Melville House UK – förlag

A genre-bending memoir that offers fierce and fresh reflections on motherhood, desire, identity and feminism. At the centre is a love-story, between Nelson and the artist Harry Dodge, who is undergoing gender reassignment, while Nelson undergoes the transformations of pregnancy. Personal, honest and wide-ranging, Nelson explores the challenges and complexities that make up a modern family.

In a collection of essays published by the New York Times, MTV, and Pitchfork, among others - along with original, previously unreleased essays ' Hanif Abdurraqib explores the political, social, racial condition of our world today through the language of music and culture. From discussions over public displays of affection at a Carly Rae Jepsen show to the everyday threats to the lives of black Americans, including his own, Abdurraqib provides a lens through which to view our world, so that we might better understand ourselves, and in so doing proves himself a bellwether for our times.

Over a long, hot Christmas in Australia, Throwing Muses frontwoman and critically acclaimed solo artist Kristin Hersh considers her future as a songwriter, asking herself questions such as, is it possible to create music and not show off about it? How can artists establish and refine a following without becoming part of the commercial problem? And just how many times is it healthy to watch It’s a Wonderful Life in three weeks? In The Future of Songwriting, Hersh chooses to interrogate these questionsthrough dialogue. From in-depth conversations with a comedian friend about the similarities between songs and jokes, via fruitful visit to Sydney’s ‘bone museums’, to a revelation from a herbal healer in New Orleans, she delivers a fierce, funny and existential meditation on the art of the song – and its future.

How does one pay homage to A Tribe Called Quest? Hanif Abdurraqib digs into the group's history and draws from his own experience to reflect on how its distinctive sound resonated among fans like himself. He traces the Tribe's creative career, from their early days as part of the Afrocentric rap collective known as the Native Tongues, through their first three classic albums, to their eventual breakup and long hiatus. Throughout the narrative Abdurraqib connects the music and cultural history to their street-level impact, seeking deeper truths that are not simply heard in the head, but felt in the chest.

Lars Iyer returns with his most accessible novel yet: Wittgenstein Jr. is the nickname Peters and his gang of fellow Philosophy undergrads give to their lecturer; a brooding, complicated, melancholic academic who is determined to make them grasp the very essence of philosophical thought. But the students are too busy getting drunk on lethal homemade cocktails, falling in and out of love, and coming to terms with the life waiting for them after Cambridge. As Wittgenstein Jr. becomes more withdrawn and depressive, the students come to realise how much he needs them.

Lars Iyer returns with his most accessible novel yet: Wittgenstein Jr. is the nickname Peters and his gang of fellow Philosophy undergrads give to their lecturer; a brooding, complicated, melancholic academic who is determined to make them grasp the very essence of philosophical thought. But the students are too busy getting drunk on lethal homemade cocktails, falling in and out of love, and coming to terms with the life waiting for them after Cambridge. As Wittgenstein Jr. becomes more withdrawn and depressive, the students come to realise how much he needs them.

Set against the backdrop of the tube bombings in London in 2005, Underground Fugue interweaves the stories of four characters who are dislocated by shock waves of personal loss, political violence, and, ultimately, betrayal. A powerful and moving novel, Underground Fugue skillfully weaves the stories to offer a vision of contemporary anxieties about terrorism, racial profiling, anti-Semitism, and the tensions between Muslims and Jews.

'Brexit' reflected perhaps the biggest vote of no confidence in the political establishment in modern British history. But how did we get here? Paul Stocker examines how ideas of the far right-always a fringe movement in Britain-have become part of the cultural and political mainstream, over the course of decades.

