The House of a Thousand Floors

Jan Weiss

The House of a Thousand Floors

The House of a Thousand Floors is one of the earliest science-fiction novels in European literature, published first in 1929. Besides being a pioneer in its genre, the book is highly regarded for its general merits as psychological literature. The novel tells the story of a dream in fever of a soldier wounded in World War I. He finds himself in the stairway of a gigantic (and kafkaesque) tower-like building, which is a metaphor for modern society. He learns that his task is to rescue Princess Tamara from Muller, the lord of the edifice. After a number of surrealistic encounters in the building, during which he is hailed as a liberator by many and is hunted by the cruel security guards, the main character finds Tamara and faces the cruel lord of Mullerdom. The novel makes fine use of a range of experimental styles and techniques. At times, linear storytelling gives way to a collage of incongruous elements: excerpts from fictitious books, encyclopedia articles, radio broadcast transcripts are used as a shortcut to describe places or events; other narrative ingredients include fanciful advertisements, ludicrous administrative documents or political slogans which highlight the idiosyncrasies of this decadent world.
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Author

Jan Weiss

Jan Weiss (1892–1972) was one of the founders of Czech science fiction

Title
The House of a Thousand Floors
Author
Price
€ 11,99
ISBN
9789633860717
Format
eBook PDF (Adobe DRM)
Number of pages
276
Language
English
Publication date
Series
CEU Press Classics
Category
Literary Studies and History
Discipline
Language and Literature
Imprint
Also available as
Paperback - € 22,95
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Translator’s Note The House of a Thousand Floors Afterword