Keynote
Like Franz Kafka’s The Trial for the post-truth era, at once “surreal, polemical, and fun” (The Telegraph UK)
Book Title
Sterling Karat Gold
Subtitle
A Novel
Cover Image
- Winner of the 2021 Goldsmiths Prize
Finalist for the 2022 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction
Finalist for the 2022 Republic of Consciousness Prize
Body
Sterling Beckenbauer is plunged into a terrifying and nonsensical world one morning when they are attacked, then unfairly arrested, in their neighborhood in London. With the help of their friends, Sterling hosts a trial of their own in order to exonerate themselves and to hold the powers that be to account.
Sterling Karat Gold, in the words of Kamila Shamsie, is “a madly brilliant and deeply sane novel that reveals surrealism as possibly the most effective way of talking about the political moment we find ourselves in.” In it, Isabel Waidner concocts a world replete with bullfighters, high fashion, DIY theater, the Beach Boys, and time-traveling spaceships. The acclaimed winner of the 2021 Goldsmiths Prize for fiction that breaks the mold and extends the possibilities of the form, this novel explores the phantasmagoric nature of contemporary life, especially for nonbinary migrants, and daringly revises how solidarity and justice might be sought and won. Sterling Karat Gold couldn’t be a better North American introduction to a writer with an irresistible style and unforgettable vision.
Sterling Karat Gold, in the words of Kamila Shamsie, is “a madly brilliant and deeply sane novel that reveals surrealism as possibly the most effective way of talking about the political moment we find ourselves in.” In it, Isabel Waidner concocts a world replete with bullfighters, high fashion, DIY theater, the Beach Boys, and time-traveling spaceships. The acclaimed winner of the 2021 Goldsmiths Prize for fiction that breaks the mold and extends the possibilities of the form, this novel explores the phantasmagoric nature of contemporary life, especially for nonbinary migrants, and daringly revises how solidarity and justice might be sought and won. Sterling Karat Gold couldn’t be a better North American introduction to a writer with an irresistible style and unforgettable vision.
List Price
$16.00
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Upcoming Events
VIRTUAL: Isabel Waidner reading and in conversation with Maxe Crandall about STERLING KARAT GOLD, presented by City Lights Bookstore
Date:
PT
Location:
City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, CAview map
12:00 PM PT / 1:00 PM MT / 2:00 PM CT / 3:00 PM ET. This event is free and open to the public, and will be broadcast live on Zoom. Click here for more information and to register for the event. Copies of STERLING KARAT GOLD are available for purchase at the City Lights Bookstore's online store.
Praise
“This novel is part Franz Kafka, part Hieronymus Bosch, and part Monty Python, but mostly it’s completely sui generis. And it succeeds on every level a novel can. Dizzying, unsettling, and extremely smart.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
- “[Waidner's] explosive sensibility and style are as far removed from mediocre prose and middle-class manners as you can imagine. This alone is reason to read them.”—Bernardine Evaristo, TheNew York Times
- “Waidner’s refreshingly absurdist third novel . . . is a topsy-turvy journey across Camden Town from the point of view of a nonbinary migrant, a Kafkaesque adventure that encompasses bullfighters, footballers, time-traveling spaceships, and a high-drama trial.”—Michelle Hart, Electric Literature's “Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of Spring 2023”
- “A dizzying blend of ordinary and strange—[Sterling Karat Gold is] full of time travel, spaceships, and the everyday dilemmas of contemporary life.”—Laura Sackton, Book Riot
