"The devil is at our heels . . . . at the heart of the city's aberrations." Picture a lost city in northern England during the momentous winter of 1978-the final winter before the onset of the Thatcher era, at the peak of the punk rock movement. A notorious serial killer-the Yorkshire Ripper-terrorizes the city's women, unhindered by an aimless police force. Violent outbursts of gang warfare transect the city's streets while an immense insane asylum overlooks the chaos from the outskirts. This innovative and disturbing novel follows a group of teens as they engulf themselves in punk-rock cacophonies and the accompanying riots that erupt in the city's decrepit hotel ballrooms and subterranean nightclubs. Written in a captivating, immersive first-person voice that meshes raw corporeality and urban insurgency, White Noise Ballrooms deploys recent history to piercingly illuminate the contemporary moment.

About the Author
Stephen Barber is professor of art history at Kingston University in London and a research fellow of the Free University Berlin. He is the author of numerous books, including, most recently, Berlin Bodies: Anatomising the Streets of the City.


Book Information
ISBN 9783035800302
Author Stephen Barber
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Diaphanes AG
Publisher Diaphanes AG