Crash

The Definitive Cult, Postmodern Novel―a Shocking Blend of Violence, Transgression, and Eroticism

Reissued with a New Introduction from Zadie Smith

After J. G. Ballard crashes his car into another vehicle and witnesses a man die, he becomes increasingly fascinated by the twisted beauty and erotic potential of car crashes. He soon encounters Robert Vaughan, a former television scientist who has transformed himself into the sinister prophet of the expressway. Surrounded by a group of alienated crash victims, Vaughan orchestrates increasingly disturbing experiments that blur the boundaries between sex, violence, technology, and death.

But Vaughan is searching for something even more extreme: the ultimate collision, an ecstatic spectacle of blood, semen, engine coolant, and celebrity.

First published in 1973, Crash remains one of the most provocative and unsettling novels of the twentieth century. Its exploration of technology, desire, and obsession later inspired David Cronenberg’s equally controversial film adaptation.