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Mira Corpora Paperback – Deckle Edge, September 24, 2013

by Jeff Jackson (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 65 ratings
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* One of the Best Books of 2013. ―Slate, Salon, Flavorwire, Largehearted Boy, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, LitReactor
Mira Corpora is the debut novel from acclaimed playwright Jeff Jackson, an inspired, dreamlike adventure by a distinctive new talent.

Literary and inventive, but also fast-paced and gripping, Mira Corpora charts the journey of a young runaway. A coming-of-age story for people who hate coming-of-age stories, featuring a colony of outcast children, teenage oracles, amusement parks haunted by gibbons, mysterious cassette tapes, and a reclusive underground rockstar.

With astounding precision, Jackson weaves a moving tale of discovery and self-preservation across a startling, vibrant landscape.

"To read Jeff Jackson’s Mira Corpora is to enter into a trance state. A hypnotic, brutal, and lyric exploration of youth, trauma and the construction of memory, this novel is like nothing I’ve ever read before and is, unquestionably, one of my favorite books published this year." ―Laura van den Berg, Salon

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    182 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Two Dollar Radio
  4. Publication date
    September 24, 2013
  5. Reading age
    17 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    5.4 x 0.5 x 7.4 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1937512134
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1937512132
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"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The protagonist of Jackson's macabre and experimental debut novel is Jeff, the son of an abusive mother who runs away from home at the age of 11 and leads an itinerant existence, haunted by his childhood memories. The episodic chapters track the stages of Jeff's life before and after his break: at six, he experiences transcendent beauty while hunting; when he's 12 he falls in with a colony of disaffected youths who ritually burn a corpse; at 14, while homeless, he and some other teens pursue a messianic guitar player; and a year later, he falls in with a sadistic older man who tries to take control of his body and his life. By the end of Jeff's surreal odyssey, at the age of 18, his years of wandering and exile may be over when he learns of his mother's death. Through an often sordid and savage phantasmagoria, Jackson, also a playwright blurs the boundaries between the real and the imaginary, creating an unsettling allegory of growth into adulthood. Despite leanings toward the absurd, the discrete chapters tend to read more like short stories, and by the end they hardly cohere into a unified whole. A coming-of-age story that rushes by in a kind of lyrical scream, the novel cannot entirely live up to its considerable pretensions. (Sept. 3)

Review

"One of the Books You Shouldn't Overlook in 2013" - Slate
."One of the 10 Best Debut Novels of 2013" - Flavorwire
."One of the 10 Best Novels of 2013" - Largehearted Boy."A gutter punk Catcher in the Rye." - Shelf Awareness."Episodic yet suspenseful, the novel delivers both jolts to the spine and food for thought." - Bookforum."A beautiful and intense book." - Tin House."Mira Corpora is an astonishing piece of work. It will satisfy readers looking for both depth and entertainment." - CCLaP ."A mini-masterpiece that is as surreal and suspenseful as any fiction I have read." - Destroyer Magazine

"An impressive display of narrative plate spinning in which underground rock stars, formative sensual experiences, and wild animals all intersect and disperse into new ghostly shards. The prose captures a dreamlike tone that gives the reader the experience of walking into an abandoned house of mirrors where every pane of glass is as clouded over and oddly beautiful as the next; and yet there's a forcefulness to the writing that propels the book and sinks hooks into the imagination of the reader." - The Fanzine

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Two Dollar Radio (September 24, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 182 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1937512134
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1937512132
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 17 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 0.5 x 7.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 65 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Jeff Jackson

    Jeff Jackson

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    Jeff Jackson's second novel "Destroy All Monsters: The Last Rock Novel" received advanced praise from Don DeLillo, Janet Fitch, Dana Spiotta, Ben Marcus, and Dennis Cooper. Largehearted Boy website called it "an inventive and powerful book, one of the best (if not the best) rock ’n roll novels I have ever read.”

    His first novel "Mira Corpora" was a Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and featured on numerous "Best of 2013" lists, including Slate, Salon, The New Statesman, and Flavorwire. His novella "Novi Sad" was published as a limited edition art book and selected for “Best of 2016” lists in Vice, Lit Reactor, and Entropy. His short fiction has appeared in Vice, Guernica, The Common, and The Collagist.

    As a playwright, six of his plays have been produced by the Obie Award-winning Collapsable Giraffe company in New York City. The NY Times selected his play "Botanica" as "one of the most galvanizing theater experiences of 2012." "Dream of the Red Chamber: Performance for a Sleeping Audience," an adaptation of the epic Chinese novel, debuted in Times Square in 2014 to rave reviews.

    He writes and performs music with the band Julian Calendar.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Jeff Jackson

    Jeff Jackson

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
65 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's pacing engaging, with one review noting how it covers a wide range of emotions and storylines. Moreover, the writing style receives praise for its brilliant originality, and one customer describes how it weaves the chaotic transformation of youth to adulthood in bestial beauty. Additionally, customers appreciate the book's value for money.

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8 customers mention "Pacing"7 positive1 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, finding it haunting, with one customer noting how it covers a wide range of emotions and storylines.

"...It’s in some ways a fable, in others, an allegory, and in yet others, one of the most fascinating takes on the bildungsroman...." Read more

"...His words are set aflame on the page that fill you wonder that is both spooky and delightful." Read more

"...at times, serene and beautiful at others, it covers a wide swath of emotions and storylines...." Read more

"Brilliantly original writing style. The story really sucks you in. I couldn't put the thing down...." Read more

4 customers mention "Creativity"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the creativity of the book, with one noting how it weaves the chaotic transformation of youth to adulthood in bestial beauty.

