Brilliance: A Novel - Softcover

Anthony McCarten’s debut novel, Spinners, won international acclaim, and was followed by The English Harem and the award-winning Death of a Superhero, and Show of Hands, all four books being translated into 14 languages. McCarten has also written 12 stage plays, including the worldwide success Ladies’ Night, which won France’s Molière Prize, the Meilleure Pièce Comique, in 2001, and Via Satellite, which he adapted into a feature film and directed, premiered at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. Also a filmmaker, he has thrice adapted his own plays or novels into feature films, most recently Death Of A Superhero (2011) which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Anthony divides his time between London and Los Angeles.

PRAISE FOR ANTHONY MCCARTEN’S WORK:

One of New Zealand's most exciting literary exports. International Herald Tribune

A master storyteller. FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
PRAISE FOR BRILLIANCE:

Anthony McCarten’s sharp, dazzling novel about the inventors and millionaires who colluded to bring electric light to the world is more than a great, entertaining read it’s also a sly, contemporary take on the complicated often corrupting effect of money, marketing, and hype on creativity. Karen Karbo, The Gospel According to Coco Chanel

A truly remarkable book! Historical Novel Society, UK

McCarten’s Lively prose style is pleasure to read. The Times Literary Supplement

You can be sure that Brilliance will appear at a screen near you. In the meantime, read. E&T Magazine

A great tale, well written and...dare I say it, illuminating." New Zealand Listener

I really, really enjoyed this. It’s a new novel from author Anthony McCarten and the first of his I’ve read. It’s beautifully written, witty and clever and the historical element gives us a pretty decent portrait of the current economic times. It’s clever, it’s a page-turner, an easy read with language and prose that oozes authenticity and descriptions that delight and amuse..." What Sarah Reads

Did inventor Thomas Edison and banker J.P. Morgan first meet in a bath in Saratoga Springs? Did Morgan possess, indeed cultivate a postulated, bulbous magma of warty tissue with the texture of a cauliflower’ instead of a nose? Yes and yes if New Zealand novelist, playwright and film director Anthony McCarten’s affably ironic new novel is to be believed. His use of such eloquent details and imaginings add pleasing texture to the story a parable on Wall Street’s tendency to co-opt and corrupt idealism notably in the case of Edison, whose wives used Morse Code to counter his deafness; who existed on a mono-diet of milk; and who often appeared blind to the creative flair of others. Book Oxygen.

Pure theatre of horror. New Zealand Herald
PRAISE FOR SPINNERS:

Like something straight out of a fantasy and a thoroughly engrossing one at that. Bright, witty, and hilarious: McCarten knows exactly how far he can push the envelope, and he doesn't let up until the very last minute. More, please. Kirkus Reviews

A beautifully constructed comedy which wryly observes a small town’s follies with a subtle-but-hip sensibility. A Kiwi-flavored Garrison Keillor. Esquire, Books of the Year

In fooling around with a narrative that has enough resemblance to a parable to be able to pass as one, McCarten is part barker, part juggler, part aerialist. The New York Times Book Review

There are enough lustrous passages in Spinners to give it a translucent glow alien spaceship or not. Newsday

A fun and wacky romp, filled with vivid description and offbeat characters. Library Journal

Combines the cultural savvy of an episode of The Simpsons with the formally meticulous confusion/resolution of a Shakespeare comedy. The Times Literary Supplement

McCarten adeptly describes the snowballing effects of national publicity and town gossip fresh dialogue and keen, devilish sense of humor... Publishers Weekly
PRAISE FOR DEATH OF A SUPERHERO:

Not since Gunter Grass's The Tin Drum has the pains of growing up been rendered this powerfully. Blick, Zurich.

A fantastic novel and a small revolution for the literary form. Der Spiegel

"This is one of the funniest, saddest novels I have read for many months... There is nothing more to say than please try to get hold of copy of Death of a Superhero as fast as you can." New Zealand Herald

"Death of a Superhero lays its credentials on the table as a novel of self-affirmation and self-belief. McCarten's novel gently uplifts you with its vision of redemption." The Listener
PRAISE FOR THE ENGLISH HAREM:

"McCarten's novel hovers between indignant satire and engaging comedy of manners while sounding a clarion call against the bigotry and intolerance in our society." Sunday Times

"Anthony McCarten dares to speak of English multiculturalism in the satirical tongue that most native writers keep mute." The Observer
PRAISE FOR SHOW OF HANDS:

McCarten squeezes every bit of dramatic potential from the setup, giving readers a deeply satisfying narrative about dedication, connection and possibility. Publishers Weekly, Starred Review