown and a real possibility of a domino effect across large parts of Europe; and, in his arrogance, Landau believes only he can save Europe and his downfall is Europe's also. But monstrous though Kalfus paints him, we also see his concern in principle for the poor and less advantaged of the world. He recognizes the maid's positional weakness as an immigrant who lied to get entry to the US to escape from a country where women are still treated abominably and where female genital mutilation is still routinely practised, and is sympathetic to her situation, while not allowing that sympathy to interfere with fulfilling his own desires.
The story is extremely sexually explicit, but not pruriently. Rather, Kalfus is drawing parallels between economic and political power and sexual power, and the single-minded egotism that seems so often to be the driver behind both. I admit I felt uneasy, as I always do, about the morality of writing a story so obviously concerning real people still living. Not for Strauss-Kahn's sake, I hasten to add, but I did wonder about the re-imagining of the maid's story. Although depicted clearly as the victim, there are aspects of the story that made me feel as if it almost represented another level of assault, and I wondered whether she had been asked for and given permission to have her story told in this way. One could certainly argue that the salacious details of the story have already been so hashed over in the public domain that it can't matter. But somehow I still feel it does. Despite that reservation, I found the story well written, psychologically persuasive and intensely readable.
Fortunately the rest of the collection didn't affect me with the same kind of internal conflict. Some of the other stories are also based on real-life events but not with the same kind of personalisation and intimacy of this first one. Some have a political aspect to them, while others have a semi-autobiographical feel, and there's a lot of humour in many of them. There are several that would be classed, I suppose, as 'speculative fiction' – borderline sci-fi – but with Kalfus it's always humanity that's at the core, even when he's talking about parallel universes, dead languages or even cursed park benches! There are some brilliantly imaginative premises on display here, along with the more mundane, but in each story Kalfus gives us characters to care about and even the more fragmentary stories have a feeling of completeness so often missing from contemporary short story writing. Here's a small flavour of what can be found in the collection...
The Un- a beautifully funny tale of what it's like to be an unpublished writer – all the insecurities and jealousies, the stratagems for getting stories into print, the need to earn a living while waiting for the never-appearing acceptance letter. Witty and warm, Kalfus gently mocks the pseud-ness of so much of the writing world, but never from a place of superiority. It's clear that this is autobiographical, and Kalfus was a member of The Un- back in the days before there was the possibility of solving the problem by becoming part of The Self-. He speculates on whether one can call oneself a writer before one is published. The drive to be published comes above all else, until he is suddenly hit with an idea – when suddenly it takes second place to the need to write.
Mr Iraq – this is the story of a journalist, normally on the left politically, who found himself supporting the Iraq war. Now in 2005, his father is attending anti-war demonstrations and his son is advocating bringing back the draft. This story gives a great picture of the dilemma in which left-wing supporters of the war found themselves when everything began to go wrong and of the sense of alienation from politics with which many of them were left.
Teach Yourself Tsilanti: Preface – a charming little tale of unrequited love and longing disguised as an introduction to a rediscovered, long dead language, written by a man whose own love of words shines through in the precision with which he uses them to create beautiful things. I can't help feeling this one may have an autobiographical element too...
This is a great collection which would be a perfect introduction to Kalfus. Occasionally shocking, hugely imaginative, full of warmth and humour and extremely well written, every story in the book rated at a minimum of four stars for me, with most being five. And Kalfus finishes the thing off beautifully with some Instructions for my Literary Executors , a little piece of mockery at the expense of the occasional pomposity of the literary world, but done so self-deprecatingly that any sting is removed...
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Ken Kalfus has become one of my favourite writers since I first read Equilateral, his brilliantly written take on the Mars sci-fi story. His collection of short stories about Soviet Russia, Pu-239 And Other Russian Fantasies, confirmed my first impression, while also letting me know that he is a true master of the short story form. So I was primed to love this new collection, which consists of a novella and 15 short stories. And I'm pleased to say that the book lived up to, perhaps exceeded, my high expectations.
