Jesse Ball is celebrated for his prizewinning works of absurdity that have garnered international acclaim. His distinctive style delves into profound human questions through unconventional narratives, offering a unique lens on reality. Ball's prose is marked by its keen insight into the human condition and its imaginative approach to storytelling. His work challenges readers to contemplate the boundaries of the ordinary and the search for meaning.
Blending surrealism with dark humor, this novel presents a unique narrative that echoes the existential themes of Kafka while incorporating the absurdity characteristic of Yorgos Lanthimos's work. The story delves into the complexities of human experience, exploring identity, societal norms, and the often bizarre nature of reality. With its innovative style and thought-provoking content, it challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about life and existence.
The memoir delves into themes of love, grief, and memory, reflecting on the complexities of everyday life with raw honesty. Drawing inspiration from Edouard Levé's final work, it captures the richness of human experience through half-remembered moments and a blend of beauty, humor, and vulnerability. Jesse Ball's unique voice offers a profound exploration of existence, inviting readers to confront their own truths. This intimate narrative resonates with the emotional depth found in the works of renowned authors, leaving readers inspired and contemplative.
A father and son who are census takers journey across a nameless country from the town of A to the town of Z in the wake of the father's fatal diagnosis. Knowing that his time is menacingly short, the father takes his son, who requires close and constant adult guidance, on this trip of indefinite length. Their feelings for each other are challenged and bolstered as they move in and out of a variety of homes, meeting a variety of different people. Census is about the ways in which people react to the son's condition, to the son as a person in the world. It is about discrimination and acceptance, kindness and art, education and love. It is a profoundly moving novel, glowing with wisdom and grace, roaring with a desire to change the world
"A text for teachers who want to reconsider hierarchy in their classrooms and for those curious about education as a context for creativity and collaboration. Drawn from Ball’s experiences teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Notes on my Dunce Cap includes advisory material regarding the role of the teacher, the creation of syllabi, and the manner in which groups may evaluate the work of an individual without harm. Alongside these notes that reflect on his teaching practice, sample SAIC syllabi create contexts in which students develop habits that become the basis for a writing practice. Reading lists cover topics such as child protagonists, the dérive, and fairytales, and classroom procedures encourage students to lucid dream, take long walks without cellphones, and participate in the Franz Kafka Fancier Society of Chicago. Ball describes dynamic ways to ask questions, facilitate discussion, organize exhibitions, and incorporate theatrical elements to draw the most out of students and teachers alike. Ball shakes up classroom habits and breathes new life into reading, questioning, teaching, and learning."--
“Ball has created a voice that echoes the beloved narrators of J. D. Salinger and John Green. . . . With her tragic past, brilliant mind and subversive potential, Lucia could be thought of as a young Lisbeth Salander, or a high-IQ, antiheroic Katniss Everdeen, but with a better sense of humor.” —Newsday Lucia Stanton’s father is dead, her mother is in a mental hospital, and she’s recently been kicked out of school—again. Living with her aunt in a garage-turned-bedroom, and armed with only a book, a Zippo lighter, and a pocketful of stolen licorice, she spends her days riding the bus to visit her mom and following the only rule that makes any sense: Don’t do things you aren’t proud of. When Lucia discovers that her school has a secret Arson Club, her life is suddenly lit up; she’ll do anything to join. Edgy, raw, and hilarious, How to Set a Fire and Why is a thrilling story about growing up the hard way.
A woman "examiner" and a man, her "claimant, " move into a small house where the examiner teaches the claimant the most simple functions and monitors his progress, until an encounter at a party raises doubts about everything he has learned.
An astonishing novel of unjust conviction, lost love and a journalist's obsession. Over the course of several months, eight people vanish from their homes in the same Japanese town, a single playing card found on each door. Known as the 'Narito Disappearances', the crime has authorities baffled—until a confession is delivered to the police, signed by Oda Sotatsu, a thread salesman. Sotatsu is arrested, jailed, and interrogated—but he refuses to speak. Even as his parents, brother and sister come to visit him, even as his execution looms, and even as a young woman named Jito Joo enters his cell, he maintains his vow of silence. Our narrator, a journalist named Jesse Ball, is grappling with mysteries of his own when he becomes fascinated by the case. Why did Sotatsu confess? Why won't he speak? Who is Jito Joo? As Ball interviews Sotatsu's family, friends, and jailers, he uncovers a complex story of heartbreak, deceit, honour and chance. Wildly inventive and emotionally powerful, Silence Once Begun is a devastating portrayal of a justice system compromised, and evidence that Jesse Ball is a voraciously gifted novelist working at the height of his powers.
"The Village on Horseback" by Jesse Ball presents a captivating collection of new works that reinterprets myth and legend. Blending parables from oral tradition, folklore, and popular culture, this book showcases Ball's charming and disturbingly original style, making it a unique addition to contemporary literature.
Exploring themes of love, storytelling, hope, and identity, this haunting tale by Jesse Ball delves into the intricacies of human connection and the power of narrative. Following his acclaimed debut, the author showcases his unique voice and perspective, inviting readers into a profound exploration of what it means to be human.
