"Vladimir"--by Julia May Jonas--a provocative, razor-sharp, and timely debut novel about a beloved English professor facing a slew of accusations against her professor husband by former students—a situation that becomes more complicated when she herself develops an obsession of her own...

Vladimir

“When I was a child, I loved old men, and I could tell that they also loved me.”

And so we are introduced to our deliciously incisive narrator: a popular English professor whose charismatic husband at the same small liberal arts college is under investigation for his inappropriate relationships with his former students. The couple have long had a mutual understanding when it comes to their extra-marital pursuits, but with these new allegations, life has become far less comfortable for them both. And when our narrator becomes increasingly infatuated with Vladimir, a celebrated, married young novelist who’s just arrived on campus, their tinder box world comes dangerously close to exploding.

With this bold, edgy, and uncommonly assured debut, author Julia May Jonas takes us into charged territory, where the boundaries of morality bump up against the impulses of the human heart. Propulsive, darkly funny, and wildly entertaining, Vladimir perfectly captures the personal and political minefield of our current moment, exposing the nuances and the grey area between power and desire.

Reviews

 

"Funny, wise and instantly engaging, Vladimir is how I like my thrill rides: brainy and sexy." —Maria Semple, author of Where'd You Go Bernadette

 

“Vladimir is a thrilling debut—smart, sharp, and über provocative. I devoured it with fascination and awe.” —Lily King, author of Writers and Lovers

"Vladimir is among the best novels of the past two decades. Astonishing, magnificent, dazzling, deeply moving—and also deeply funny—it reminded me of some of my favorite works of fiction, from The Age of Innocence to Revolutionary Road to Le Divorce. It is the rare novel that I hoped would never, ever end." —Joanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year

"A reminder that the best art involves a search for truth. Vladimir is funny, clear, awake, vivi—Amitava Kumar, author of Immigrant, Montana 

“A whip smart and ferociously clever tale of swirling allegiances, literary rivalries, and romantic tripwires detonating hidden mines—Vladimir is an extraordinary debut.” —Adrienne Brodeur, author of Wild Game

 

 

Julia May Jonas

 

Julia May Jonas is a multidisciplinary artist and writer. She is the author of the cycle All Long True American Stories, five new works inspired by five canonical male-experience plays. The ALTAS plays are: A Woman Among Women, We Used to Wear Bonnets & Get High All the Time, Problems Between Sisters, In Which Kim Sparrow Falls Prey to Unfortunate Circumstances, and Untitled Zoo Story Project (Autosaved).

Jonas’ other plays include Time & Motivation for Fitness, Your Own Personal Exegesis, Michigan Murders, Evelyn, Emily Climbs (Machine Méchant), Take Heart, and For Artists Only.

Her work has been presented/developed with The Bushwick Starr, New Georges, Ars Nova, Target Margin, PRELUDE, Playwrights Horizons Theater School, Incubator Arts Center, BRIC, HERE Arts Center, The Great Plains Theatre Conference, Montclair State New Works Initiative, North American Culture Laboratory, JKB Theater at Skidmore College, The Brick Theater, Dixon Place, TerraNova, and others.

Julia lives in NYC and teaches at Skidmore College.

http://www.nellietinder.org/