Brian Willems Book order

Exploring the concept of sham ruins, this guide delves into how intentionally broken objects serve as tools for revealing historical truths and creating new narratives. By analyzing specific examples, it uncovers the significance of these artifacts in understanding cultural memory and the interplay between past and present. The book invites readers to reconsider the value of decay and imperfection in art and architecture, prompting a deeper reflection on the stories that emerge from the remnants of the past.

The story explores the life of composer Henry Purcell, intertwining his musical genius with the perspectives of his contemporaneous biographers, who lack scholarly rigor. This wild narrative delves into the complexities of Purcell's legacy, highlighting the contrasts between his artistic brilliance and the flawed interpretations by those who sought to document his life. The tale provokes thought about the nature of biography and the challenges of capturing true genius.

Brian Willems draws on the science fiction of Cormac McCarthy, Paolo Bacigalupi, Neil Gaiman, China Mieville, Doris Lessing and Kim Stanley Robinson alongside speculative materialists including Graham Harman, Quentin Meillassoux and Jane Bennett, to try and imagine the end of anthropomorphism.

The first book to examine the multiple and contradictory strategies for putting the moon on film.