The Undivided Self
Selected Stories
By Will Self Introduction by Rick Moody
November 2010
$30.00
480 pp
6.125 x 9.25 in
Hardcover
By Will Self Introduction by Rick Moody
The best of "the funniest comic writer working the short-story form today" (Houston Chronicle ).
Since the release of his first story collection in 1991, Will Self has been hailed as a master of the short story. Now, for the first time, selected stories from his five highly praised collections will be available in one volume, introduced by Rick Moody. These stories, drawn from The Quantity Theory of Insanity, Gray Area, Tough, Tough Toys for Tough, Tough Boys, Dr. Mukti and Other Tales of Woe, and Liver-plus one story never before published-give us unexpected comic twists, masterful language, and the ordinary colored by the absurd: a man who finds his mother walking in a London suburb ten months after her death; the odd nuances of a drab office worker's daily routine; and a send-up of the British elite that takes place after a carcinogenic fog blankets England. Compared favorably to Nabokov, Pynchon, Gaddis, Ballard, and DeLillo, Will Self is a bold satirist whose selected stories represent some of the best and most outrageous fiction of the last decade.
Reviews for The Undivided Self:
“Will Self’s The Undivided Self, stories cherry-picked from the reprobate British author’s five collections, represents two decades of lexicon-bending language and surreal imagination operating at warp speed—evidence of Self’s ability to wholeheartedly and full-throatedly dip his wick deep into the consciousness of a panoply of creatures, from junkies to insects to lunatics, and pull out genius.”—Vanity Fair
The Undivided Self in the LA Times holiday gift guide.
“Delightedly nasty…there is a whimsical spirit to these stories that makes them fun.”— Wall Street Journal. Read full review.
“A welcome showcase of short (or shortish) fiction by
quirky comic master Self. Each story is a pleasure. A powerful argument
against selflessness, a treat for fans and a grand introduction for those
new to the author’s curious view of the universe.”—Booklist
“Schumacher's book is told without the air of fanaticism that can cling to books about comics. This biography introduces a genre pioneer who doesn't enjoy the wide name recognition he deserves…”Will Eisner" made me go to the basement and look at my comic book collection again.”— Cleveland Plain Dealer
“The perfect introduction to the gamut of Self’s darkly comic, verbally dexterous shorter prose. Turning outrageously apt metaphors as few others can, Self could build a career on wit alone. As this outstanding collection amply shows, however, he delivers much more.” —Library Journal
