Hes a middleaged escapee from a disastrous marriage, a ruined career, and various massive failures in adulting. Mcsweeneys books but now, alan is here, in saudi arabia with three young techies from reliant corp. This taut, richly layered, and elegiac novel is a powerful evocation of our contemporary momentand a moving story of how we got here. In 2010, when the novel is set, it consists of three. A hologram for the king features tykwers known style of repetition and alternative music choices, and is a sad misfire. To add insult to injury, he finds himself in the middle of the saudi arabian desert, head of a team attempting to sell the saudi king a jazzy 3d communications. In a hologram for the king, eggers inserts himself into the psyche of alan clay, a latterday willy loman, a longtime salesman for the late lamented schwinn bicycle company who has been retained by an ibmlike global firm to sell a huge package of it services to the octogenarian king abdullah of saudi arabia. A hologram for the king study guide contains a biography of dave eggers, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
A failed american sales rep looks to recoup his losses by traveling to saudi arabia and selling his companys product to a wealthy monarch. A middleaged man scrapes for his identity in a saudi arabian city of the future. Why not give the book a name that refers to something that takes up a bit more page spacelike mr. King abdullah economic city kaec and jeddah, saudi arabia. Paul romano english 110 10414 a hologram for the king if in your life, success were seemingly impossible, how hard would you work to achieve it. The philadelphia inquirer eggerss spare prose is a pleasure, and a hologram for the king proves to be a deft blend of surreal adventure, absurd comedy and pointed. In a hologram for the king a kind of death of a globalized. In a hologram for the king, eggers inserts himself into the psyche of alan clay, a latterday willy dave eggers is a phenomenon. This summary of a hologram for the king includes a complete plot overview spoilers included.
A hologram for the king by dave eggers book summary. Unfortunately, whenever eggers tries to concoct a compelling novel, he falls flat. A hologram for the king novel by dave eggers questions. The problem with booktofilm translations a hologram for the king is based upon dave eggers 2012 book of the same name, and boy does it feel that way.
The protagonist of dave eggerss latest novel, a hologram for the king, is decidedly herzogian. Supplied t om hanks is an inherently likable actor. This book by mcsweeneys founder eggers zeitoun, 2009, etc. In dave eggerss novel a hologram for the king, the main character, alan clay continually runs into the face of failure, which in turn makes his life very empty. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion on a hologram for the king by dave eggers. A hologram for the king, by dave eggers the independent. It started with thinking about this businessman, alan clay. Author of 17 books and two screenplays, including fiction, nonfiction, and a memoir, several of them bestsellers. Dave eggers is the bestselling author of seven books including a hologram for the king, a finalist for the national book award.
Salesman alan clay has suffered an acrimonious divorce, business reversals, and lots of accompanying anxiety. In a hologram for the king, dave eggers takes us around the world to show how one man. The full title of this book is a hologram for the king. An excerpt from dave eggerss a hologram for the king. When did you start thinking about setting a novel in saudi arabia. A hologram for the king, is about an american businessman who has flown out to saudi arabia to pitch an i. It was adapted as a film of the same name, released in 2016 and starring tom hanks and sarita choudhury plot. Zeitoun, winner of the american book award and dayton literary peace prize.
It was as if someone had built a road through unrepentant desert, and then erected a gate somewhere in the middle. A novel is primarily a business novel, and is about alan clay and his adventures of business in saudi arabia clay used to be one of the. Its a disappointment, then, when a hologram for the king transitions this antifatalism into a succession of epiphanies you can get wholesale. Talking with dave eggers about a hologram for the king. Alans primary concern is his daughters college education.
This is a story of a guy trying to make his success materializebut, like a hologram, it never really becomes something tangible. With tom hanks, omar elba, sarita choudhury, ben whishaw. A hologram for the king kindle edition by eggers, dave. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. The a hologram for the king community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. This taut, richly layered, and elegiac novel is a powerful evocation of our contemporary moment and a moving story of how we got here.