The novella-length title story, Coup de Foudre , is a barely disguised imagining of the recent Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal (when the leader of the International Monetary Fund and possible candidate for the French Presidency was accused of having sexually assaulted a chamber-maid in a Manhattan hotel room). In Kalfus' hands, it becomes a compelling examination of a man so intoxicated by power and his own superiority that he feels he is above the common morality. Landau, the Strauss-Kahn figure, narrates the story in the form of a letter to the maid. There is much here about the then political situation, with Greece teetering on the brink of financial meltdown and a real possibility of a domino effect across large parts of Europe; and, in his arrogance, Landau believes only he can save Europe and his downfall is Europe's also. But monstrous though Kalfus paints him, we also see his concern in principle for the poor and less advantaged of the world. He recognizes the maid's positional weakness as an immigrant who lied to get entry to the US to escape from a country where women are still treated abominably and where female genital mutilation is still routinely practised, and is sympathetic to her situation, while not allowing that sympathy to interfere with fulfilling his own desires.
The story is extremely sexually explicit, but not pruriently. Rather, Kalfus is drawing parallels between economic and political power and sexual power, and the single-minded egotism that seems so often to be the driver behind both. I admit I felt uneasy, as I always do, about the morality of writing a story so obviously concerning real people still living. Not for Strauss-Kahn's sake, I hasten to add, but I did wonder about the re-imagining of the maid's story. Although depicted clearly as the victim, there are aspects of the story that made me feel as if it almost represented another level of assault, and I wondered whether she had been asked for and given permission to have her story told in this way. One could certainly argue that the salacious details of the story have already been so hashed over in the public domain that it can't matter. But somehow I still feel it does. Despite that reservation, I found the story well written, psychologically persuasive and intensely readable.
Fortunately the rest of the collection didn't affect me with the same kind of internal conflict. Some of the other stories are also based on real-life events but not with the same kind of personalisation and intimacy of this first one. Some have a political aspect to them, while others have a semi-autobiographical feel, and there's a lot of humour in many of them. There are several that would be classed, I suppose, as 'speculative fiction' – borderline sci-fi – but with Kalfus it's always humanity that's at the core, even when he's talking about parallel universes, dead languages or even cursed park benches! There are some brilliantly imaginative premises on display here, along with the more mundane, but in each story Kalfus gives us characters to care about and even the more fragmentary stories have a feeling of completeness so often missing from contemporary short story writing. Here's a small flavour of what can be found in the collection...
The Un- a beautifully funny tale of what it's like to be an unpublished writer – all the insecurities and jealousies, the stratagems for getting stories into print, the need to earn a living while waiting for the never-appearing acceptance letter. Witty and warm, Kalfus gently mocks the pseud-ness of so much of the writing world, but never from a place of superiority. It's clear that this is autobiographical, and Kalfus was a member of The Un- back in the days before there was the possibility of solving the problem by becoming part of The Self-. He speculates on whether one can call oneself a writer before one is published. The drive to be published comes above all else, until he is suddenly hit with an idea – when suddenly it takes second place to the need to write.
An entire ward at the Home for the Literary Insane was occupied by people who insisted on favorably likening their evening-and-weekend scribbling to the work of the world's most accomplished writers. Another ward was for people who compared their work to that of inferior writers who were nevertheless published; something snapped when they tried to account for the appearance of these mediocrities in print: it required a bloodlessly cynical theory of publishing or, even more, a nihilist's genuflection before the mechanisms of an amoral universe.
Mr Iraq – this is the story of a journalist, normally on the left politically, who found himself supporting the Iraq war. Now in 2005, his father is attending anti-war demonstrations and his son is advocating bringing back the draft. This story gives a great picture of the dilemma in which left-wing supporters of the war found themselves when everything began to go wrong and of the sense of alienation from politics with which many of them were left.
