Short of money, the inventor Thomas Edison is captivated by the charismatic figure of J.P. Morgan, the world's banker. Accepting Morgan's glittering offer of almost unlimited cash in return for helping him change the way the world does business, Edison sees himself descend from being the godlike inventor of electric light to being complicit in the invention of the electric chair. Ever more enmeshed in Morgan's personal life, he becomes infatuated by a world of privilege and power, where duty and desire, faith and immorality are thrown into conflict, ultimately threatening his own spiritual and creative survival.
Author Biography
Anthony McCarten's debut novel, Spinners, won international acclaim, and was followed by The English Harem and the award winning Death of a Superhero, all three books being translated into many languages. McCarten has also written twelve stage plays, including the worldwide success Ladies' Night, which won France's Moliere Prize, the Meilleure Piece Comique, in 2001. Also a film-maker, he has thrice adapted his own plays or novels into feature films which he directed himself.
