Out 24 March 2020.
The Pleasure of Drowning is a collection of stories based on legends and fairy tales. Fairy tales have been told hundreds of times and have been around for centuries. They are not just something we tell, but something we live. Jean Bürlesk takes us through these familiar paths, tempering the fantastical with a sharp tongue and a satirical vision. Irony and unease go hand in hand in this debut collection by the winner of the Prix d’Encouragement de la Fondation Servais 2019.
European SF Society 2020 - Chrysalis Award for Young Writers: Jean Bürlesk (The Pleasure of Drowning).
Cover Art: Carolina Cancanilla.
“Jean Bürlesk is a scoundrel and a charlatan. Members of the public are warned not to approach, or he will regale you with the filth and horror he calls stories.” Peadar Ó Guilín, award-winning author of The Call and The Invasion
“Alas, my lawyers have informed me that I have no grounds for a lawsuit against The Pleasure of Drowning for trespassing awfully close to the title of my own novel The Art of Starving.” Sam J. Miller, Nebula- Award-winning author of Blackfish City and Destroy All Monsters
The Pleasure of Drowning
"I would recommend you buy this book; read it once. Then keep it nearby for those dark and depressing days when you need cheering up as this book, with its focus on fun (not comedy) where even the grim parts-that aren’t actually that grim- can’t fail to put a smile on your face. Reading it also kind of makes me want to visit Luxembourg." DW
5* "What a weird, delightful little collection of stories. Jean Bürlesk is one to watch out for. Did I mention weird? Some are weirder than others. Each has its basis in some fairy tale or myth, recognizable yet each one rendered in very different ways. The only one I was unfamiliar with was the legend of the founding of Luxembourg (and apparently I SHOULD be familiar with it because that one blew me away). Standouts for me: "Foundations," "Bluebeard," and "The Beauty of the Beast". But all have something to recommend them. I appreciate the cheeky tone of the author, particularly in the afterword and the other meta parts of the book, as it were. A hard line to take a tiny book of short stories and strike the balance between not taking it too seriously, and seriously re-imagining known stories. Definitely some recognizable Neil Gaiman influence, and it seems I ought to be reading Peadar Ó Guilín." Suri on Goodreads.