Teach Yourself Tsilanti: Preface – a charming little tale of unrequited love and longing disguised as an introduction to a rediscovered, long dead language, written by a man whose own love of words shines through in the precision with which he uses them to create beautiful things. I can't help feeling this one may have an autobiographical element too...
How did Tsilanti gallants win their sweethearts? Not with testosterone-fuelled competitive violence, nor with gaudy displays of material riches, nor with glib lines of poetry ripped off from professional bards. No, the currency of love in the era of Tsilanti greatness was manufactured by patient, passionate, intimate instruction. The Tsilanti swain approached his maiden with fresh or obscure words, phrases, and sentences. With his glamorous baubles of language, he gave her a new way of thinking about the world and the distinct items that populate it. If she accepted his tribute, the Tsilanti couple began to share a common experience, a vision, and a life. This is all any of us can hope for within the span of our brief earthly tenures.
This is a great collection which would be a perfect introduction to Kalfus. Occasionally shocking, hugely imaginative, full of warmth and humour and extremely well written, every story in the book rated at a minimum of four stars for me, with most being five. And Kalfus finishes the thing off beautifully with some Instructions for my Literary Executors , a little piece of mockery at the expense of the occasional pomposity of the literary world, but done so self-deprecatingly that any sting is removed...
4. The Collected Correspondence. I was never much of a letter writer, but in the course of a long and varied literary life, I've left a lot of messages for people, mostly on their answering machines. Place a query in the New York Review of Books; certainly many of these answering-machine tapes have been saved and my messages can be retrieved from them. Don't edit the messages – please! I want posterity to “hear” me as I was...
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
February 8, 2017
Love at First Sight
What can I say, the entire collection is brilliant. Coup de Foudre is what I would call foundational literature.
In the title novella a prominent political figure sexually assaults a hotel chamber maid, someone, he himself deems insignificant enough not to matter. His letter making amends after the fact is pure folly but his consequences are well deserved.
In The Moment They Were Waiting For, an execution sets off a new era of oblivion.
In Borges’ Library, we learn that reading is a solitary and intimate act that is subject to wrongness. “This is what haunts us, quietly and individually. I don’t know what my neighbor reads; nor would I ask her. I do know, however, that she broods over the story. Perhaps I’ve made it up and told no one.” “I take a deep breath before returning to my reading, inhaling nothing but the decomposing elements of read and misread books.”
Square Paul-Painleve pits obsessive superstition against a young man’s desire for love. In Mercury, a second grader is the unwitting catalyst for his teacher’s termination.
Dementia mixes with extreme hatred giving birth to a terrible outcome in Shvartzer.
An esteemed doctor’s complete infallibility along with the dysfunction of the entire medical industry is exposed through the failing eyes of one astute patient in Laser.
These stories are bold revelations of human depravities that masquerade daily as normal behavior. Bitter, acute, biting and sharp, Coup de Foudre will make you stand up and pay attention if only for a little while.
BRB Rating: Read It, maybe even twice
What can I say, the entire collection is brilliant. Coup de Foudre is what I would call foundational literature.
In the title novella a prominent political figure sexually assaults a hotel chamber maid, someone, he himself deems insignificant enough not to matter. His letter making amends after the fact is pure folly but his consequences are well deserved.
In The Moment They Were Waiting For, an execution sets off a new era of oblivion.
In Borges’ Library, we learn that reading is a solitary and intimate act that is subject to wrongness. “This is what haunts us, quietly and individually. I don’t know what my neighbor reads; nor would I ask her. I do know, however, that she broods over the story. Perhaps I’ve made it up and told no one.” “I take a deep breath before returning to my reading, inhaling nothing but the decomposing elements of read and misread books.”
Square Paul-Painleve pits obsessive superstition against a young man’s desire for love. In Mercury, a second grader is the unwitting catalyst for his teacher’s termination.
Dementia mixes with extreme hatred giving birth to a terrible outcome in Shvartzer.
