The King of Pain

These are five incredible worlds of Jacek Dukaj, several astonishing variants of the future and present, in which the world has been transformed so drastically that it is radically different from ours. This is a future where biological research is... so cheap and widespread that it has completely reshaped the global political map and the people themselves, and uncontrolled genetic programs give rise to entirely new forms of life. This is a world where people have not five, but six senses from the beginning, where culture and art develop according to different laws, and the text itself describes what cannot be expressed in words. This is a future where the problems of hunger and wars have been solved; abundance reigns, but people have lost purpose, and there are professionals who create meaning in life for others. And finally, this is a world where in 1986, a certain object fell to Earth, resurrecting not only the dead but also the environment in which they lived, resulting in the mixing of historical epochs, wars, and spaces. These are paradoxical, unexpected texts, where truly original ideas combine with brilliant execution and a polished style.