Slaves to Fortune

• A literary rock-’n’-roll version of the age-old doppelganger motif • Two Belgian exiles, Tony and Tony have the same name and the same appearance, but beyond that they have little in common. In Buenos Aires, to pay off his debts, one of the Tony Hanssens – a former cruise director on the most luxurious pleasure boats in the world – is playing a dangerous game as toy boy to the elderly wife of a rich Chinese business man. In South Africa, a totally different Tony Hanssen – a runaway computer specialist from a crashed merchant bank – breaks into a game reserve with a precision rifle and war ammunition. Both are on the run from their old lives and each of them needs to betray the other to redeem himself. • Heavy topics such as the financial crisis are approached with a sharp sense of humor. • “An intoxicating novel: relevant, encompassing the entire globe, satirical, and fast-paced. Slaves to Fortune demonstrates with dizzying speed that we Westerners are depressingly interchangeable.”-De Volkskrant • Tom Lanoye is one of the most popular and well-regarded Flemish authors who is well-known for his unique cabaret-style performances. He is the author of over 50 works of poetry, drama and fiction. • His award-winning work has been translated into fifteen languages and his bestseller Speechless was adapted into a film in 2017. • From the author: “I wanted to write a novel which struck a balance between Albert Camus and Quentin Tarantino. Between classic European existentialism and a typical American-thriller exploitation—between merciless analysis and merciless fun.”