An esteemed doctor’s complete infallibility along with the dysfunction of the entire medical industry is exposed through the failing eyes of one astute patient in Laser.
These stories are bold revelations of human depravities that masquerade daily as normal behavior. Bitter, acute, biting and sharp, Coup de Foudre will make you stand up and pay attention if only for a little while.
BRB Rating: Read It, maybe even twice
August 2, 2016
Like Jim Shepard, Ken Kalfus is a writer I always look forward to, although I didn't quite enjoy these stories as much as the title novella or his previous collection, Pu-239--or his novel Equilateral which is literary fiction's answer to Charles Stross's glorious takedown of Steampunk. Read it or be invaded by Martians.
http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-...
These stories felt more like experiments, grandly successful for the most part, but distancing.
http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-...
These stories felt more like experiments, grandly successful for the most part, but distancing.
July 7, 2018
Surprising, erudite, funny ... Ken Kalfus never disappoints, and this collection of short stories (and one novella) was all that as well as constantly entertaining to read. He can take something straight-from-the-headlines, or something utterly banal (a visit to the periodontist, two elementary teachers exchanging notes between classrooms) and put a twist on it to make it unforgettable. A great collection from a great writer!
November 18, 2017
I liked this book. Why can't I give 3.5 stars? Arrghh, I'll be generous and round it up to 4. The (long) title story is good, well written, though some may find the subject matter objectionable. Most of the other stories are very readable, and have a good breath of variety; "Mr Iraq" in particular stayed with me for a while, with its frantic imagining of how familial obligations can clash with political beliefs.
June 5, 2022
Excellent. Funny. Self-deprecating. Playful. Loved the first story especially and was sorry when I finished it. I wanted it to be a full length novel.
December 7, 2024
No one died without the last-minute opportunity to confess their love (though many, sadly, did not).
January 24, 2016
Le résumé en dit long sur ce qu'il pourrait y avoir dans ces 52 pages. Une histoire fictive qui découle d'un fait réel sans que nous, lecteurs, nous sachions ce qui est véridique ou non. Ce n'est pas ce qui est proposé entre ces lignes. D'ailleurs, qui n'a jamais osé imaginer ce qui a bien pu se produire ce fameux jour-là, entre l'un de nos ministres et cette femme de ménage dans un grand hotel New-yorkais ? Ici, l'auteur entre dans la tête d'un homme politique et écrit une lettre qui donne toutes les explications qu'il a imaginé. Bien entendu, il s'agit d'une fiction et non de la réalité, mais comme le dicton dit souvent : la fiction dépasse la réalité, à moins que ce ne soit l'inverse !
Dès les premières pages nous savons de qui l'auteur parle, bien que les noms des personnages principaux ont été modifiés, mais pas les secondaires. Nous entrons dans une suite immense, juste après les finitions d'une partie fine entre adultes consentants.
Un peu de sexe, beaucoup de sous-entendu au sujet des femmes, énormément de politiques en place, car même si notre personnage principal est un homme de 62 ans qui aiment les femmes, il n'en oublie pas ses fonctions et la façon de gérer tout un pays, même s'il n'est pas président. Des idées, il en a, des appuis beaucoup moins, mais l'adversité, c'est ce qu'il recherche et aime par dessus tout. Il ne cherche aucunement la facilité et s'il faut rentrer dans le tas, alors il le fait. La vie est un combat de tous les jours et il est fier de ce qu'il est, même s'il use de petites pilules (bleues?) afin d'assouvir ses besoins sexuels.
Les tourments de cet homme sont bien présents qu'il ne sait plus où donner de la tête. Serait-ce pour cela que des faits lui sont reprochés ? Vérité, mensonge, plus rien ne va. L'honneteté dans tout cela n'est qu'un vain mot. Il n'y a que le pouvoir, les ambitions des autres qui veulent l'écraser qui sont importants. Cet homme est devenu un danger, donc il faut trouver une parade. Etait-ce la meilleure solution ? Aucune idée, en même temps qui peut savoir ce qui s'est réellement passé dans cette chambre en si peu de temps ?
Le récit est court, mais pourtant prenant même si ce n'est pas le sujet le plus passionnant. Il se lit très vite. Les mots sont souvent mélangés à de l'humour, de la sensualité, des sensations brutes. Il n'y a pas de faux semblants, juste une vérité qui ne sera jamais dévoilée et sincèrement, je m'en fiche. L'auteur ne mâche pas ses mots, il est direct, froid par moment, chaud à d'autres, mais c'est ainsi et cela passe très bien. Une nouvelle à ne pas mettre entre toutes les mains certes, mais elle aide malgré tout à comprendre le système dans lequel nous vivons, même si tout n'est que fiction.
http://chroniqueslivresques.eklablog....
Dès les premières pages nous savons de qui l'auteur parle, bien que les noms des personnages principaux ont été modifiés, mais pas les secondaires. Nous entrons dans une suite immense, juste après les finitions d'une partie fine entre adultes consentants.
Un peu de sexe, beaucoup de sous-entendu au sujet des femmes, énormément de politiques en place, car même si notre personnage principal est un homme de 62 ans qui aiment les femmes, il n'en oublie pas ses fonctions et la façon de gérer tout un pays, même s'il n'est pas président. Des idées, il en a, des appuis beaucoup moins, mais l'adversité, c'est ce qu'il recherche et aime par dessus tout. Il ne cherche aucunement la facilité et s'il faut rentrer dans le tas, alors il le fait. La vie est un combat de tous les jours et il est fier de ce qu'il est, même s'il use de petites pilules (bleues?) afin d'assouvir ses besoins sexuels.
Les tourments de cet homme sont bien présents qu'il ne sait plus où donner de la tête. Serait-ce pour cela que des faits lui sont reprochés ? Vérité, mensonge, plus rien ne va. L'honneteté dans tout cela n'est qu'un vain mot. Il n'y a que le pouvoir, les ambitions des autres qui veulent l'écraser qui sont importants. Cet homme est devenu un danger, donc il faut trouver une parade. Etait-ce la meilleure solution ? Aucune idée, en même temps qui peut savoir ce qui s'est réellement passé dans cette chambre en si peu de temps ?
Le récit est court, mais pourtant prenant même si ce n'est pas le sujet le plus passionnant. Il se lit très vite. Les mots sont souvent mélangés à de l'humour, de la sensualité, des sensations brutes. Il n'y a pas de faux semblants, juste une vérité qui ne sera jamais dévoilée et sincèrement, je m'en fiche. L'auteur ne mâche pas ses mots, il est direct, froid par moment, chaud à d'autres, mais c'est ainsi et cela passe très bien. Une nouvelle à ne pas mettre entre toutes les mains certes, mais elle aide malgré tout à comprendre le système dans lequel nous vivons, même si tout n'est que fiction.
http://chroniqueslivresques.eklablog....
January 6, 2016
Le site NetGalley m’a contacté pour me faire découvrir leur site. Ce site propose de mettre en relation blogueurs, bibliothécaires ou libraires en contact avec certaines maisons d’éditions pour obtenir des services-presses. Ils m’ont proposé pour tester leur site de lire l’un des seuls livres en libre-accès (les autres sont diffusés après autorisation de la maison d’édition).
Ce livre si vous ne l’avez pas compris, reprend l’histoire si médiatisé il y a quelques années de Dominique Strauss-Kahn et le scandale du Sofitel de New-York. Si bien sûr les prénoms changent, on reconnait dès le résumé que c’est de ça qu’il est question.
Je dois dire que j’ai détesté ce livre. Je n’ai pas supporté le personnage tellement imbu de sa personne que je me demande encore pourquoi il ne porte pas des chaussures de clown. il est persuadé qu’il est seul qui peut sauver le monde et que seulement ces solutions sont bonnes.
