Pauzauskie’s new novel STAGE OF FOOLS (High Frequency Press) tells the story of Steven Levinson, a San Francisco billionaire left unresponsive in a hospital bed after a boating accident in which he nearly drowns. In an homage to Shakespeare's King Lear, Levinson witnesses his family scheme for his fortune from his bed in the ICU, helpless to intervene. Stuck in the stillness of a coma, he is forced to grapple with the choices that brought him to this moment. Levinson's coma allows for frequent soliloquy in the stage-like setting of a hospital room: Levinson (as with Lear) has his whole lifetime of lived experiences to consider, and it's his intense rumination on his compromised judgment that literally drives him mad. In the book, Pauzauskie explores the Jungian notion that “those who look outward, dream; while those who look inward, awaken.” The novel is an unforgettable portrait of what follows when the powerful are rendered powerless and when emerging technology makes the unthinkable possible.

Filled with family intrigue and profound personal development, STAGE OF FOOLS tells a contemporary story in a classic way. In our world of billionaires and oligarchs, seeing if a contemporary 'King Lear' can learn from his mistakes poses the question: does anything truly change, or does the same old story hold in modern times?

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About the Author

Dr. Sean Pauzauskie is a practicing hospital neurologist in the University of Colorado system, where he conducts clinical research employing neurotechnology, primarily for the optimization of epilepsy management. He is the medical director of the NeuroRights Foundation, an active member of the American Academy of Neurology and The American Medical Association, and his research experience includes time at The National Institute of Mental Health, The Energy and Commerce Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Kaufmann Foundation for entrepreneurship. Born in Alaska and raised in Topeka, Kansas, Dr. Pauzauskie was mentored by and wrote his literature thesis with Stephen Jan Parker, a favorite pupil of Vladimir Nabokov. He lives with his wife and Siberian husky in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. His literacy scholarship has been presented at the International Nabokov Society Conference in Montreux, Switzerland, and elsewhere. Stage of Fools is his debut novel. More at seanpauzauskie.com.