Men in Space

The first novel written by Booker finalist Tom McCarthy-acclaimed author of Remainderand C- Men in Spaceit is set in a Central Europe rapidly fragmenting after the fall of communism. It follows an oddball cast-dissolute bohemians, political refugees, a football referee, a disorientated police agent, and a stranded astronaut-as they chase a stolen painting from Sofia to Prague and onward. Planting the themes that McCarthy's later works develop, here McCarthy questions the meaning of all kinds of space-physical, political, emotional, and metaphysical-as reflected in the characters' various disconnections. What emerges is a vision of humanity adrift in history, and a world in a state of disintegration. With an afterword by Simon Critchley, author of The Book of Dead Philosophers

Tom McCarthy was born in 1969 and lives in London. He is known in the art world for the reports, manifestos, and media interventions he has made as General Secretary of the International Necronautical Society (INS), a semi-fictitious avant-garde network. His other books include C, Remainder, and Tintin and the Secret of Literature.