L’auteur nous livre ici sa version de l’histoire de ce qui s’est passé au Sofitel de New-York. Ce qui m’a le plus dérangé c’est que l’auteur banalise ce qui s’y est passé alors qu’on parle clairement de viol. On dirait qu’il essaye de faire passer le héros pour le gentil de l’histoire.
Le seul petit point positif qu’il y en a c’est peut-être de découvrir un peu l’envers du monde politique et économique, les dessous de tous les accords internationaux.
Je n’ai pas compris le pourquoi de ce livre. Pourquoi créer une fiction à partir d’une histoire vraie alors que personne ne sait ce qui s’est passé dans cette chambre. Je n’ai pas compris le choix d’écrire autour de ce sujet.
C’est donc une nouvelle que j’ai survolé avec un héros détestable et des actes impardonnables. Une nouvelle que je ne conseille pas. Mais le concept du site me plait par contre.
Ce livre si vous ne l’avez pas compris, reprend l’histoire si médiatisé il y a quelques années de Dominique Strauss-Kahn et le scandale du Sofitel de New-York. Si bien sûr les prénoms changent, on reconnait dès le résumé que c’est de ça qu’il est question.
Je dois dire que j’ai détesté ce livre. Je n’ai pas supporté le personnage tellement imbu de sa personne que je me demande encore pourquoi il ne porte pas des chaussures de clown. il est persuadé qu’il est seul qui peut sauver le monde et que seulement ces solutions sont bonnes.
L’auteur nous livre ici sa version de l’histoire de ce qui s’est passé au Sofitel de New-York. Ce qui m’a le plus dérangé c’est que l’auteur banalise ce qui s’y est passé alors qu’on parle clairement de viol. On dirait qu’il essaye de faire passer le héros pour le gentil de l’histoire.
Le seul petit point positif qu’il y en a c’est peut-être de découvrir un peu l’envers du monde politique et économique, les dessous de tous les accords internationaux.
Je n’ai pas compris le pourquoi de ce livre. Pourquoi créer une fiction à partir d’une histoire vraie alors que personne ne sait ce qui s’est passé dans cette chambre. Je n’ai pas compris le choix d’écrire autour de ce sujet.
C’est donc une nouvelle que j’ai survolé avec un héros détestable et des actes impardonnables. Une nouvelle que je ne conseille pas. Mais le concept du site me plait par contre.
August 24, 2016
It's a very cold collection of stories. Analytical. Human, in the sense that many of the principals behave in the illogical fashion that only humans can manage, but yet (somehow) stripped of emotion. Sometimes this works, sometimes not so much.
Actually, thinking about it more, i think it is that Kalfus inserts a distance between himself and the protagonists of this collection. When I say 'inserts', I mean that it seems as though the author made the conscious decision not to be involved in the messy business of his principals' everyday lives. Which is fair enough, but when coupled with the clinical exposition of an appellate lawyer, it leaves the reader (well, this reader) felling slightly brow-beaten.
The conceits that inform some of the stories are clever. The pre-knowledge of one's date of death is followed to its logical (grimly humorous) conclusion. There's a wicked short piece about an aspiring writer. One about a professor and his relationship to telephone calls. All enjoyable. Others, perhaps less so. Not bad, just cold.
Actually, the lead novella, Coup de Foundre (a thunderbolt?) exemplifies this quite well. It's an imaginary letter, a sort of grudging mea culpa from an imagined (obviously) Dominique Strauss Kahn to the unfortunate woman he raped in his hotel suit. Odd though it sounds, as self satisfied and thoroughly incompetent for human contact DSK comes across in Kalfus' view, one finishes the story thinking, hmm...that's interesting. Different, and interesting. Which is a fair result for fiction, I guess.
Anyway, my three star rating is not merely a reflection of the inadequacies of these ratings systems, but completely subjective. I can see people quite liking this book.
