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Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Hamish Hamilton (2013), 336 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML:In a rising Saudi Arabian city, far from weary, recession-scarred America, a struggling businessman named Alan Clay pursues a last-ditch attempt to stave off foreclosure, pay his daughter's college tuition, and finally do something great. In A Hologram for the King, Dave Eggers takes us around the world to show how one man fights to hold himself and his splintering family together.
Media reviews
The saving grace is that Eggers' subject is so timely and important, and the way he dramatises it so apt and amusing. [...] Eggers is good at conveying the hallucinatory, weightless feeling of expatriate life in the Gulf states: the featureless hotels that "could have been in Arizona, in Orlando,
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anywhere"; the wild parties in closed-off diplomatic compounds; the huge structures thrown up by oil wealth in the middle of nowhere. Show Less
A diverting, well-written novel about a middle-aged American dreamer, joined to a critique of how the American dream has been subverted by outsourcing our know-how and manufacturing to third-world nations. That last is certainly a distinctly contemporary touch. However, as for Alan himself:
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We’ve seen him and his brothers before, in William Dean Howells’s “The Rise of Silas Lapham,” in Theodore Dreiser’s “The Financier” and Sinclair Lewis’s “Babbitt,” in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” and John Updike’s Rabbit novels. In literature, if not in life, middle-aged businessmen seldom find happiness. Show Less
Dave Eggers hat einen ebenso vergnüglichen wie gescheiten Roman über den Aberwitz der Globalisierung geschrieben.
In the New York Times Book Review, Pico Iyer called the novel “[a] supremely readable parable of America in the global economy that is haunting, beautifully shaped and sad ... With ferocious energy and versatility, [Eggers] has been studying how the world is remaking America ... Eggers has
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developed an exceptional gift for opening up the lives of others so as to offer the story of globalism as it develops and, simultaneously, to unfold a much more archetypal tale of struggle and loneliness and drift.” Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member flydodofly
Regardless of Eggers being one of my favourite authors and people in general, this is a really good book. What remains with me is the scorching sun above the pointless city allowing no shadows around the characters and their goings on, whilst they remain unknown and secretive and their actions
a) important (a little like some kind of holy book)
b) as if it has been carved out of wood
A great idea that complements the book perfectly.
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meaningless at the same time. The book has the atmosphere of the movie Lost in Translation and that gave "my" Alan Bill Murray's face. Another pleasure, besides reading, was caused by the book's wonderful cover that looks a) important (a little like some kind of holy book)
b) as if it has been carved out of wood
A great idea that complements the book perfectly.
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LibraryThing member dvergin
Death of a Salesman meets The Stranger meets Waiting for Godot -- in contemporary Saudi Arabia.
LibraryThing member jorgearanda
For all the ungainly prose, there is something of a parable about the current American condition in this book, represented by an aging, indebted IT salesman coming to terms with a world and a life he cannot control.
LibraryThing member ChrisConway
Eggers wants to say something about how we live today, especially our relationship to technology and how globalization alienates us. His protagonist is sympathetic but rather sad and passive. The novel is not very involving. I dog-eared two pages that had cool quotes. I give it three stars because
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I admire Eggers for writing about big, political subjects unlike most "literary" novelists who are widely known and popular. Show Less
LibraryThing member nmele
this novel about a divorced, fifty-something fellow trying desperately to recover his equilibrium after financial failure was both depressing and--enlightening is not the correct term--educational to read. I was impressed by Eggers' depiction of the bewildered American in a different culture (Saudi
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Arabia here). He captured that disorientation for me, and also an elegiac tone that struck a chord but somehow seemed too pat and too planned. Show Less
LibraryThing member dtn620
UPDATE 10/10/12: NBA finalist?! Give me a break.
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-Hey, Dave Eggers has a new book out and it looks wonderful.
-What's it about?
-Who cares, it's a lovely book to hold.
And that's probably the most exceptional thing about the novel. McSweeney's has continued to impress me with the effort and
Now for the story: A mid-fifties businessman struggling both in work and in life goes to Saudi Arabia for the chance to breath some life into his career and more importantly to improve his financial standing. But of course there's much more to it and the chance for his life to be turned around in a more meaningful way.
Ultimately the story was unsatisfying because it wraps up in the blink of an eye. Ending it in that indie-film sort of way to keep you wondering what happens next may have been the goal. But it doesn't pull it off very effectively and just left me sort of annoyed.
To be fair, the book was a lovely, easy read with the decent writing many expect from Eggers until page 309. It also offered an interesting glimpse into the kingdom of Saudi Arabia that I hadn't before seen.
So for these reasons, and the handsomeness of the book, my rating is somewhere between 2.5 and 3 stars.
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-Hey, Dave Eggers has a new book out and it looks wonderful.
-What's it about?
-Who cares, it's a lovely book to hold.
And that's probably the most exceptional thing about the novel. McSweeney's has continued to impress me with the effort and
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care that they put into the packaging and physicalness of their books. Maybe the publishing industry should take note of what they're doing and start copying it. Now for the story: A mid-fifties businessman struggling both in work and in life goes to Saudi Arabia for the chance to breath some life into his career and more importantly to improve his financial standing. But of course there's much more to it and the chance for his life to be turned around in a more meaningful way.
Ultimately the story was unsatisfying because it wraps up in the blink of an eye. Ending it in that indie-film sort of way to keep you wondering what happens next may have been the goal. But it doesn't pull it off very effectively and just left me sort of annoyed.
To be fair, the book was a lovely, easy read with the decent writing many expect from Eggers until page 309. It also offered an interesting glimpse into the kingdom of Saudi Arabia that I hadn't before seen.
So for these reasons, and the handsomeness of the book, my rating is somewhere between 2.5 and 3 stars.
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LibraryThing member debnance
There is nothing that makes me happier than picking up a book, reading a couple of pages, and knowing in my heart that the book is going to be a wonderful read.
A Hologram for the King is such a book.
The plot is thin: a Death-of-a-Salesman middle-aged fellow is in Saudi, waiting to see the king,
As soon as I finished it, I started thinking of people who might should read it. I started telling people about it.
What about you? Have you read this book? If not, you need to read it now.
A Hologram for the King is such a book.
The plot is thin: a Death-of-a-Salesman middle-aged fellow is in Saudi, waiting to see the king,
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hoping to sell the king on a business idea. Not much happens. The days are hot. Our main character, Alan Clay, is stuck in a tent that isn’t air conditioned and lacks an Internet connection with two young hotshot assistants. Each day, he checks to see if the king is ready to see him; the king never is. Behind the scenes, Alan’s life is crumbling a little more every day. Everything rests on seeing the king and having the king accept the proposal. As soon as I finished it, I started thinking of people who might should read it. I started telling people about it.
What about you? Have you read this book? If not, you need to read it now.
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LibraryThing member nivramkoorb
I enjoyed the book and unlike many comments that I have read, his style was okay with me. The story was interesting and his side anecdotes were funny and interesting. Whether or not his picture of Saudi Arabia was true or not, it did reveal something about the place. When you read a book by an
reviews.
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author you like and a person you respect, you give them the benefit of the doubt. At the end of the day it was an enjoyable book and a decent read. However, I did not see it as a ground breaking book full of insight etc. that many reviewers saw. I think that because people like Eggers and his contributions to youth literacy he gets preferable treatment on his reviews.
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LibraryThing member muddyboy
This National Book Award finalist novel tells the story of an American businessman who is marketing hologram technology to a Saudi Arabian king.. The book highlight the cultural differences between the two cultures. The Westerners become impatient when things don't get done as opposed to a much
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more laid back view toward schedules and deadlines in the Arabian way of life. It also shows how something that is said in jest might be taken wrong and cause major problems for Americans in other parts of the world. It is a well written and almost effortless book to read but is well worth the effort if you do, Show Less
LibraryThing member mawls
I liked the main character and I enjoyed going on the journey with him through one moment of his life as a business man in Saudi Arabia.
LibraryThing member Samchan
Here we go again; here’s another story of a white, sad sack salesman, taking stock of where he went wrong in his life—but this time amidst the desert sands of the UAE! Ooh, so original. Except not. And yet, there’s a certain hypnotic, meditative quality to the novel. The book basically feels
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like a Sophia Coppola movie. Nothing much happens, but because Eggers adeptly weaves the waiting for the king in the UAE with Alan’s thoughts and memories of other parts of his life, the story didn’t feel stagnant. The language seems straightforward, at least until you notice the beautiful turns of phrases and realize that it isn’t so simple after all. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did and I think that attests to Eggers’ ability to make me care about Alan despite of my cynicism. This was a fast read—no drawing out the story unnecessarily. Admittedly, this book probably caught me in a good mood and four stars might be inflated. I could imagine not liking it so much if I were in a less indulgent frame of mind. Show Less
LibraryThing member TMLibrary
Really Poor book...goes on and on getting no where fast. Set in Saudi Arabia; King Abdullah, KAEC city never takes off, women's rights in Saudi Arabia touched on a little
LibraryThing member freelancer_frank
This is a book about American anxiety for the future. It does capture something of the times, and it has its insights, but it is somewhat over weighted with leaden symbolism: the illusory and frightening (Hologram/Business/Sales) verses the real and safe (Walls, bicycles - stuff that can be made by
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hand). Too much time is given over to the rather mundane point that manufacturing supremacy in America has now gone overseas. The writing style is fraught with over-simplification - perhaps reflecting an underlying concern on the part of the author that writing itself is not really as real as a wall - or maybe just done to emphasize the moralizing tone. Show Less
LibraryThing member lukespapa
David Eggers, in A Hologram for the King, has written a novel of its time that peeks at the future while simultaneously showing us a dying epoch. Alan Clay, an aging salesman, is in Saudi Arabia hoping for one more big score to get his life back on track. Unable to bond with his young coworkers who
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are overly concerned with wifi and cell phone connections, Alan laments this new era, which he himself helped to usher in, where outsourcing tangibles have left the likes of him behind. Much of his time is spent waiting on the King’s arrival so a presentation can be pitched to win the bid on providing the technology infrastructure of a new city that will presumably be built. Meanwhile, we find a man crumbling, what with his failed relationships, impotency, binge drinking and mysterious lump that appears on his neck. However, we also find compassion for the ignominious Alan because he reminds of someone we once knew, if not ourselves. Show Less
LibraryThing member TedWitham
I was initially intrigued by the set up of this book, a sales pitch to be made to the King of Saudi Arabia by the aging representative of the firm offering IT to a new city to be built in the country, but eventually became bored by the waiting game: for me it was a bit like Waiting for Godot
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without the element of the absurd to redeem it. Show Less
LibraryThing member theageofsilt
I think the novel did an excellent job of capturing the zeitgeist of contemporary times, the way "Bonfire of the Vanities" did with the 80's. For me, the story declined with the arrival of a doctor who, too clearly, foreshadows the fate of the protagonist's business venture. Yes, Godot, does arrive!
LibraryThing member sggottlieb
Not my usual read but I really enjoyed it.
LibraryThing member mojomomma
Alan is a down and out middle-aged American sales rep, making a pitch for high tech IT hologram equipment to the King of Saudi Arabia. If he can make this sale, the commission will take care of his overwhlming debts. The problem is that he is in Saudi Arabia in a city that has yet to built and
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making a pitch to a client that no one is sure will turn up. Alan is at once recognizable and yet frustratingly immature and out of control, and he plays the fool yet again. Show Less
LibraryThing member DRFP
What on earth has happened to Dave Eggers? It's a little hard to believe that the man who authored books like A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, How We Are Hungry and What is the What penned a work as weak as this.
True, Zeitoun was written in a similarly simplistic style, which I forgave at
The less said about the novel's moping main character the better. Why Eggers thought a man who can't even write a letter to his daughter would make for an interesting lead character I have no idea. I quickly lost sympathy with Alan because he is so thoroughly useless and defeated. I have nothing against that sort of character - I love Turgenev's many superfluous men and their faults - but Alan is such a complete downer that I couldn't wait to end my time in his world.
The ending is particularly lame too: overly simplistic and brief. I won't spoil what little there is to spoil, but it was just another unsatisfying element in a very poor novel.
First Zeitoun and now this; I'm wondering if Eggers is worth my time any more. I'm certainly not rushing off to buy The Circle.
True, Zeitoun was written in a similarly simplistic style, which I forgave at
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the time as an attempt to replicate the title character's way with English as a second language. Unfortunately the same utterly basic prose is rolled out yet again here and it makes the novel an extremely blunt criticism of neo-liberal capitalism, globalization and the hollowing out of America's industrial base. These are heavy topics that have my sympathy and deserve attention, but Eggers' novel is so simplistic and obvious that the issues lack any subtlety and come across as rather tedious and boring when stretched over 300 plus pages.The less said about the novel's moping main character the better. Why Eggers thought a man who can't even write a letter to his daughter would make for an interesting lead character I have no idea. I quickly lost sympathy with Alan because he is so thoroughly useless and defeated. I have nothing against that sort of character - I love Turgenev's many superfluous men and their faults - but Alan is such a complete downer that I couldn't wait to end my time in his world.
The ending is particularly lame too: overly simplistic and brief. I won't spoil what little there is to spoil, but it was just another unsatisfying element in a very poor novel.
First Zeitoun and now this; I'm wondering if Eggers is worth my time any more. I'm certainly not rushing off to buy The Circle.
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LibraryThing member zmagic69
For the life of me I have no idea what the point of this book was. I should have been warned when I saw on the cover that it was one of The New York Time Book Reviews 10 best books of the year, for me at least this is never a recommendation, for a book I will enjoy. I certainly did not enjoy this
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book of nothing. I really wish I had read some of the reviews on Goodreads first, I would never have bought the book. I had no idea the author was some 1960's author which explains a lot regarding the main characters disillusionment with the last 8 years. What is worse is that I never cared about Alan Clay the main character, and it seemed like neither did the Author. Show Less
LibraryThing member annbury
I gave up on this book before I finished it, because I found it too depressing and too hopeless to follow to the end. This illustrates the fact that when it comes to fiction, tastes differ -- the reviews I read interested me in the book, and plenty of people have reviewed it favorably in this
Yep.
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forum. Part of the problem was that the central character, Alan Clay (the ghost of Willy Loman hovers round), seemed doomed from the beginning. The fact that things were never going to come together was abundantly clear from the get-go, as was the fact Alan was going to screw up. None of the other characters did much to liven things up (presumably if Alan can't really see them, neither can we), and the setting was shall we say static. So, as things plodded inexorably downhill, I abandoned ship. (Confession and spoiler alert: I did check out the end. Yep.
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LibraryThing member tabascofromgudreads
I was lured by the cover and the title. I was hoping for a quick, fun, brilliant story that would give me some insight into Saudi Arabia and international business Big mistake. I found a French movie from the '70s instead. Seriously: a French Movie from the '70s, one of those where nothing happens,
But hey! If you have a sudden craving for a story about a weak, self-pitying, sad, aimless loser who just has to kill time for the ENTIRE book, and if you truly, truly would love the whole thing to be soaked in an aura of confusion, despair and depression, you're in for a fucking TREAT with "A hologram for the King"!!
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and actors are trying to convey despair in thousand of different ways, but all they can express is boredom. But hey! If you have a sudden craving for a story about a weak, self-pitying, sad, aimless loser who just has to kill time for the ENTIRE book, and if you truly, truly would love the whole thing to be soaked in an aura of confusion, despair and depression, you're in for a fucking TREAT with "A hologram for the King"!!
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LibraryThing member tabascofromgudreads
I was lured by the cover and the title. I was hoping for a quick, fun, brilliant story that would give me some insight into Saudi Arabia and international business Big mistake. I found a French movie from the '70s instead. Seriously: a French Movie from the '70s, one of those where nothing happens,
But hey! If you have a sudden craving for a story about a weak, self-pitying, sad, aimless loser who just has to kill time for the ENTIRE book, and if you truly, truly would love the whole thing to be soaked in an aura of confusion, despair and depression, you're in for a fucking TREAT with "A hologram for the King"!!
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and actors are trying to convey despair in thousand of different ways, but all they can express is boredom. But hey! If you have a sudden craving for a story about a weak, self-pitying, sad, aimless loser who just has to kill time for the ENTIRE book, and if you truly, truly would love the whole thing to be soaked in an aura of confusion, despair and depression, you're in for a fucking TREAT with "A hologram for the King"!!
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LibraryThing member foodairbooks
This book moved me more than I expected. The protagonist was like an Internet Willy Loman.
"Alan was not sure what he had was wisdom. What he had was a sense that few things mattered much."
"Alan was not sure what he had was wisdom. What he had was a sense that few things mattered much."
LibraryThing member Paul_S
Everything is a bit unreal and I liked that. The historical commentary and analogies to America's decline are of less interest to me as I'm not American but I can see how they could make the character more sympathetic for Americans.
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2012)
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2014)
Commonwealth Club of California Book Awards (Finalist — Fiction — 2012)
Maine Readers' Choice Award (Longlist — 2013)
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction (Longlist — Fiction — 2013)
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Fiction — 2012)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction & Poetry — 2012)
Notable Books List (Fiction — 2013)
Globe and Mail Top 100 Book (2012)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012-06
Physical description
336 p.; 6.38 inches
ISBN
0241145856 / 9780241145852
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DDC/MDS
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