Unknown Pleasures

8vo. Pp. [xii], 256. Pictorial wraps.

Authorial debut. A haunting study of loss and dislocation as an émigré returns to the London of his youth only to fall under the spell of a sinister entrepreneur. In a 2006 commentary "on pleasure" in the Observer, Cowley referencing the title of the novel, contended that simple, mundane tasks such as taking a walk along rain-sodden streets or preparing evening supper afford greater pleasure or contentment than moments equated with a heightened sense of self, such as sex, drugs or alcohol.

As editor of the New Statesman, Cowley has steered the magazine to profitability since his appointment in 2008 by increasing both print circulation and website traffic, winning a swathe of industry awards along the way as Editor of the Year. Both Debrett's and the London Evening Standard have consistently voted him among Britain's most influential people. "Jason Cowley brings to his novel qualities familiar from his journalism: a cutting-edge intelligence, a fine prose style and an open mind to all possibilities." –J.G. Ballard