Joshua Knelman Bücher

Whatever happened to the love letter? Has the written word lost its charm in our digitally obsessed, speed-dating age?In this inspired and unique collection of new fiction, Joshua Knelman and Rosalind Porter have asked over forty celebrated writers to explore the potency and power of a classic, yet neglected, genre- the love letter. Four Letter Word brings us work - published here for the first time - from a dazzling array of contemporary writers, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Margaret Atwood, Michel Faber, Geoff Dyer, Neil Gaiman, A.L. Kennedy, Audrey Niffenegger and Lionel Shriver, to name just a few.These innovative pieces remind us of how enticing words can be and allow us a glimpse of what love looks like in the twenty-first century. Each 'letter' is radically different from the others, each is a testimony to the creative powers of our leading writers today, and each is guaranteed to seduce.

Set in the early 2000s, a young lawyer is drawn into the morally complex world of a multinational company that produces cigarettes—arguably the most controversial consumer product ever. Initially unaware of the company's true nature, he soon finds himself traveling the globe as legal counsel, navigating the seductive yet deadly landscape of tobacco marketing. Over the next decade, he learns how cigarette companies, despite being targets of health campaigns, adapted and thrived after the pivotal 1964 Surgeon General's Report and the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, which left them with a staggering debt. The narrative explores the paradoxes of capitalism through the lens of the tobacco industry, revealing how these companies continue to profit from over a billion smokers worldwide. As the lawyer's journey takes him from factories to corner stores and luxury events across Europe and Asia, the story unfolds with a gripping mix of character-driven storytelling and behind-the-scenes intrigue. This contemporary tale reflects our ambiguous times, presenting a morally dubious yet legal enterprise through the eyes of an anti-hero shaped by corporate culture. With a narrative style reminiscent of Michael Lewis and the compelling intrigue found in works like Bad Blood, this account delves into corporate responsibility and public health in a captivating manner.