False Coin — Harvey Swados

An intriguing novel of art and money -- and their messy intersection

Ben Warder accepts an invitation to Harmoney Farm with abundant caution, though his skepticism may not be strong enough. The founders of the farm, an artists' colony outside of New York City, envision a new, interdisciplinary community free from the pressures of markets and money. There, they ambitiously seek a new language of art; a new culture; a new way of thinking about creativity. Warder and the other participants soon find, however, that old human instincts cannot be so easily transformed.

In False Coin, Swados brilliantly captures the struggle to create art in a commercial world.