Laurent Quintreau's 'Mandalas' Blends Vaudeville and Political Philosophy
Laurent Quintreau's novel 'Mandalas' weaves pharmacology, Tibetan wisdom, marketing strategy, and metaphysical meditations into a critique of capitalism. The plot is set in motion by a man's impatience for a tryst, leading to an accident that jeopardizes a large-scale promotion of a 'last generation' antidepressant. Quintreau, drawing on sufficient neurological knowledge to make the fictional drug Laxam plausible, argues that the most powerful critique of capitalism comes from within, based on excessive trust in reason in a world turned into a game where the art of lying celebrates selfishness and the religion of money. The book, described as more vaudeville than political philosophy treatise, presents a marketing argument that Homo sapiens and Homo faber have been replaced by Homo ludens, inviting everyone to join the party. Jérôme Lebrun reviews the work for artpress.
Key facts
- Laurent Quintreau wrote the novel 'Mandalas'.
- The novel combines pharmacology, Tibetan wisdom, marketing strategy, and metaphysical meditations.
- The story involves a man's accident caused by impatience for a lover's rendezvous.
- The accident threatens the promotion of a fictional antidepressant called Laxam.
- Quintreau has sufficient knowledge of neurology to make the drug plausible.
- The book argues that capitalism's strongest critique comes from within.
- The novel is described as more vaudeville than a political philosophy treatise.
- Jérôme Lebrun reviewed the book for artpress.
Entities
Artists
- Laurent Quintreau
- Jérôme Lebrun
Institutions
- artpress
Sources
- artpress —