"...linearity while embracing it, and weaves the chaotic transformation of youth to adulthood in bestial beauty...." Read more

"...Intense and unsettling at times, serene and beautiful at others, it covers a wide swath of emotions and storylines...." Read more

"Acutely rendered visuals, scents and sounds..." Read more

"Beautiful, haunting. Gift it! Read it! Again and again..." Read more

4 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be worth the price.

"...It was well worth the wait. You won't read a story like this, ever." Read more

"...That's this book. It's great piece, especially for a first novel. I can't wait to see what Mr. Jackson does next." Read more

"...I couldn't put the thing down. It is a rather quick read but is completely worth it." Read more

"Impressive work..." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing style"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as brilliantly original, with one customer noting its lean prose.

"...Fiction, biography, poetry, and flash melt into one another, sort of the way our own childhoods are a blurry set of photos and VHS tapes that get..." Read more

"...The prose is lean while still frequently focusing in on finding the fantastic within the mundane, as if written by a curious, stoic child...." Read more

"Brilliantly original writing style. The story really sucks you in. I couldn't put the thing down...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Fireier
    5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting, creative, and riveting
    Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    It’s a crime I’ve taken this long to finally read Jeff Jackson’s Mira Corpora. It’s in some ways a fable, in others, an allegory, and in yet others, one of the most fascinating takes on the bildungsroman. It defies linearity while embracing it, and weaves the chaotic transformation of youth to adulthood in bestial beauty. Fiction, biography, poetry, and flash melt into one another, sort of the way our own childhoods are a blurry set of photos and VHS tapes that get mired in the creative static of our memories.
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  • Gab
    4.0 out of 5 stars gab chabran
    Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Jackson does a suburb job establishing a specific sense of feeling and place in 'Mira Corpora'. His words are set aflame on the page that fill you wonder that is both spooky and delightful.
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  • Rose
    5.0 out of 5 stars Acutely rendered visuals, scents and sounds
    Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I heard Jeff Jackson read an excerpt from Mira Corpora, his debut novel, describing a ritual funeral pyre in the woods. I could smell the fire burning and I immediately recognized the author and his self-named character as members of my tribe. I had to consume the whole story right away, quickly while hiding naked in my bed suffering from a self-induced fever. Opening this book and reading the words “I Begin” caused me to identify with the main character despite the fact that we have almost nothing in common. “I tap my pen against the paper three times. Then I draw the picture of a door and beneath it write the word ‘open.’” As a visual artist, I felt myself drawing that door. The author’s ability to describe the scents, sounds, and moisture levels of places brought me into the woods, a familiar setting for me personally and then elsewhere to locations I have never been but that now seem just as familiar. The acutely rendered visual images created in this story will stick with me like my own memories, some of which now seem to run parallel. Did you hear the music on that cassette tape? I did. Did you ever light up like a holiday tree? I’m lit right now. Are you scared of truckers? You will be. After reading this I am now more aware of my fingertips than ever before.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kaitlyn Coyle
    3.0 out of 5 stars I'm Not Quite Sure What I Just Read
    Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Very strange and somewhat disturbing. An interesting read but very strange. I can imagine this being made into an indie movie.
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  • Kris V Bernard
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, haunting. Gift it! Read it! Again and again
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This was a gift. I already bought my own copy. I'll continue to gift it throughout the coming months and years, no doubt. A first novel for a writer who's been thinking of the story he's wanted to tell for a long long time.
    It was well worth the wait.
    You won't read a story like this, ever.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • J. Taone
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fresh
    Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2013
    A very inventive coming-of-age tale. Subversive where others may be sentimental. Quick pace makes it a very quick and energetic read. I look forward to seeing how Jackson's voice emerges in his future works.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Myro Benelli
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you haven't read it, you haven't seen everything.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Imagine if a writer set out to write a book where every sentence said something completely original, that avoided every cliche, and that defied everything the reader thought it should be, or should accomplish. That's this book. It's great piece, especially for a first novel. I can't wait to see what Mr. Jackson does next.
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  • kelby
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mira Corpora
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Jeff Jackson's MIRA CORPORA is a collection of lucid journal entries. The prose is lean while still frequently focusing in on finding the fantastic within the mundane, as if written by a curious, stoic child. It keeps the stories in a state between consciousness and dreaming, where both worlds are full of wonder and terror. This is less like a reading experience, more like a drug trip.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Stephen
    5.0 out of 5 stars engrossing, hypnotic, raw, experimental
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 15, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Passive voice but present tense. Present tense that’s really past. And in one instance third person is really first person. Really interesting going into this having read the “sister” book, Novi Sad, first - the repetitions of the colour blue recalling the blue paper that was printed on (is it just me who thinks the missing child posters for this book were the cover of Novi Sad). Just wonderful, engrossing, hypnotic, raw, experimental in that Steve Erickson sort of way where it’s only afterwards that you realise what’s being done, the way genuinely good cinematography or editing does in film (as in, when it’s doing its job right, you don’t notice it, but when you do...). Can’t wait to read the next one.
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  • Jay Slayton-joslin
    5.0 out of 5 stars *throws*
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This book is so unique and amazing that I tend to just throw it at people to read rather than try to describe
    Report