Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture

Format:	Paperback 217 pages

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Synopsis

Andy, Dag and Claire have been handed a society beyond their means. Twentysomethings, brought up with divorce, Watergate and Three Mile Island, and scarred by the 80s fallout of yuppies, recession, crack and Ronald Reagan, they represent the new generation- Generation X. Fiercely suspicious of being lumped together as an advertiser's target market, they have quit dreary careers and cut themselves adrift in the California desert. Unsure of their futures, they immerse themselves in a regime of heavy drinking and working in no future Mc Jobs in the service industry. Underemployed, overeducated and intensely private and unpredicatable, they have nowhere to direct their anger, no one to assuage their fears, and no culture to replace their anomie. So they tell stories: disturbingly funny tales that reveal their barricaded inner world. A world populated with dead TV shows, 'Elvis moments' and semi-disposible Swedish furniture.

Book details

Published
07/11/1996

Publisher
Abacus

ISBN
9780349108391

Publisher and industry reviews

Jacket review

'A new age J.D Sallinger on smart drugs.' TIME OUT 'Dizzying sparkle and originality.' THE TIMES, 'Quirky, witty, with an affection for its characters which lifts it above the level of such as Bret Easton Ellis's 'Less than Zero.' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'A Landmark book.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Fiercely comic.' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'A weird, highly intelligent trashing of the whole yuppy culture.' GAY TIMES

UK Kirkus review

Hamstrung by its reputation as the anthem of a generation, this is a clever, witty depiction of the alienation felt by the over-educated and under-employed, those forced into 'McJobs'. Andy, Dag and Claire have opted out of the lifestyle their schooling has prepared them for and into a life in the California desert, preserving themselves by barriers of irony and heavy drinking. The only time they let their guard down is via the stories they tell each other. Original, touching and funny. (Kirkus UK)

About the author

Douglas Coupland

Douglas Coupland studied art and design. He has published nine novels and several non-fiction books in 35 languages. He has written and performed for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, England, and in 2001 resumed his practice as a visual artist, with exhibitions worldwide.