The Topography of Pain
The Topography of Pain is divided into three parts, each with its own protagonist and very distinctive plot, yet connected to reflect similar themes from very different angles and time periods. Present day: Nada, a young woman whose diagnosis of her multiple sclerosis means she can no longer manage to do the normal part-time jobs students do, follows a classmate into selling her body via the internet to cover her study expenses. 1990s: Jaro, whom we discover to be Nada’s father, speaks about his illusions before the Velvet Revolution, about waiting for freedom, his hopes of a fairer world and about what actually happened after the regime change. 2040s: In the near future, where cities have joined to create huge agglomerations, social differences have become deeper and the boundary between the real and virtual has become blurred, Adam moves through this fluid world with unlimited energy and seems to be enjoying life. But he is finally caught up by the consequences of some very important and surprising decisions.
Ivan Lesay is a Slovak political scientist, economist, civil servant, columnist and writer. In the years 2015–2017, he served as State Secretary of the Finance Ministry of the Slovak Republic. His works include a popular study of the 2008 Financial Crisis Život na úver (Všetko, co ste chceli vediet o kríze)/ Living on Credit (Everything you Wanted to Know about the Crisis), co-authored with Prof. Joachim Becker and the children's book A-KO-ŽE (Lesankin fantastický svet) / A-KO-ŽE (Lesanka's Fantastic World). His debut novel Topografia bolesti [Topography of Pain] was published by the publishing house IKAR in May 2020 and scored 3rd in the national Book of the year 2020 award by the journal Knižná revue [Book Review]. Lesay also authored a radio play for children Ako Rok spoznal svojich dvanást roztopašných potomkov [On How the Rock Got to Know His Twelve Playful Offsprings].
Jonathan Gresty is a translator from Slovak who currently teaches English at Prešov University in Slovakia. Originally from the UK, he has lived in Slovakia since 1992 and has translated a wide range of Slovak literature into English, including the novel The Camp of Fallen Women by Anton Baláž (2016).
