The Floating World by Ben Eastham review
Following the death of his wife, a critic-teacher takes a job with an art-washing multinational, in a cinematic novel that is full of ideas
TL;DR
- The novel explores the relationship between contemporary art and power, particularly its connection to finance and multinational corporations.
- The protagonist, an art critic-teacher, takes a job with the Morel Foundation, an art-washing entity of an arms manufacturer.
- The story is set against the backdrop of 'The Floating World,' a planned techno-utopian settlement for the wealthy in Greece.
- The author, Ben Eastham, draws on his experience as a critic and co-founder of White Review to depict the art world's milieu.
- The book critiques the art market's interdependence with global finance, including sponsorship deals and financial engineering.
- Greece serves as a setting to illustrate the contradictions of capital mobility versus human movement and the impact of wealth disparity.
- The novel integrates political commentary with the protagonist's emotional inner life, culminating in a mysterious and action-packed narrative.