'The skin was smooth and bright as porcelain, but looked as if it would give to the touch. What manner of wood had he used? What tools to exact such detail? What paints, tints or stains to flush her with life?' So wonders the window dresser Colton Kemp when he sees the first mannequin of his new rival, a silent man the inhabitants of Marumaru simply call The Carpenter. Rocked by the sudden death of his wife in childbirth and left with twins to raise, Kemp hatches a dark and selfish plan to make his name and thwart his rival. What follows is a gothic tale of art and deception, strength and folly, love and transgression, which ranges from small-town New Zealand to the graving docks of the River Clyde in Scotland. Along the way we meet a Prussian strongman, a family of ship's carvers with a mysterious affliction, a septuagenarian surf lifesaver and a talking figurehead named Vengeance. Lives and stories will intertwine as fate takes its cruel trajectory, leaving you feeling as if waking from an unsettling dream.

William Tyce is a boy without parents, left under the care of an eccentric, absent uncle. To impose order on the sudden chaos of his life, he crafts a glossary-style list, through which he imparts his particular wisdom and thoughts on subjects ranging from asphalt paths, betta fish, and mullet, to mortal betrayal, nihilism, and revelation. His improbable quest-to create a reference volume specific to his existence-takes him on a journey down the river by raft (see mystical vision, see navigating big rivers by night). He seeks to discover how his mother died (see absence) and find reasons for his father's disappearance (see uncertainty, see vanity). But as he goes about defining his changing world, all kinds of extraordinary and wonderful things happen to him. Unlocking an earnest, clear-eyed way of thinking that might change your own, A Key to Treehouse Living is a story about keeping your own record straight and living life by a different code.

The Aeronauts is the true story behind the forthcoming Major Motion Picture, telling the daring life and death escapades of pioneering Victorian balloonist James Glaisher. In 1862, Glaisher set out to do the impossible: ascend higher into the skies than ever before. A pioneer of weather forecasting and of photography, he wanted to take ground-breaking research measurements from different altitudes. Before aeroplanes, the only unpredictable available method of air transportation was the hot air balloon. This is his memoir, detailing death-defying air ballon journeys in his own words.

The air pollution that we breathe every day is largely invisible - but it is killing us. How did it get this bad, and how can we stop it? Far from a modern-day problem, scientists were aware of the impact of air pollution as far back as the seventeenth century. The Invisible Killer will introduce you to the incredible individuals whose groundbreaking research paved the way for today's understanding of air pollution. Gary Fuller's global story examines devastating incidents from London's Great Smog to Norway's acid rain; Los Angeles's traffic problem to wood-burning damage in New Zealand. Fuller argues that the only way to alter the future course of our planet and improve collective global health is for city and national governments to stop ignoring evidence and take action, persuading the public and making polluters bear the full cost of the harm that they do. The decisions that we make today will impact our health for decades to come.

The Age of Intelligent Machines is upon us, and as we approach the end of human intellectual superiority, we as a species need to plan for a monumental shift. A Human Algorithm examines the immense impact intelligent technology will have on humanity. These machines, while challenging our personal beliefs and our socio-economic world order, also have the potential to transform our health and well-being, alleviate poverty and suffering, and reveal the mysteries of intelligence and consciousness. International human rights attorney Flynn Coleman deftly argues that it is critical we instill values, ethics, and morals into our robots, algorithms, and other forms of AI. Equally important, we need to develop and implement laws, policies, and oversight mechanisms to protect us from tech's insidious threats. Ultimately, A Human Algorithm is a clarion call for building a more humane future and moving conscientiously into a new frontier of our own design.

Wales is a nation of contradictions. It boasts incredible natural resources and crushing poverty; fierce patriotism and a stark north/south divide; an energy surplus, and some of the highest bills in the UK. It also has a famously rugby-mad culture – but its revitalised football team is lighting up international tournaments. So what’s going on? Rhys Thomas hails from Laugharne – the village on which, it is rumoured, Dylan Thomas based Under Milk Wood’s ‘Llareggub’ (read it backwards). In this affectionate investigation into his home country, via Welsh geography, food, culture and sport, he aims for the heart of its contrasts. In doing so, he builds a mosaic-like image of Wales today – and how it might look in the future.

