AccueilGroupesDiscussionsPlusTendances
Site de recherche
Ce site utilise des cookies pour fournir nos services, optimiser les performances, pour les analyses, et (si vous n'êtes pas connecté) pour les publicités. En utilisant Librarything, vous reconnaissez avoir lu et compris nos conditions générales d'utilisation et de services. Votre utilisation du site et de ses services vaut acceptation de ces conditions et termes.

Résultats trouvés sur Google Books

Cliquer sur une vignette pour aller sur Google Books.

Chargement...

Pop-splat (2008)

par Ian Martin

Séries: Shockspeare (1)

MembresCritiquesPopularitéÉvaluation moyenneDiscussions
1471,433,251 (3)Aucun
A fast-paced thriller about a doped-up student who ends up murdering his mother and his uncle - Hamlet of the 21st century. Set in today's South Africa it explores the tormented psyche of a sick society.
Aucun
Chargement...

Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre

Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre.

Affichage de 1-5 de 7 (suivant | tout afficher)
A modern, and sometimes post-modern, South African retelling of Hamlet. Delightful in its unwillingness to cast characters in a sympathetic light. The characters themselves seem to be as much a product of a corrupt society as they are a reflection on the darker side of human nature: selfish, violent and vengeful. Definitely now on the lookout for Ian Martin novels. ( )
  newskepticx | Dec 18, 2013 |
IAN MARTIN'S "POP-SPLAT" (A REVIEW)
Ian Martin has coined the market on tongue-in-cheek humor. "Pop-Splat" is a hilarious parallel with a modern twist to Shakespeare's "Hamlet". The entire time reading this book it was hard to stop laughing even when some of the parts were sad.

This books was an ingenious farce and delightful to read. If you need enjoy dark comedy and interesting remakes of classic characters you will love this book. ( )
  RavenswoodPublishing | May 12, 2011 |
Pop-Splat is a nihilistic re-working of Hamlet, ripped from Elizabethan Denmark to 21st century South Africa. Pop-Splat is the first - and currently only - book in Ian Martin's Shockspeare series. ( )
  kateschimmer | Feb 14, 2011 |
I loved Hamlet & studied it, so was very familar with the plot, themes & characters. I have a number of critisisms and a number of complements of this novel. Firstly, I enjoyed the South African setting, I know relatively little about this culture, language & society, so I did enjoy the exposure to that.

Matt as Hamlet was not completely convincing to me. He was a forlorn, tragic character, appearing to be a victim of his environment, although I was repeatedly disheartened by his lack of initiative. I was amazed that he mustered the strength to avenge his father's murder.

Ophabia was probably my favorite character, naive, but well-meaning--I did think her suicide was well-described and fitting of Ophelia. I had to go look up Phillip Glass's music and found the music and reference to "The Hours" to add significantly to the whole scene. As in the movie it was bewildering to me to see a young person with the possibility of a long, fruitful life despair. I guess my own worldview isn't quite pessimistic enough to jive with this.

Matt's mother, Trudy was unbelivably despicable, I was trying to draw a comparison to Hamlet's mother, but I couldn't quite do it. I did think there was some maternal love in that case, wheras Trudy made a mockery of the word "maternal".

I found the book to be an easy enough read, the last third was certainly the page-turning part, prior to that there was a lot to wade through between the apocalyptic, intellectual dialogue and another level of Matt's self-destruction. I can appreciate the sense of impending doom, but at the same time found the concept of the 50/50 Foundation hopelessly Utopian, inevitably doomed to failure. Although I have to agree that this recurring dialogue emphasized the impending doom of everyone in the book.

I did really enjoy the local Medicine Man scenes and it was intriguing to me to ses that juxtaposed with the Western Medicine.

Lastly, I was unperturbed by the coarseness, language & apparent attempt to offend...it did fit with the characters and was appropriate for their depravity. Indeed, it came as a shock to me when one of them seemed to care about anything or anyone.

I don't think I'd neccesarily choose to read another in the Shockspeare series, if more should appear, much as I love Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth and other plays, I honestly think I would prefer to read a straightforward thriller by this author. ( )
  SallyApollon | Dec 13, 2010 |
I tried my hardest, but I just couldn’t get into the story. I did not like the writing style of the author, which I felt detracted from the story. ( )
  JanaRose1 | Dec 10, 2010 |
Affichage de 1-5 de 7 (suivant | tout afficher)
Hamlet adaptation pushes boundaries
“This book is dedicated to THE YOUTH in the hope that they will reject the crappy values of their parents.”
“No, no tragedy, because tragedy is supposed to elicit pity, not disgust. This is the disgusting story of Matt Dreyer’s short life and begins with the murder of his father.”
Ian Martin is brave, really brave. It is clear from the very first paragraph how daring this book is. If you think these excerpts are shocking, prepare yourself for worse. The storytelling quickly evolves into a graphic orgasm of controversial thought.
The tale of Matt Dreyer starts in the wealthy suburb of Constantia.
Matt is a student who grew up in a corrupt household, where adultery, violence, lies and deceit were common fare. When his father, Bruce, is killed in a questionable hijacking, Matt’s world is tumbled into despair. He starts to question the very fabric of his false existence and falls head first into disaster. The story is based on the tragic Shakespeare tale Hamlet. This modern take, however, is relentless and in your face - aimed at our desensitized generation.
Pop-Splat will shock many readers. If you fall into the conservative demographic, this book might not be for you. There is much swearing, blasphemy, gruesome killing and sex. However, if you can look past these, you will find an exciting, fast-paced story that grips you and takes you along on a crazy hell ride.
Though an adaptation of Hamlet, Pop-splat is written as a novel and set in a South Africa context. The characters resemble the original ones and certain scenes and events will seem familiar.
The accidental killing of Ben Apollis (Polonius) is a great example of how Martin has twisted Hamlet into a wild narrative and fit it into a South Africa context. Ben is mistaken for a burglar while he tries to hide behind a curtain. Matt proceeds to bludgeon him while on a bloodthirsty mission to stoop a burglary.
The novel is peppered with great thoughts, realities and ideas about our generation. These are delivered by Horry (Horatio) and Ed, Matt’s roommate at Rhodes University. Sometimes these random speeches seem to come from the author and not the characters. These feel out of place. During the final few pages, however, everything is pu into context.
The intense vengeance within Matt’s careless behaviour and his violent killing form a fitting climax. When Horry shares the final answers about the killings with the press, the impact of the novel hits its mark.
Some might see Matt as a ridiculously deranged maniac, but he is one of the few who have managed to take drastic actions against their upbringings, the corrupt society and the shallow façade many people inhabit. He is the hero who culls the corrupt members of our society.
POP-Splat will make you squirm and make you think. It is an odd combination, but it works. It is like a rollercoaster ride without a safety harness. Brace yourself.
 

