Like a Fiery Elephant by Jonathan Coe
In his heyday, during the 1960s and early 1970s, B S Johnson was one of the best-known young novelists in Britain. A passionate advocate for the avant-garde in both literature and film, he became famous -- not to say notorious -- both for his forthright views on the future of the novel and for his idiosyncratic ways of putting them into practice. His innovations included books with holes cut through the pages, and a novel published in a box so its unbound chapters could be read in any order. But in November 1973 Johnson's lifelong depression got the better of him, and he was found dead at his North London home. He had taken his own life at the age of 40. Jonathan Coe's long awaited biography is based upon unique access to the vast collection of papers Johnson left behind after his death, and upon dozens of interviews with those who knew him best. As unconventional in form as one of its subject's own novels, it paints a remarkable picture -- sometimes hilarious, often overwhelmingly sad -- of a tortured personality; a man whose writing, in spite of its fierce commitment to truth and honesty, tragically failed to keep at bay the demons that pursued him.
Jonathan Coe was born in Birmingham in 1961. An award-winning novelist, biographer and critic, his novels include What a Carve Up! (which won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger), The House of Sleep (which won the Writers' Guild Best Fiction Award), The Rotters’ Club and The Closed Circle . He is also the author of the highly acclaimed biography of the novelist B. S. Johnson, Like A Fiery Elephant. He lives in London.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780330350488 |
| ISBN 10 | 033035048X |
| Title | Like a Fiery Elephant |
| Author | Jonathan Coe |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Pan Macmillan |
| Year published | 2004-06-04 |
| Number of pages | 480 |
| Prizes | Winner of BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize 2005 (UK) |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |