Prague

Prague featured in The New York Times Notable Fiction list for 2002.

'Its author is prodigiously gifted.... A witty, well-informed intelligence is constantly at play....The writing depends purely on its own flair and inventiveness, and watching the author find different ways of rising to the occasion is a part of the pleasure of reading....The devious machinations of this plot...are handled expertly....A velvety cream of detail reminiscent of Nabokov.' (The Guardian (UK))

'Ingenious debut novel…with a wry generosity and haunting poignancy to rival his wonderfully subversive wit.' (New York Times)

'Prague shimmers with youthful energy and the seductive power of fleeting possibilities.' (Time Out New York)

Prague depicts an intentionally lost Lost Generation as it follows five expats who come to Budapest in the early 1990s. In this exotic city newly opened to the West, they hope to find adventure, inspiration, a gold rush, or history in the making — but what they actually discover is a beautiful place that they often fail to understand. After all, what does your angst mean in a city still pocked with bullet holes from war and crushed rebellion?

In this acclaimed novel, Arthur Phillips showcases the wit, lyricism, and capacity for invention that have made him one of the most talented American writers today.