A hologram for the king, by dave eggers the new york times. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read a hologram for the king. A hologram for the king amiably ambles through a narrative desert, saved by an oasis of a performance from the everdependable tom hanks. A hologram for the king is a 2016 comedydrama film directed, written and coscored by tom tykwer, based on the 2012 novel of the same name written by dave eggers, and starring tom hanks as a washedup corporate salesman, who goes to saudi arabia to propose a business deal sidse babett knudsen, tom skerritt and sarita choudhury also star in this international coproduction between france. The only dave eggers to be located in hologram is contained, unexperimentally, in the wry and unabashedly empathetic voice of the omniscient narrator. A hologram for the king based on dave eggers samenamed novel is set just after the 2008 american housing collapse.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of a hologram for the king by dave eggers. Dave eggers is one of the best writers of our time author of 17 different books and two screenplays, including fiction, nonfiction, and a memoir, several of them bestsellers. In october 2012, the novel was announced as a finalist for the national book award. Not only is the king himself supersymbolic check out our symbols analysis for more but also the hologram that alan is trying to present is as illusive as his dreams. The a hologram for the king community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography. That novel was a globetrotting tale about giving away money. In a hologram for the king, dave eggers takes us around the world to show how one man fights to hold himself and his splintering family together in the face of the global economys galeforce winds. Free essays on a hologram for the king by dave eggers. In the novel written by dave eggers titled a hologram for the king, eggers writes about an american businessman by the name alan clay. A hologram for the king ebook written by dave eggers. Talking with dave eggers about a hologram for the king the.
With hints of parable, eggers explores a modernday quandary in both national and personal identity explored through midlife crisis and cultural clashes. A hologram for the king npr coverage of a hologram for the king by dave eggers. A hologram for the king summary how alan failed to get his groove back. A hologram for the king moves forwarda momentum of melancholy and possibility, driven by the meditations and memories of its oncenoble american salesman hero. A hologram for the king is a novel by dave eggers that involves the attempts of american businessman alan clay to. A hologram for the king isnt a true story, but theres. A hologram for the king is death of a salesman set in. A hologram for the king by dave eggers 26,236 ratings, 3. Audio book sample courtesy of penguin random house audio. Sign me up to get more news about literary fiction books.
A hologram for the king is, among other things, an anguished investigation into how and where american selfconfidence got lost and in the central word another lonely expat uses for alan. Would you keep working to achieve it or give up after a couple failures. Eggerss first unabashedly fictional, original novel in some time nonetheless grounds itself as firmly in the real world as zeitoun or what is the. A hologram for the king, p34 they drove a mile before they arrived at a modest gate, a pair of stone arches over the road, a great dome atop it all. Eggers first conceived of the story when the character of alan clay popped. A hologram for the king by dave eggers reading guide. As the narrative changes from a fascinating circle to a flat journey for alan to find his new self, it drags to metaphorical checkpoints, like when yousef drives alan off a different path, and later. A hologram for the king is a novel by dave eggers that involves the attempts of american businessman alan clay to stabilize his finances, find happiness in life, and ensure his daughter. Chicago turabian humanities citation style guide eggers, dave, a hologram for the king. In his new novel, a parable of america in the global economy, dave eggers shows. This study guide consists of approximately 19 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a hologram for the king. In a rising saudi arabian city, far from weary, recessionscarred america, a struggling businessman pursues a lastditch attempt to stave off foreclosure, pay his daughters college tuition, and finally do. Alan travels from boston to saudi arabia to the city of kaec, in hopes of landing a contract with the king. A hologram for the king, in theaters april 22, is actually an adaptation of dave eggers 2012 novel of the same name.
Tom tykwers adaptation of the dave eggers novel has americas everyman, tom hanks, getting his groove back in an exotic locale. A hologram for the king proves that eggers forte is nonfiction a heartbreaking work of staggering genius and zeitoun or, at least, fiction based on nonfictional events what is the what. The a hologram for the king community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and. Dave eggers new novel hits you with prose as stark and as luminous as its saudi arabian setting. A hologram for the king treads lightly and elegantly, considering its weighty subject matter. Unfinished business, writes herzog to a friend in saul bellows classic novel of male midlife crisis. A hologram for the king hardcover the elliott bay book. Eggers has developed an exceptional gift for opening up the lives of others so as to offer the story of globalism as it develops and, simultaneously, to unfold a much more archetypal tale of struggle and loneliness and drift. A hologram for the king takes us around the world to show how one man fights to hold himself and his splintering family together in the face of the global economys galeforce winds. A hologram for the king chapter 1 chapter 17 summary. A hologram for the king is a novel by dave eggers, published in 2012. There is also no complexity of plot in a hologram for the king. Buy a cheap copy of a hologram for the king book by dave eggers. A hologram for the king is a 2012 american novel written by dave eggers.
797 1498 682 336 216 957 1547 1358 1095 314 555 1151 569 1406 180 1513 835 1241 370 312 480 96 752 332 1341 636 1345 883 577 1024 946 1512 136 1384 1147 644 229 860 298 590 45 435 1086 1485