Geneva International Book Club

First published in 1962, J.G. Ballard's mesmerizing and ferociously prescient novel imagines a terrifying future in which solar radiation and global warming have melted the polar ice caps and Triassic-era jungles have overrun a submerged and tropical London. Set during the year 2145, the novel follows biologist Dr. Robert Kerans and his team of scientists as they confront a surreal cityscape populated by giant iguanas, albino alligators, and endless swarms of malarial insects. Nature has swallowed all but a few remnants of human civilization, and, slowly, Kerans and his companions are transformed—both physically and psychologically—by this prehistoric environment. Echoing Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness—complete with a mad white hunter and his hordes of native soldiers—this "powerful and beautifully clear" (Brian Aldiss) work becomes a thrilling adventure and a haunting examination of the effects of environmental collapse on the human mind.

LOCATION: Maison Internationale des Associations, salle Albert Jacquard
Presenter: TBD
Starting time: 19:15 sharp
Format:

Members introduction (5-10 minutes)
Book presentation (20-30 minutes)

A brief history of the author’s life
A short summary of the book
Main ideas/themes

Group discussion (45-60 minutes), members' personal views on the book, opposing ideas, etc.
Announcement/info on next meeting (5 minutes)

Note: reading the book is not a "must" to attend the meeting, but encouraged if you want to actively participate in the discussion.

We look forward to seeing you all!

In more than a century since its appearance, José Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere has become widely known as the great novel of the Philippines. A passionate love story set against the ugly political backdrop of repression, torture, and murder, “The Noli,” as it is called in the Philippines, was the first major artistic manifestation of Asian resistance to European colonialism, and Rizal became a guiding conscience—and martyr—for the revolution that would subsequently rise up in the Spanish province.

LOCATION: Maison Internationale des Associations, salle Albert Jacquard
Presenter: TBD
Starting time: 19:15 sharp
Format:

Members introduction (5-10 minutes)
Book presentation (20-30 minutes)

A brief history of the author’s life
A short summary of the book
Main ideas/themes

Group discussion (45-60 minutes), members' personal views on the book, opposing ideas, etc.
Announcement/info on next meeting (5 minutes)

Note: reading the book is not a "must" to attend the meeting, but encouraged if you want to actively participate in the discussion.

We look forward to seeing you all!