As the world grows increasingly turbulent, war crimes justice is needed more than ever. But it is failing. The International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, the world’s first permanent war crimes court, opened in 2002 but it has jailed just five war criminals to date. Meanwhile, wars continue to rage around the globe. So what has gone wrong, and can it be fixed? Journalist and war correspondent Chris Stephen takes a colourful look at the erratic history of war crimes justice, and the pioneers who created it. He examines its shortcomings, and options for making it more effective, including the case for prosecuting the corporations and banks who fund warlords. Casting the net wider, he examines alternatives to war crimes trials, and peers into the minds of war criminals themselves. With war law advocates fighting for justice on one side, and reluctant governments unwilling to relinquish control on the other, will the world of the future be governed by rule-of-law, or might-is-right?

In a society battered by economic, political, cultural and ecological collapse, where do we place our trust, now that it is more vital than ever for our survival? How has that trust – in our laws, our media, our governments – been lost, and how can it be won back? Examining the police, the rule of law, artificial intelligence, the 21st century city and social media, Ros Taylor imagines what life might be like in years to come if trust continues to erode. Have conspiracy theories permanently damaged our society? Will technological advances, which require more and more of our human selves, ultimately be rejected by future generations? And in a world fast approaching irreversible levels of ecological damage, how can we trust the custodians of these institutions to do the right thing – even as humanity faces catastrophe?

Look in the mirror – what do you see? We all feel, instinctively, that self exists. That somewhere inside us, under the clothes, the make-up and self-tan, lurks a hard ‘pearl’, a kernel of truth called ‘me’. And it’s big business uncovering that ‘authentic’ kernel. It’s also a fool’s errand, because that ‘true self’? It doesn’t exist. Self is no more than a story we tell ourselves. It’s mutable, pliable as Plasticine. Worse, it’s not even strictly autobiographical, but co-authored with those around us. And as such, there is no one version, but myriad, and the number is growing as we are exposed to ever more connections. We are already seeing the effects travel, television, and celebrity culture can have on the formation of self, but as digital and social media exposure grows, and in the advent of AI, what will happen to our sense of self? Can we become ever more multiple and adapt better to our globalised world? Or will we dissolve into narcissitic, detached ‘nobodies’? The Future of the Self will explore our current understanding of self in both philosophical and neuroscientific terms and through the lens of popular culture. It will ask what might happen to it in the coming years, and what a ‘useful self’ might look like in the future.

Coal, oil and gas provide four-fifths of the energy that powers our modern world. But continuing to burn them will mean wrecking the only planet we have. Is there a way out?In The Future of Energy, journalist and analyst Richard Black argues that there is, and that the transition to a clean energy world is already underway. He shows that with just five key technologies we can replace the burning of fossil fuels almost entirely, as quickly as society decides. Doing so will do much more than halt climate change. The transition will bring cheaper energy, cleaner air and more jobs. It will remove some of the factors behind oppression, injustice and conflict. And it is supported by an overwhelming majority of the world’s population. This may not be the story of energy that you hear most about from politicians, business leaders and journalists, but it is the one that matters.

We're used to the novel beingdeclared dead, dying, or endangered. Seemingly every few years, a critic willread it the last rites - yet the form remains more popular than ever withreaders. In The Future of the Novel, author Simon Okotie presents a boldfuture for long-form fiction, and suggests its evolution is far from over.Okotie begins by responding to andcritiquing John Carruthers' book Scheherezade, or The Future of the EnglishNovel, published in 1927 as part of the 'To-day and To-morrow' series - theinspiration for our present-day FUTURES. He then cites others who have since meditatedon the direction of the form: Henry James, D. H. Lawrence, William Burroughs, AnaisNin, Zadie Smith and China Mieville, among others. In doing so, he also tellsthe story of the novel itself, from the realism of the 18th and 19thcenturies, through the early stirrings of modernism with its focus on the'inner life', right through to the abstraction and experimentation of 21stcentury postmodernism, and beyond. All of which informs Okotie's own futurevision for the novel - one that extends even further into the reaches of thesubconscious, and speculates on the uneasy role artifical intelligence willplay in the coming decades. The Future of The Novel is a rich andimmersive portrait of an artform which, despite constant claims to the contrary,is more alive and exciting than ever.

