Jean Marie Blas de Roblès

Jossain Skotlannissa rannalle ajautuu kolme oikeaa jalkaa ja kassakaapista katoaa kookas timantti. Eksentrinen seikkailijajoukko ottaa mysteerin selvittääkseen, matkaa maailmankuulu roisto kintereillään halki maanosien ja kummallisesta kulkuvälineestä toiseen, yhä kauemmas lähtöpisteestään ja lähemmän pistettä, jossa maailma loppuu. Toisaalla - ja toisessa ajassa - ranskalaisen e-kirjojen lukulaitteita valmistavan tehtaan vähintään yhtä riemunkirjava henkilökunta yrittää selvitä omista vastoinkäymisistään, joissa hyvällä tarinalla on kaikissa tärkeä roolinsa. Point Nemon saari on intertekstuaalisia viittauksia ryöpyttävä, lukijan pään pyörälle laittava riemastuttava ja rivokin rakkaudenosoitus suurille salapoliiseille, kekseliäille seikkailijoille, maanalaiselle vastarinnalle ja ennen kaikkea tarinankerronnan voimalle. Jean-Marie Blas de Robles (s. 1954) on Brasliassa, Kiinassa, Italiassa, Libyassa ja Taiwanissa vaikuttanut, Algeriassa syntynyt ranskalaiskirjailija. Point Nemon saari on hänen yhdeksäs romaaninsa.

Algeria is a large country, rich in visual remains of its long and complex history. The monuments of the Roman period are particularly impressive. This is partly because they are well-preserved, but also because the French, who colonised the region in the nineteenth century and ruled it until 1962, carried out extensive excavations and restorations. Algeria is not yet in the grip of the mass tourism which is engulfing better known destinations; now is therefore the time to explore its beautiful landscapes and rich cultural heritage. The Roman sites rank amongst the most impressive anywhere in the Mediterranean and represent an important aspect of the nation’s past. This guidebook will take you to all the sites, with a historical introduction, a detailed gazetteer of the principal museums and Roman sites and lavish provision of maps, plans and photographs.

"Those of you who stay with Blas de Robl s's ultimately quite satisfying novel will find yourselves with a new European literary star to steer by."--Alan Cheuse, NPR A stolen diamond and three right feet, wearing shoes of a non-existent brand, that wash ashore in Scotland set into motion the first plot of Island of Point Nemo, a rollicking Jules Verne-like adventure narrative that crosses continents and oceans, involves multilingual codes, a world-famous villain, and three eccentrically loopy detectives. Running parallel is the story of B@bil Books, an e-reader factory in France filled with its own set of colorful characters, including the impotent Dieumercie and his randy wife, who will stop at nothing--including a suspect ritual involving bees--to fix his "problem," and their abusive boss Wang-ilWong, obsessed with carrier pigeons and spying on his employees. With the humor of a Jasper Fforde novel, and the structure of a Haruki Murakami one, Island of Point Nemois a literary puzzle and grand testament to the power of storytelling--even in our digital age. Born in Algeria, Jean-Marie Blas de Robl s is a truly international writer, having spent significant time in Brazil, France, Taiwan, and Libya. His novel Where Tigers Are at Home won the Fnac, Giono, and M dicis Prizes. Island of Point Nemo is his ninth novel. Hannah Chute has an MA in translation from the University of Rochester. In 2015, she received the Banff Centre Scholarship to work on Island of Point Nemo, her first full-length translation.