The Beetle Leg

by John Hawkes

Book Overview

The Beetle Leg, John Hawkes's second full-length novel, was first published by New Directions in 1951. After years of underground existence, this brilliant novel is emerging as a classic of visionary writing and still remains Hawkes's only work devoted solely to American life. As a 'surrealist Western" (Newsweek), and a violent and poetic portrayal of "a landscape of sexual apathy" (Albert J. Guerard), The Beetle Leg is a rich flight into the special...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811200620
• ISBN13: 9780811200622
• Release Date: January 1951
• Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation
• Length: 159 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

recommended by John Gardner

In Gardner's The Art of Fiction he sites two examples of the rare and difficult "lyrical" format: Finnegan's Wake, of course, and The Beetle Leg. Not an easy read, but not so challenging as, say, William Gaddis, a contemporary of Hawkes. (Both authors could be described as genius.) Beetle Leg has a very dreamy quality, along with a definite rhythm within the fragments of non-linear plot. It's like sudden moments of clarity flashing within a sleepy haze of resonating detail. And within that detail is an authenticity and intimacy that is both compelling and haunting Really a stunning piece of work.

Nobody writes like this anymore

This is a surrealistic western, basically, with language so odd, crisp, and surprising that every page has to be savored. Hawkes is a tremendously perceptive writer, whether he's dealing with the violent or the mundane. Readers should give this and THE BLOOD ORANGES a chance. His voice is strange, and takes time to grow on you; but once it does, his books begin to seem like a mixture of poetry and noir.