Gardening is about choices. Which plants to choose for yoursoil type and conditions? Where to place them to maximise their growth? What tofeed them, and when to water them? And how can all of this be done in asustainable way? In The Future of Gardens, broadcaster and designer MarkLane examines present-day considerations alongside those gardeners will need tomake in the future. As Earth heats up and populations soar, water will becomescarcer on many parts of the planet, and efficient management of it will bekey: drought-tolerant planting and smart irrigation systems will likely becomecommonplace, as will vertical and otherwise space-restricted gardening. And as ourworld faces stressed or collapsing ecosystems, gardens will be crucial inimproving wildlife populations - but only if we let them.Tech will play itspart, too. AI-powered apps already provide tips to the green-fingered, but itsdominance is a concern. How might we find a happy coexistence? Lane also imaginesthe potential for gardening in space: what challenges will interstellartravellers face as they cultivate plants on spacecrafts, or even on distant worldsThe Future of Gardens looks at this evergreen discipline with a bold, vibrant and inquisitiveeye. Lane's own vision for inclusivity, sustainable practice andforward-looking design shines throughout this extraordinary addition toFUTURES.

Travel is easier, more accessible,and more tempting than ever before in today's world. But what impact is ourglobetrotting having on local communities and the environment?From his own experiences spending time in countries from Spain to Argentinato Japan, travel writer Daniel Maurer has seen first-hand the impact ofgrowing cultural homogenization and anger at the tourists driving it. Speakingto locals and immigrants, activists and protestors, he hears of the problems ofrising living costs, overcrowding, anti-social behaviour and the erosion oflocal traditions and ways of life caused by overtourism. Some cities alreadyhave plans in place to combat it, including tourist taxes, carbon emissiontargets and Airbnb bans, and in the coming years, more will take drasticmeasures to tackle not only a flood of tourists but of a growing worldwideworkforce of “location-independent professionals."Technological advances are also changing the way we interact with the world,and the future promises amazing things from flying cars to VR headsets to AItravel influencers and chatbots. But there’s a constant battle betweentechnology making things more easily accessible, and the need to reduce humanimpact on the world.What choices might we make when it comes to travelling in the future, and canwe become more impact-conscious, making more sustainable and thoughtfuldecisions?

The most eaten fruit in theworld is facing possible extinction. While there are thousands of banana varieties,only one has become the West’s favourite – theCavendish: our familiar curvy, yellow-skinned,seedless fruit. But our obsession with the Cavendish has come at a cost. Years of selectionand humankinds’ migration across the worldhas left the Cavendish susceptible to diseaseand climate change. How can we save the future of the banana?Professor James Dale is leading the way.Based at Queensland University of Technologyin Australia, he and his team have developedthe world’s first genetically modified bananato be approved for commercial production.Based on the latest research and technological developments, from gene editing, cisgenics,AI design and biofortifiction, Dale shows howwe could save the banana, while bringing tolife its colourful history – the lucrative bananaindustry has resulted in political coups, drugtrafficking and even murder. Bananageddon can be prevented, Dale argues, if the world is ready to embrace a newfuture led by scientific change.

When did laughter become part of ouruniverse? Were we the first planet to have a sense of humour? What was thefirst joke? Was it made by a chimpanzee or a crow?These are just a few of the questionserstwhile comedian Robin Ince considers in The Future of Jokes, bringingin elements from science, technology, politics, philosophy and culture to probejust why we need jokes. What can they teach us about ourselves and our future?Comedy means different things to differentpeople: it can be an act of rebellion, and it can be an act of reinforcing thestatus quo. It can be expression and it can be repression. Joke-telling isabout authenticity and connection Ince argues, and artistic creativity makes ushuman. We can choose to share love and connection via jokes or spread uglinessand outrage. Which future do we want?

