Day of Creation - Softcover

Ballard, J. G.

3.46

1,064 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0374525773 ISBN 13: 9780374525774

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc, 1999

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"At Port-la-Nouvelle, on the parched terrain of central Africa, Dr. Mallory watches as his clinic fails and dreams of discovering a third Nile that will make the Sahara bloom. When there is a trickle on the local airstrip, and soon a river, the obsessed Mallory claims it as his own creation. Joined by Noon, a silent adolescent girl who as a child ran with the local guerrillas; Professor Sanger, a documentary filmmaker with a fading reputation; and Nora Warrer, the widow of a Rhodesian veterinary surgeon, the remains of whose menagerie flourish exotically amid the land's new fertility, Mallory sets out for the river's source. The Day of Creation is a metaphysical adventure story dealing with complex themes--the life-giving qualities of water, the cold eye of television, obsession, love--all set in a dream Africa, as if hallucinated by Joseph Conrad." -Angela Carter

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Review:

‘Absolutely vintage Ballard...impressive stuff...never anything but compulsively absorbing: the white heat of its images seems to burn off the page, and the surreal landscapes linger on in the mind.’ Independent

‘An exciting plot, unfolded with a master’s cunning...Ballard has written an adventure story that constantly surprises and excites.’ Guardian

‘A metaphysical adventure story dealing with complex themes – the life-giving power of water, the cold eye of television, obsession and love – all set in a dream Africa, as if hallucinated by Joseph Conrad.’ Angela Carter

‘A blend of animated reverie, myth and adventure story, “The Day of Creation” imprints itself on the mind by its acid sweetness.’ Times Literary Supplement

From the Back Cover:

In parched Port-la-Nouvelle in central Africa, Dr Mallory watches his clinic fail and dreams of discovering a third Nile to make the Sahara bloom. During his search for water, an ancient tree stump is uprooted by a bulldozer and water wells up, spreading until it becomes an enormous river. With the once arid land now abounding in birds and beasts, the obsessed Mallory forges up-river in an old car ferry, clashing with hostile factions as he tries to find the source of his own creation... An unforgettable voyage of the imagination from the best-selling author of 'Empire of the Sun', 'Crash', and 'Super-Cannes'.

"This is classic Ballard. Mesmerising. No one writes with such haunting impact."
WILLIAM BOYD

"An exciting plot unfolded with a master's cunning. Ballard has brought off something rare in this fine book. He has written an adventure story that constantly surprises and excites."
GUARDIAN

"A unique writer with a distinctive vision unmatched by any other living novelist, and in 'The Day of Creation' Ballard is at the height of his powers... triumphant."
NEW STATESMAN

"A blend of animated reverie, myth and adventure story, 'The Day of Creation' imprints itself on the mind with acid sweetness."
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

"Ballard's prose sizzles off the page."
TIME OUT

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