#11414
Mentioned in 3 episodes

High-Rise

Book • 1975
High-Rise, published in 1975, is a novel by J.G.

Ballard that delves into the psychological and social disintegration of the residents in a 40-storey luxury high-rise building.

The story follows Dr. Robert Laing, a newly divorced doctor, and other characters such as Richard Wilder, a documentarian, and Anthony Royal, the building's architect, as they navigate the escalating violence and societal breakdown within the building.

The residents, initially affluent and civilized, gradually succumb to primal urges, leading to a dystopian environment characterized by gang fights, vandalism, and complete isolation from the outside world.

The novel explores themes of urban disillusionment, the effects of modern social and technological landscapes on the human psyche, and the inherent flaws in the design of such high-rise communities.

Mentioned by

Mentioned in 3 episodes

Mentioned by Dominic Sandbrook as a reflection of the cultural mood in 1974.
73 snips
419. Britain in 1974: Countdown to a Coup (Part 3)
Recommended by Katherine Mangu-Ward as a dark novel about bougie grown-ups in a fancy apartment building.
17 snips
Trump's War on Harvard
Mentioned by David Lee as a joyful and quickly read book about a high rise building, possibly based on Le Corbusier's Unite d'habitation.
#437 - David's 3 Favorite Buildings
Mentioned by Joanne McNeil as part of a trio of novels set in the present day.
Selected Novels | Joanne McNeil on J.G. Ballard
Mentioned by Ross Wolfe as a book inspired by the Trellick Tower.
E274: Merry Brutalistmas w/ Ross Wolfe & Susannah Grossman Wolfe

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