Humans have been ripping each other off since they first discovered the concept of lying but in 300 BC, the first ever official record of a fraud case was made. A merchant in Greece took out an insurance policy, borrowed money and planned to sink his boat. Unfortunately for him, things did not go according to plan. Since then, fraud has become more complex and harder to detect, as technology has evolved. So how can we protect ourselves now and in the future, and what new dangers do we need to be looking out for?Deeply researched and littered with expert testimony, The Future of Fraud will explore interesting fraud cases past and present, and expose how the technology we depend upon today is also perfectly poised to exploit us: from social media, the dark web and gaming, to cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. And as well as parting us from our money, fraud is eroding the trust between humans and the state, and between each other.The only way to tackle the fraud epidemic, argues Holmes, is head on, via education, language, technology and regulation. We need everyone to understand the dangers and have protections in place to stop the bad guys. Are we fighting a losing battle, or can we make the future a safer place for everyone?

Beguiling cult favorite C. D. Rose is back with another foray into amysterious, entrancing universe. This time, Rose has trained his sightson the art world in all its glamour, perversity, and ambition. When visitors to a famous conceptual artist's installation begindisappearing, the aftershocks radiate outwards through twelve people whowere involved in the project, launching them on a crazy-quilt trajectory thatwill end at one final, apocalyptic bacchanal. Mixing illusion and reality, simulacra and replicants, sound artists anddeath artists, performers and filmmakers and theorists and journalists, WeLive Here Now spins a dazzling web that conveys, with eerie precision, thesheer strangeness of what it is like to be alive today.

Do you think the world of the Eurovision Song Contest,with its crazy props, even crazier dancers and crazier still songs has nothingto do with serious European politics? Think again. The contest has been amirror for cultural, social and political developments in Europe ever since itsinauguration in 1956. It has been a voice of rebellion across the Iron Curtain,the voice of liberation for both sexual and regional minorities and it evenonce triggered a national revolution.Eurovision! charts both the history of Europe andthe history of the Eurovision Song Contest over the last seven decades andshows how seamlessly they interlink - and what an amazing journey it has been.A new and updated edition, taking in all contests up to 2026.

In an unnamed but alarmingly familiar Egyptian city, an authoritarian organisation known as 'the Gate' has just quashed a popular uprising and is now requiring its citizens to obtain permits for even the most basic activities - eating, drinking, even window-shopping. But the Gate never opens, and the queue before it grows and grows.

From childhood on, we're barraged by messages that it's sad to be old. That wrinkles are embarrassing, and old people are useless. Author and activist Ashton Applewhite believed them too - until she realised where this prejudice comes from and the damage it does. Lively, funny, and deeply researched, This Chair Rocks traces Applewhite's journey from apprehensive boomer to pro-ageing radical, and in the process debunks myth after myth about late life.

Why are public toilets so crappy? An eye-opening look at how public toilets are letting us all down and why this is a political, not just personal issue. Adults don't talk about the business of doing our business. We work on one assumption: the world of public bathrooms is problem-and politics-free. No Place To Go reveals the opposite is true. No Place To Go reveals the opposite is true. Embarking on a toilet tour from London to San Francisco to Toronto, from pay potties to deserted alleyways, No Place To Go is a marriage of urbanism, social narrative, and pop culture that shows the ways-momentous and mockable-that public toilets just don't work. Like, for the homeless, who, faced with no place to go sometimes literally take to the streets. (Ever heard of a municipal poop map?) For people with invisible disabilities, such as Crohn's disease, who stay home rather than risk soiling themselves on public transit routes. For girls who quit sports teams because they don't want to run to the edge of the pitch to pee. Peel back the layers on public bathrooms and it's clear many more people want for good access than have it. Public bathroom access is about cities, society, design, movement, and equity. The real question is: Why are public toilets so crappy?