Actually, thinking about it more, i think it is that Kalfus inserts a distance between himself and the protagonists of this collection. When I say 'inserts', I mean that it seems as though the author made the conscious decision not to be involved in the messy business of his principals' everyday lives. Which is fair enough, but when coupled with the clinical exposition of an appellate lawyer, it leaves the reader (well, this reader) felling slightly brow-beaten.
The conceits that inform some of the stories are clever. The pre-knowledge of one's date of death is followed to its logical (grimly humorous) conclusion. There's a wicked short piece about an aspiring writer. One about a professor and his relationship to telephone calls. All enjoyable. Others, perhaps less so. Not bad, just cold.
Actually, the lead novella, Coup de Foundre (a thunderbolt?) exemplifies this quite well. It's an imaginary letter, a sort of grudging mea culpa from an imagined (obviously) Dominique Strauss Kahn to the unfortunate woman he raped in his hotel suit. Odd though it sounds, as self satisfied and thoroughly incompetent for human contact DSK comes across in Kalfus' view, one finishes the story thinking, hmm...that's interesting. Different, and interesting. Which is a fair result for fiction, I guess.
Anyway, my three star rating is not merely a reflection of the inadequacies of these ratings systems, but completely subjective. I can see people quite liking this book.
June 15, 2015
Ken Kalfus writes with a bold pen. His fearless exploration of taboo topics, quirks of science, and human conflict--both modern and timeless--gets right in your face. My favorite, the title novella Coup de Foudre, is a crime tour de force. "The Moment They Were Waiting For" echos the wonderfully odd stories of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It's a powerful tale. As a story about a writer writing, I expected to dislike "The Un-" but found it so true to life and to my own experience as a writer that it became compelling in its honesty.
Kalfus' bold, precise pen, however, can't save several other stories that, in my opinion, failed to live up to their promise. They seemed to call too much attention to the author's own cleverness at the expense of story and character. The collection as a whole ended up being uneven reading for me. Having said that, though, I'm glad to have read it for the gems--and there are several here.
Kalfus' bold, precise pen, however, can't save several other stories that, in my opinion, failed to live up to their promise. They seemed to call too much attention to the author's own cleverness at the expense of story and character. The collection as a whole ended up being uneven reading for me. Having said that, though, I'm glad to have read it for the gems--and there are several here.
July 11, 2015
“Coup de Foudre” is a demonstration of just what a strong writer Ken Kalfus is. Klaus can create engaging and compelling stories from not only large but even the smallest and seemingly mundane events: from a global finance leader’s perverted assault to a moment of poor judgment in a second-grade classroom, routine eye surgery or even the daily attempts of a writer to live up to his vocation.
The short stories in “Coup de Foudre” vary in style, from the gritty realism of the title novella to the surreal “In Borges’ Library” and “The Moment They Were Waiting For” (did the author use the film “Fallen” as inspiration for this one?). But each story is very human, with characters who makes memories or create tales where others may see nothing. These stories are a journey into people’s minds and the worlds within them.
***Book was won as part of a Goodreads First-Reads contest***
The short stories in “Coup de Foudre” vary in style, from the gritty realism of the title novella to the surreal “In Borges’ Library” and “The Moment They Were Waiting For” (did the author use the film “Fallen” as inspiration for this one?). But each story is very human, with characters who makes memories or create tales where others may see nothing. These stories are a journey into people’s minds and the worlds within them.
***Book was won as part of a Goodreads First-Reads contest***
October 13, 2015
The title novella is an impressive attempt to get into the head of Dominique Strauss Kahn around the events in the Sofitel. Just about the only elements that are fictionalized is DSK's name itself is changed and, of course, the entire interior monologue is imagined but in a way that seem very real and plausible.