Appartient à la série

A été inspiré par

Vous devez vous identifier pour modifier le Partage des connaissances.
Pour plus d'aide, voir la page Aide sur le Partage des connaissances [en anglais].
Titre canonique
Titre original
Titres alternatifs
Date de première publication
Personnes ou personnages
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais. Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
Lieux importants
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais. Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
Évènements importants
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais. Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
Films connexes
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais. Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
Épigraphe
Dédicace
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais. Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
This book is dedicated to THE YOUTH in the hope that they will reject the crappy values of their parents.
Premiers mots
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais. Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
No, in the 21st century you don't get tragedy. Only sordid stories of disgraceful behaviour leading to predictable consequences.
Citations
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais. Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
Matt was enrolled at the best of schools. It was one of those museum institutions that should have died out as a despicable anachronism once the sun had set on the British Empire. It was based on the English Public School model, and was steeped in all sorts of bizarre and archaic traditions that one would have thought had no place in the 20th century, let alone the 21st. But the wealthy elite who prosper at the expense of the stinking masses seem determined to have their offspring educated in just such old-fashioned bastions of privilege.
“You see, darling,” she said, “it’s most important not to appear weak in any way.” “Like how?” Matt wanted to know. “Well, for example, they’ll offer you a cigarette and closely watch your response. If you refuse, or start coughing and spluttering, or don’t know how to inhale, you’ll be an object of ridicule. I’m afraid they’ll see it as a chink in your armour, my dear. Then they’ll look for other ways to test you and before you know it you’ll be a laughing stock and fair game for the bullies.”
His feelings for his mother were more complex. He knew she was a typical rich bitch, through and through – loud, domineering, incredibly rude to domestic staff and shop assistants, dishonest in word and deed, foul-mouthed, lazy, quick to complain, callous, sexually promiscuous, badly educated, opinionated, bigoted, pompous, pretentious and, above all, supercilious. In short: a real Constantia matron.
“But there’s another reason why we find them so fucking obscene; a psychological reason. When we see a rat and shudder in revulsion it’s partly a feeling of disgust for ourselves. Our base impulses, our revolting habits, our treacherous nature, our murderous inclinations, and our systematic degradation of everything we touch. The rat is our nemesis: a reproach and a reminder of how vile we really are.”
It wasn’t far from the highway, but it felt like the hinterland of darkest Africa. The potholed track led into a jungle of shacks and took a turn. He was immediately engulfed by walls of wood, iron, cardboard and plastic. Most of the hovels were closed up, the residents away at work or school, or off foraging for firewood, or scavenging for bits of rubbish that might be of some use, or out and about breaking into houses and stealing washing from clotheslines, or off to town to do a little shoplifting and begging. He saw a woman, some small children in rags, an old man. A skinny dog barked a warning: if he stopped it would piss on at least one of his wheels. Some chickens; a goat. Everywhere the smell of human excrement.
Derniers mots
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais. Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
Notice de désambigüisation
Directeur de publication
Courtes éloges de critiques
Langue d'origine
DDC/MDS canonique
LCC canonique

Références à cette œuvre sur des ressources externes.

Wikipédia en anglais

Aucun

A fast-paced thriller about a doped-up student who ends up murdering his mother and his uncle - Hamlet of the 21st century. Set in today's South Africa it explores the tormented psyche of a sick society.

Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque

Description du livre
Résumé sous forme de haïku

Auteur LibraryThing

Ian Martin est un auteur LibraryThing, c'est-à-dire un auteur qui catalogue sa bibliothèque personnelle sur LibraryThing.

page du profil | page de l'auteur

Discussion en cours

Aucun

Couvertures populaires

Vos raccourcis

Évaluation

Moyenne: (3)
0.5
1
1.5
2 2
2.5
3 3
3.5
4 2
4.5
5

 

À propos | Contact | LibraryThing.com | Respect de la vie privée et règles d'utilisation | Aide/FAQ | Blog | Boutique | APIs | TinyCat | Bibliothèques historiques | Critiques en avant-première | Partage des connaissances | 203,192,431 livres! | Barre supérieure: Toujours visible