"Johnny Critelli" made me feel I got to know Lentricchia just a little bit better, even though a lot of it was not true. What the hay. The reading was fun and then we got to "The Knifemen". And that, my friend, was one big ouch. Lentricchia should be more widely read. We sure would have a smarter country if he was.
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Somehow, this remarkable book slipped under the radar of most reviewers and readers upon release. Do yourself a favor and seek it out immediately! The book collects two novellas which are lyrical, funny, and ultimately very moving. Mr. Lentricchia may have made his name as a critic, but his prose reveals him to be a natural novelist. His writing is clear, vivid, and filled with striking images and phrases. Imagine Joyce...
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The two compelling novellas that make up this volume trace how the past haunts us, tracks us, shapes us even when we think ourselves beyond it. Lentricchia's probing of his character's memories and personalities is ruthless and brutal, his prose exacting so that it can cut deeper. But despite being immersed in the violent fantasies of the protagonist of "The Knifemen" and the toxic remembrances of "Johnny Critelli," the...
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