Ratner's Star
1976 novel by Don DeLillo
0-394-40083-6 Ratner's Star is a 1976 novel by Don DeLillo. It relates the story of a child prodigy mathematician who arrives at a secret installation to work on the problem of deciphering a mysterious message that appears to come from outer space. The novel has been described as "famously impenetrable".[1]
The novel is described as Menippean satire and akin to the works of Thomas Pynchon.[2] In critical reviews, the protagonist, Billy Twillig, is compared to Vonnegut's Billy Pilgrim.[3]
The novel is told in two parts; the first is a conventional narrative, the second is less so. The author has said that the structural model was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.[4] The novel develops the idea that science, mathematics, and logic—in parting from mysticism—do not contain the fear of death, and therefore offer no respite.
References
- ^ Taylor, Christopher (5 May 2016). "Pure Vibe". London Review of Books. p. 15.
- ^ "Lifetimes". archive.nytimes.com.
- ^ "RATNER'S STAR | Kirkus Reviews" – via www.kirkusreviews.com.
- ^ LeClair, Thomas; DeLillo, Don (2005). Thomas DiPietro (ed.). Conversations with Don DeLillo. University Press of Mississippi. p. 11. ISBN 1578067049.
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Don DeLillo
- Americana (1971)
- End Zone (1972)
- Great Jones Street (1973)
- Ratner's Star (1976)
- Players (1977)
- Running Dog (1978)
- Amazons (1980)
- The Names (1982)
- White Noise (1985)
- Libra (1988)
- Mao II (1991)
- Underworld (1997)
- The Body Artist (2001)
- Pafko at the Wall (2001)
- Cosmopolis (2003)
- Falling Man (2007)
- Point Omega (2010)
- Zero K (2016)
- The Silence (2020)
- The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories (2011)
- The Day Room (1986)
- Valparaiso (1999)
- Love-Lies-Bleeding (2005)
- The Word for Snow (2007)
- Game 6 (2005)
- Cosmopolis (2012)
- Never Ever (2016)
- White Noise (2022)
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