Bradley Bazzle – författare

Coalescing around themes of family and belonging, the past's influence on the present, and the ways we define ourselves, In the Shadow of the Architect is a collection that dazzles. What happens when one's mentor is larger-than-life? How do we establish our sense of self? Where do we turn when we don't know how to make sense of the world? In these grounded, surprising stories, relatable characters are forced to grapple with who they are—and who they could become. A closeted teenager learns from the nude model in his life-drawing class what it might mean to be a gay man in Fort Worth. A lifestyle blogger looking to expand her influence hires a photographer whose work destabilizes her seemingly perfect family. A boy finds friendship in the precocious daughter of a recently deceased architect whose fame and force of personality continue to dominate their lives. In Bradley Bazzle's deft hands, these characters—on the cusp of change, willingly or not—discover truths about themselves, some of which they might regret learning.

Coalescing around themes of family and belonging, the past's influence on the present, and the ways we define ourselves, these stories show us people forced to grapple with who they are—and who they could become. A closeted teenager learns from the nude model in his life-drawing class what it might mean to be a gay man in Fort Worth. A lifestyle blogger looking to expand her influence hires a photographer whose work destabilizes her family. A boy finds friendship in the precocious daughter of a recently deceased architect whose fame and force of personality continue to dominate their lives. In Bradley Bazzle's deft hands, these characters—on the cusp of change, willingly or not—discover truths about themselves, some of which they might regret learning.

A young man goes to war against a landfill in a novel that “revels in the absurd but never strays far from the deeply felt humanity of its characters” (Maceo Montoya, author of The Deportation of Wopper Barraza).Ben Shippers doesn’t have much use for school, friends, or pretty much anyone except his smartass sister, but he does harbor a secret passion: Trash Mountain, the central feature of the noxious landfill next to his house, the fumes from which have made his sister ill.After a botched attempt to destroy Trash Mountain with a homemade firebomb, Ben begins a years-long infiltration operation that leads him to drop out of school to work alongside homeless trash-pickers, and then, eventually, intern at the very place he meant to destroy. Ben’s boss there, a charismatic would-be titan of sanitation, shows Ben the intricate moralities of the trash industry, forcing him to choose between monetary stability and his environmental principles. With dark humor, Trash Mountain reflects on life in small southern cities in decline—and an adolescent’s search for fundamental values without responsible adults to lead the way.“From Mark Twain to George Saunders . . . Trash Mountain joins a long tradition of dark humor, wild inventiveness, and social satire in American letters. By turns hilarious, colorful, and strange.” —Maceo Montoya, author of The Deportation of Wopper Barraza“Chronicles the ways in which Ben’s early idealism erodes under more complex concerns . . . Bazzle’s novel explores the compromises one makes in life even as it blends the gritty and the extravagant along the way.” —Kirkus Reviews

Ben Shippers doesn’t have much use for school, friends, or pretty much anyone except his smartass siser, but he does harbor a secret passion: Trash Mountain, the central feature of the noxious landfill next to his house, the fumes from which have made his sister ill. After a botched attempt to destroy Trash Mountain with a homemade firebomb, Ben begins a years-long infiltration operation that leads him to drop out of school to work alongside homeless trash-pickers, and then, eventually, intern at the very place he meant to destroy. Ben’s boss there, a charismatic would-be titan of sanitation, shows Ben the intricate moralities of the trash industry, forcing him to choose between monetary stability and his environmental principles. With dark humor, Trash Mountain reflects on life in small southern cities in decline and an adolescent’s search for fundamental values without responsible adults to lead the way.