Keynote
An exceptional new collection of short stories by Percival Everett, author of the highly praised and wickedly funny novel, Erasure
Book Title
Damned If I Do
Subtitle
Stories
Cover Image
- “Damned If I Do is underpinned by a quiet intelligence and an acute sense of place.”—The New York Times Book Review
Body
People are just naturally hopeful, a term my grandfather used to tell me was more than occasionally interchangeable with stupid.
An artist, a cop, a cowboy, several fly-fisherman, and even a reluctant romance novelist inhabit these revealing and often hilarious stories. Two men are faced with a horse who is wildly afraid of the dark. An old man ends up in a high-speed car chase with the cops after stealing the car that blocks the garbage bin at his apartment building. A stranger gets a job at a sandwich shop and fixes everything in sight: a manual mustard dispenser, a mouth full of crooked teeth, thirty-twoparking tickets, and a sexual identity problem.
The author of several critically acclaimed works of fiction, most recently Erasure, Percival Everett is a master storyteller who ingeniously addresses issues of race and prejudice by simultaneously satirizing and celebrating the human condition.
An artist, a cop, a cowboy, several fly-fisherman, and even a reluctant romance novelist inhabit these revealing and often hilarious stories. Two men are faced with a horse who is wildly afraid of the dark. An old man ends up in a high-speed car chase with the cops after stealing the car that blocks the garbage bin at his apartment building. A stranger gets a job at a sandwich shop and fixes everything in sight: a manual mustard dispenser, a mouth full of crooked teeth, thirty-twoparking tickets, and a sexual identity problem.
The author of several critically acclaimed works of fiction, most recently Erasure, Percival Everett is a master storyteller who ingeniously addresses issues of race and prejudice by simultaneously satirizing and celebrating the human condition.
List Price
$16.00
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About the Author
Credit: Michael Avedon
Praise
- “Everett is a clever writer with a gift for parody and a formidable library in his head.”—The Washington Post Book World
- “It’s hard to pigeonhole Percival Everett. Working between the traditions of the academy and the African American tall tale, he writes with a sharp satirical voice only predictable in its provocation.”—Playboy
- “Everett’s Damned if I Do should be a treat for both his devotees and the uninitiated. These dozen stories exhibit his characteristically sardonic humor and his well-modulated moral outrage, as well as a masterful command of narrative.”—San Francisco Chronicle
- "What makes Everett's prose stand out from others in high literary circles is how its intense intellect is harnessed by a playful and grounded aesthetic. . . Bring this book with you during your travels in the new year. The ride will go by in a snap."—The Seattle Times
