Philosophical Toys

Susana Medina is the author of Philosophical Toys, the offspring of which are the short filmsBuñuel’s Philosophical Toys and Leather-bound Stories (co-directed with Derek Ogbourne); RedTales (bilingual ed. co-translated with Rosie Marteau); Souvenirs del Accidente; and Rebel Rebel: An Emergency Dialogue (co-written with Roc Sandford). Her work has appeared in numerouspublications and anthologies, including Best European Fiction 2014 (Dalkey Archive Press). Shehas been awarded the Max Aub Short Story International Prize and an ACE Writing Grant forSpinning Days of Night. Medina has collaborated extensively with artists, exhibited at Tate Modern and is a climate activist.

"Powerful & mysterious, this novel's headiness might seem daunting, but readers who take a patient approach will find a deeply rewarding and often haunting narrative emerge." —Kirkus Reviews"Philosophical Toys remains taut, luminous, hallucinatory throughout [...] Gorgeous like Ballard’s best stories are, Medina has written a novel of perverse delight but with a narcotic tenderness that heroically betrays its stiletto depravities, decidedly going along different aberrant transits than Ballard." —Richard Marshal, 3:AM Magazine"Exuberant, intelligent, touching and playful, Philosophical Toys is a joyful invitation to us, to love all the things that we are..." —Joanna Walsh, The Nation"Susana Medina is a genius." —Deborah Levy"A prose both spare and lush, a commendable tension about the enterprise." —Will Self"A shockingly beautiful innovative voice in which the sublime and laughter are perfectly matched." —Andrew Gallix"Medina’s novel confidently defies categorization, and, for the most part, skilfully navigates this jostling melee of elements..." —Rosie Clark, Public Books"A witty, funny, and sensual novel, with an unlikely balance of fetishism and philosophical rumination. Medina is one of the most remarkable contemporary writers in London." —Fernando Sdrigotti, Minor Literatures"The wisdom of Philosophical Toys should be graced." —Ambit"Philosophical Toys is beautiful, pure, interesting technically, deep, profound philosophically, consistent, honest, exciting, true." —Roc Sandford"Philosophical Toys is ultimately a story about tenderness, for both people and the objects they live through; a novel of ideas rooted in the senses, glittering, strange and humane." —Lornda Scott Fox"Outstanding."—3:AM Magazine