Instruction Manual for Swallowing

Marek Adam

Robotic insects, in-growing cutlery, flesh-serving waiters in a zombie cafe...

Welcome to the surreal, misshapen universe of Adam Marek's first collection; a bestiary of hybrids from the techno-crazed future and mythical past; a users' guide to the seemingly obvious (and the world of illogic implicit within it). Whether fantastical or everyday in setting, Marek's stories lead us down to the engine room just beneath modern consciousness, a place of both atavism and familiarity, where the body is fluid, the spirit mechanised, and beasts often tell us more about our humanity than anything we can teach ourselves.

About the Author

Adam Marek is an award-winning short story writer. He won the 2011 Arts Foundation Short Story Fellowship, and was shortlisted for the inaugural Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award. His first story collection "Instruction Manual for Swallowing" was nominated for the Frank O'Connor Prize. His stories have appeared in many magazines, including: "Prospect" and "The Sunday Times Magazine", and in many anthologies including "Lemistry", "Litmus" and "The New Uncanny" from Comma Press, "The New Hero" from Stoneskin Press, and The Best British Short Stories 2011. His second story collection, "The Stone Thrower", was published in summer 2012. Stories taken from both collections were recently featured on BBC Radio 4 Extra.

Reviews

"There's a transgressive thrill to Adam Marek's debut collection of short stories that's not simply a result of the potency of the subject matter... delightful" – The Guardian

"Early McEwan meets David Cronenberg... genuine, unsettling talent" – The Independent

"Marek is terrific at setting an off-kilter mood" – The National Post

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