Shifts by Adam Thorpe

Shifts by Adam Thorpe

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Summary

In his first collection of short stories, poet and novelist Thorpe explores the lives of his characters through the work that they do. The first-person confessionals include a Ghanaian immigrant with an identity crisis; a bin-man uncovering spooky filth; and a death caused by Verlaine's cigar butt.

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Shifts by Adam Thorpe

In his first collection of short stories, Adam Thorpe, acclaimed poet and novelist, explores the lives of his characters through the work they do- the jobs that empower or enslave, define or destroy them. Whether it is a dustman or a craftsman, on an English production line or deep in the forests of Africa, work is seen as a means of social classification, an engine of prejudice or compassion or as an arena where bullying and subservience have some kind of legitimacy. Do we choose the job or does the job choose us, Adam Thorpe asks- does the job become us or do we become the job? Using the framework of occupation, its mundane tedium, its strictures and releases, we are shown the unquenchable vitality of the human spirit- its continual capacity for a life beyond. Told with vivid energy and a poet's delight in language, Shifts confirms Adam Thorpe as one of the most talented writers of his generation.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780099284314
ISBN 10 0099284316
Title Shifts
Author Adam Thorpe
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Year published 2001-01-04
Number of pages 256
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.