First published 1995
A group of academics and townspeople contribute to a commemorative literary journal honoring the late Anatole Waxman-Weissman. Each writer thinks they're paying tribute to the deceased scholar, but their submissions reveal more about themselves than their subject. The contributors chase their own agendas while exposing academic pretensions and personal obsessions. Professors battle each other through footnotes and essays. Local residents add their earthy perspectives to the mix. What begins as scholarly remembrance turns into a comedy of competing egos and hidden motives. The fake journal format lets each character speak directly, creating a chorus of conflicting voices. Their writing reveals how idealistic academics get trapped by petty concerns and everyday disappointments. The book celebrates the messy, uncontrollable forces of human nature that break through scholarly pretense.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, comedy, academic
Vibes: comedic, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
243 pages · Paperback · Dalkey Archive Press