Crash - J.G. Ballard

At this age I at least was able to find new works through authors who again would lead me to other exciting discoveries. I remember first reading about Crash in an interview with Richy from The Manic Street Preachers (an unspectacular rock band with a highly intelligent and well read guitarist) talking about a radio series which dealt with three specific sexually transgressive novels from the 20th century namely Last Exit To Brooklyn, American Psycho and Crash. Enough information to get me interested. I've written about Crash in detail elsewhere (see the section technology) it suffices to state here that its influence can't be overstated, for me it remains the great novel of the 20th century, one of the few books that reaches something of an essential core of this puzzling century. It also presents a luminous example of the fearless artistic expression that wills itself into existence whatever the brutal truth it wants to uncover and without shame or other socially imposed barriers. Crash more than any science fiction novel embodies the great goal of art: it teaches you to see things anew. One is radically changed.