LoveStar (2002)
2002
275 pages
Fiction
A fantasy about a society in which the principles of marketing and technology rule supreme, but still fail to suppress man’s deepest and most ancient instincts: love and lust for life.
A multinational called LoveStar has put Iceland on the map by marketing death and programmed love. Indridi and Sigridur are cordless individuals in this technological community which they believe in until a letter arrives from the powers that throws their lives into disarray. They were not meant for each other and Sigridur is summoned north to Oxnadal Valley, where the LoveStar logo shines behind the clouds over a vast pleasure ground, to meet her only love. As soon as the lovers start to deal with the consequences of the letter, LoveStar, the founder of the company, is about to make the greatest discovery of his life.
AWARDS
• Special citation, Philip K. Dick Award 2013, USA • The Icelandic Booksellers‘ Prize 2002 • DV Cultural Prize for Literature • Nominated for The Icelandic Literary Prize 2002 • 2016 Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire • Selected as one of five Orwellian dystopias of the 21st century by TheConversation.com • Selected as 1 of the 10 most interesting novels of 2016, by Huffington Post • Ted speaker-recommended book of the year 2017
R E V I E W S
“Lovestar, the first novel from Andri Snær Magnason, poet and columnist, is a masterpiece. It has previously been published in Germany and the United States. The recipe is as follows: a love story set in the future, a mysterious tycoon, a sprinkling of social issues, a pinch of science fiction and a dash of environmentalism. Served in a piquant style that really hits the spot. Did I mention that this is a masterpiece?” SMALLTHINGS.FR
Reviews
“Orwell, Vonnegut, and Douglas Adams are felt on every page, though Magnason is never derivative. His satire and insightful social commentary sweeten the pot and the sheer wackiness of Magnason’s oversized imagination is invigorating.”
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY (STARRED REVIEW)
“Strange and refreshing—a lushly imagined future that reminded me of Vonnegut and Brautigan."
ED PARK, AUTHOR OF PERSONAL DAYS
5 ***** (5 stars out of a possible five) “Marvellous imagination. Review: A gripping story set in the future which raises important questions in a light-hearted manner. This Icelandic author knows how to make good use of old mythology and his limitless imagination, while his sense of humour lends the novel an invigorating freshness.”
LA VIE, FRANCE
“To start off with, Lovestar by Andri Snær Magnason appears to be a literary U.F.O., with the air of a deranged political polemic. This strange feeling, however, soon gives way as the ambiguity that characterises his style yields to the spirit of absurdity. The book makes reference to the works of George Orwell (Nineteen Eighty-Four), Jonathan Swift (A Modest Proposal) and Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). Here we see the same clever, eager daring, mixed with the deadly serious and the completely ludicrous – the ability to at once entertain and terrify a bewildered reader.”
LE MONDE, FRANCE
“Andri Snær Magnason presents a wonderfully entertaining first novel, remarkably original, often funny, skilfully translated by Eric Boury, in which childhood becomes the armour with which to defend oneself from the insanity of the world.”
VIRGINIENEUFVILLE.BLOGSPOT.COM
“Lovestar, wonderful futuristic novel, is a saga with an Orwellian flavor. Lovestar, a gem written in 2002, is such an amusing and creative dystopia (negative utopia) that it should appeal even to the most adverse. ... enchanting text, where, not far from the volcano of Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne, the spirit of Bulgakov, of Calvino, of Vonnegut and also that of Monty Python and Orwell, intersect.”
MARIANNE PAYOT, L‘EXPRESS, FRANCE
“LoveStar is an edgy allegory on the evils of intrusive and draconian progress. ... This troublemaker could be the Icelandic Houellebecq, in an activist mode and a much cooler version, due to the crisp air.”
LE FIGARO, FRANCE
“Resolutely original, LoveStar offers a singular reflection on our times and our society of comsumers. Master of the absurd and worthy heir of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley.”
LIRE, FRANCE
“…a novel that reflects today’s world … this book holds a mirror up to our high-tech society… a well conceived novel about our badly conceived times. I have high hopes for Andri Snaer Magnason.”
BIRNA BJARNADOTTIR, ICELANDIC NATIONAL RADIO
“Very entertaining, very funny and original concepts. I had a great time reading this book.”
SUSANNA SVAVARSDOTTIR, CHANNEL 2, ICELAND
“This book exudes an incredible joy for story-telling… This novel is everything from a sci-fi novel to a love story, to an adventure and a parable, but, above all, it’s just a very entertaining story… For a moment I was afraid the book might implode on its own abundance of ideas, but they all hold their ground as the story unravels, and undoubtedly serve the story well. …This is a biting satire on the most topical issues in the public arena today, such as the exploitation of natural resources, dubious alliances between science and marketing, the crushing might of the conglomerates, and works as an indictment of our obsession with technology, the idolisation of our leaders, and our subservience to the market. In a nutshell: a highly entertaining and incredibly exciting story which will set your imagination flying.”
THORGERDUR SIGURDARDOTTIR, ICELANDIC NATIONAL TELEVISION
“The book starts off very crisply and conjures up a convincing vision of its world, not least because the author manages to marry the surreal elements in his story with the reality of today’s consumer society. Andri Snaer´s greatest strength in this book lies precisely in this indictment of contemporary society which offers us a sharp-witted insight into the fragility of our vision of the world and a keen sense of how easily our best ideas can be transformed into nightmares. “LoveStar” is told with a relish for narrative which mounts in an adventurous crescendo till the very end. The setting is strikingly visual...”
FRIDA B INGVARSDOTTIR, MORGUNBLADID DAILY
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