Restless

This is Rogal's second short story collection. Here the reader returns to Rogal's Kafkaesque world of the bizarre. His nimble and energetic writing, coupled with a brittle rhythm, lead the reader down the dark corridors of these stories. Rogal's writing is tautly realist and, in turn, lyrically surreal, while being shot through with dark humour. He explodes the extraordinary out of ordinary. But the most salient feature of Rogal's work is its lack of sentimentality. In the story 'Dress Rehearsal', mass murder is made a necessary exercise in efficiency. 'Three Sketches Toward A Self-Portrait by Sigmund Freud' makes use of psychological concepts such as obsession, paranoia, low self-esteem, role-playing, the Oedipus Complex, colour symbology and more in order to demonstrate how seemingly ordinary, everyday behaviour can be seen as a form of neurosis (or psychosis). The collection closes with 'Restless and Fleeting', dealing with a man's search for love and meaning in a society which is fixated on the hypocritical concept of 'family values'. This is Rogal's second short story collection. Here the reader returns to Rogal's Kafkaesque world of the bizarre. His nimble and energetic writing coupled with brittle rhythm leads the reader down the dark corridors of these stories.

Rogal's writing is tautly realist and, in turn, lyrically surreal, while being shot through with dark humor. He explodes the extraordinary out of the ordinary. But the most salient feature of Rogal's work is its utter lack of sentimentality. He evokes emotion rather than expressing it.

In Restless Rogal writes about the ordinary people straggling for happiness and meaning in the ominous and over-powering neo-conservative society.

In the story Dress Rehearsal mass murder is made a necessary exercise in efficiency. Three Sketches Toward a Self-Portrait By Sigmund Freud makes use of psychological concepts such as: obsession, paranoia, low self-esteem, role playing, the Oedipus Complex, colour symbology and more in order to demonstrate how seemingly ordinary, everyday behavior can be seen as a form of neurosis (or psychosis) depending on which side of the fence you're on. The collection closes with Restless & Fleeting, and deals with a man's search for love and meaning in a society which is fixated on the hypocritical concept of "family values".

Contents......Page 6 What the Women Don't Know......Page 12 Is That You?......Page 26 A Trick of Light......Page 36 The Regular......Page 50 Restless and Fleeting......Page 56 Passenger......Page 68 Dress Rehearsal......Page 74 Scene at a Bus Stop......Page 84 Three Sketches Toward a Self-Portrait by Sigmund Freud:......Page 90 White......Page 92 Red......Page 102 Black......Page 116 Beached......Page 126 Selene......Page 132 Notes......Page 152