Mark Slouka
Encyclopedia
Mark Slouka is an American liberal humanist
author and academic. The son of Czech immigrants, he is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Columbia University
and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowships in 2005.
The subject matter of his 1996 book "War of the Worlds: the assault on reality" encompasses the extent to which virtual reality and blurring of real life with corporate fantasy has become a "genuine cultural phenomenon".
In 2003 his first novel "God's Fool" fictionalised the life of Siamese twins, Chang and Eng. and his 2006 short story
"Dominion", originally published in TriQuarterly
, was including within the anthology
Best American Short Stories 2006.
In his book "Essays from the Nick of Time," Slouka argues that "The humanities are a superb delivery mechanism for what we might call democratic values" In one of the essays, "Quitting the Paint Factory," he states "idleness is ... requisite to the construction of a complete human being;... allowing us time to figure out who we are, and what we believe; by allowing us time to consider what is unjust, and what we might do about it."
His second novel, "The Visible World", tells the story of a son uncovering his flawed parents earlier life in the Czech resistance. It gained notability in the UK following its inclusion in the 2008 Richard & Judy Book Club list.
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
author and academic. The son of Czech immigrants, he is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowships in 2005.
The subject matter of his 1996 book "War of the Worlds: the assault on reality" encompasses the extent to which virtual reality and blurring of real life with corporate fantasy has become a "genuine cultural phenomenon".
In 2003 his first novel "God's Fool" fictionalised the life of Siamese twins, Chang and Eng. and his 2006 short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"Dominion", originally published in TriQuarterly
TriQuarterly
TriQuarterly Online is a not-for-profit American literary magazine published twice a year at Northwestern University that features fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, literary essays, reviews, a blog, and graphic art....
, was including within the anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
Best American Short Stories 2006.
In his book "Essays from the Nick of Time," Slouka argues that "The humanities are a superb delivery mechanism for what we might call democratic values" In one of the essays, "Quitting the Paint Factory," he states "idleness is ... requisite to the construction of a complete human being;... allowing us time to figure out who we are, and what we believe; by allowing us time to consider what is unjust, and what we might do about it."
His second novel, "The Visible World", tells the story of a son uncovering his flawed parents earlier life in the Czech resistance. It gained notability in the UK following its inclusion in the 2008 Richard & Judy Book Club list.