![]() Nonetheless, there are claims that this might be the Great American Novel, a grail after which many seek, have sought, and endlessly written about. Famous as he was it was almost as much as a personality than as an author (a particularly American affliction) and he might be best known for his Merry Prankster escapades. He did in fact spend research time with loggers. It’s set in the fictional logging community of Wakonda in the Pacific Northwest and Kesey – who looks like he may well have chopped down a few trees – seems to know his way around. It’s a doorstopper of a book running to over 600 pages and it is not an easy read, but it is very rewarding. Fewer though might be familiar with Kesey’s second novel, ‘ Sometimes a Great Notion ’, written in 1964 – which a good number would claim to be the superior literary work. ![]() There may well be even fewer who are not familiar with the film version, featuring one of Jack Nicholson’s greatest performances – wherein he acts rather than mugs his way through proceedings. It’s my guess that there won’t be many readers of this website that are not familiar with Ken Kesey and his most famous book, ‘ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ’. Man against nature, rugged individualism, small-town life, family, relationships, love and death – that sort of thing! Hopefully, the choice I have made embodies some of those themes that exemplify much that is American and that the writers we tend to admire pen songs about. ![]() It feels like a good idea to widen the scope of this feature with a novel or two, perhaps a volume that has been unjustly neglected. A dark family drama played out in a rough world of its own. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |