Living on a diet of fried Spam, vodka, sardines, cupcakes, and Southern Comfort, Andrew Whittaker is slowly being sucked into the morass of middle age. A negligent landlord, small-time literary journal editor, and aspiring novelist, he is quite literally authoring his own downfall. From his letters, diary entries, and fragments of fiction, to grocery lists and posted signs, this novel is a collection of everything Whittaker commits to paper over the course of four critical months.
Beginning in July, during the economic hardships of the Nixon era, we witness our hero hounded by tenants and creditors, harassed by a loathsome local arts group, and tormented by his ex-wife. Determined to redeem his failures and eviscerate his enemies, Whittaker hatches a grand plan. But as winter nears, his difficulties accumulate, and the disorder of his life threatens to overwhelm him. As his hold on reality weakens and his schemes grow wilder, his self-image as a placid and slow-moving sloth evolves into that of a bizarre and frantic creature driven mad by solitude.
In this tragicomic portrait of a literary life, Sam Savage proves that all the evidence is in the writing, that all the world is, indeed, a stage, and that escape from the mind’s prison requires a command performance.
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Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition 0.55. Seller Inventory # bk1566892317xvz189zvxnew
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: New. No Jacket. 1st Edition. AUTHOR SIGNED (new) 1st printing trade paperback. New & unused; no marks, not remaindered, not exlib, not bookclub, full numberline, etc. Simple author signature on title page, no inscripton. fiction trade paperback (the true first edition format). Language: eng. Signed by Author. Seller Inventory # 11026
Book Description Condition: New. Brand New. Seller Inventory # 9781566892315
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9781566892315
Book Description Softcover. Condition: new. Living on a diet of fried Spam, vodka, sardines, cupcakes, and Southern Comfort, Andrew Whittaker is slowly being sucked into the morass of middle age. A negligent landlord, small-time literary journal editor, and aspiring novelist, he isquite literally authoring his own downfall. From his letters, diary entries, and fragments of fiction, to grocery lists and posted signs, this novel is a collection of everything Whittaker commits to paper over the course of four critical months.Beginning in July, during the economic hardships of the Nixon era, we witness our hero hounded by tenants and creditors, harassed by a loathsome local arts group, and tormented by his ex-wife. Determined to redeem his failures and eviscerate his enemies, Whittaker hatches a grand plan. But as winter nears, his difficulties accumulate, and the disorder of his life threatens to overwhelm him. As his hold on reality weakens and his schemes grow wilder, his self-image as a placid and slow-moving sloth evolves into that of a bizarre and frantic creature driven mad by solitude.In this tragicomic portrait of a literary life, Sam Savage proves that all the evidence is in the writing, that all the world is, indeed, a stage, and that escape from the minds prison requires a command performance. Seller Inventory # DADAX1566892317
Book Description Paper Back. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 165677
Book Description Condition: New. . Seller Inventory # 52GZZZ01NKFN_ns
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Firmin, Sam Savages first bookpublished when he was 65-years-oldwas a major critical hit for Coffee House and a huge commercial success in Europe. Re-issued in the U.S. by Delta Trade Paperbacks in 2008, it continues to garner fans across the globeincluding the writers Philip Pullman, Karen Joy Fowler, and Donna Leon; Americas most famous librarian, Nancy Pearl, who chose it as one of her favorite books for NPR; yeoman bookseller Robert Gray, who wrote about it numerous times for Shelf Awareness; and The Whos Pete Townshend. Firmin was an ALA Notable Book, Book Sense Annual Highlight, Library Journal Top Debut Novel selection and a Litblog Co-op Read This! pick (selected by Ed Champion). It was also a finalist for the B&N Discover Great New Writers Award, the PEN L.L. Winship Award, and the Society of Midland Authors Award. Like Firmin, this is a send-up of the literary life and the loneliness and madness that accompanies it. Instead of a rats perspective, though, this story is conveyed through every word the main character commits to paper over the course of four months and reveals the delusions we harbor and personae we adopt when we address the various players in our lifefrom bill collectors to former lovers, those we admire and those we loathe. Its also a hilarious (and cautionary) tale for anyone who has ever wondered about the inner lives of writers, editors, and publishers. Simultaneous publication in Spain, Italy, and the UK (through Orion Books) will boost the books profile. The four-month odyssey of a literary lowlife. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781566892315