The rest of the book is a short story collection, many of them with elements of the fantastic but otherwise showing a huge range and variety. For example one of them about a condemned prisoner who curses an entire town so that everyone knows the exact day and time of their death, and then a very realistic imagining of what ends up happening over time to social and other relations in the town. Like any collection, the stories are a little uneven but all of them are imaginative and worth reading.
The rest of the book is a short story collection, many of them with elements of the fantastic but otherwise showing a huge range and variety. For example one of them about a condemned prisoner who curses an entire town so that everyone knows the exact day and time of their death, and then a very realistic imagining of what ends up happening over time to social and other relations in the town. Like any collection, the stories are a little uneven but all of them are imaginative and worth reading.
July 23, 2016
This is a collection of three parts-- the title novella, which retells the story of Domenique de Villepin and his attack on a woman working at a NYC hotel, a brace of odd, experimental stories, and then a clutch of somewhat more realistic stories. I started out loving Kalfus' weird stories best, thrilled by what he did in PU-238 and then especially _Thirst_. But in this collection, at least, I preferred the more realistic stories in the third section, where Kalfus seems to understand, at a deep level, the struggles of a range of diverse people, and where he shapes stories for them that challenge and reveal them, while still really feeling a part of our world. Some very strong stories here. The work in the other two sections fell, for me, flat, sort of interested in language in ways that were too often solipsistic.
September 18, 2015
Mr. Kalfus may be a brilliant writer of the Hitchcock variety, maybe. That said, I find myself disappointed when story after story leaves one wondering what happened. In one story there is a discovery in a closet that leads to an arrest, what was in the closet? My mind comes up with countless possibilities... but I'll never know. Same type of unresolved information presents itself in other stories as well. I'm left wanting, is that the mark of literary genius??? I'm not sure, if so our author qualifies!
April 13, 2016
It's hard to imagine a writer much better than Kalfus. I didn't like everything here equally; a few tales were lighter fare, but I enjoyed many of them very much indeed. The title novella is a biting satire on a prominent scandal and very amusing to boot. My favourite story was probably 'Mr Iraq', but Kalfus seems to be able to make any subject matter interesting. Like, for instance, glaucoma. I think I've read pretty much everything Kalfus has published in book form and it wasn't a waste effort. He's no less a writer than Coetzee, for example.
August 14, 2015
Excellent collection of short stories, the first one is the highlight, a witty and provocative fictional narrative which the author imagines being written by DSK himself about his self inflicted predicament with a NY hotel housekeeper. Others are excellent too, my own favourite being The moment they were waiting for, Square Paul Painleve, The large Hadron collider, Mercury, Mr Iraq, The Un.
July 11, 2015
I have to agree with "Corny's" review as it is right on the mark. I liked all the stories and have already given it a friend to also enjoy. I won this great book on GoodReads and like I do with most my wins I will be paying it forward by giving my win either to a friend or library to enjoy
April 18, 2016
I like this collection; I really do. But it doesn't touch me. The plots are cool, if a tad short of dialogue, ironic, breathed on by whimsy, and I just can't get into them. I see both the skill and the creativity, yet I don't feel them. Well worth the read, though.
September 3, 2016
Some thought provoking stories, but most seemed to slip away after reading.
The title novella re-imagined the regretful aftermath of Domenic Straus Khan (sp?) after his ignominious assault on a hotel chambermaid.
The title novella re-imagined the regretful aftermath of Domenic Straus Khan (sp?) after his ignominious assault on a hotel chambermaid.
October 19, 2015
I really did not enjoy this book.Maybe it was the style of writing that I did not like.It may have just been me,but I did not understand the stories,especially the endings
June 16, 2016
Title story was good, then ..... Rush to finish
July 1, 2016
Not for the feint of heart, but amazing. What a writer. (NOTE: This is very R rated and a fictionalized version of a major news story, so be warned.)
July 19, 2016
Immensely enjoyable. Stylish prose. Punchy short stories. Science/philosophy put into literary form. "The Un-" is particularly great. Satire from a consummate craftsmen.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews