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Stanley Elkin

Born: May 11, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York
Died: 1995 in St. Louis, Missouri

Pen Name: None

Connection to Illinois: Elkin was raised in Chicago. He attended University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Biography: Stanley Elkin was a novelist, short story writer, and essayist. He was a member of the English faculty at Washington University in St. Louis from 1960 until his death.


Awards:

Primary Literary Genre(s): Fiction

Primary Audience(s): Adult readers

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Elkin
Stanley Elkin on WorldCat : http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=stanley++elkin


Selected Titles

A bad man
ISBN: 9781453204061 OCLC: 752948876

Open Road Integrated Media, New York, NY : 2010, ©1967.

A black market dealer must reconcile his lifetime of sins as he faces hard time in prison A born salesman, Leo Feldman can peddle anything from clothing and appliances to prostitutes, guns, and drugs. Although guilty of myriad crimes, Feldman is sentenced to prison as the result of a clerical error that charged him with a crime he did not commit. Now, completely vulnerable to the inmates who surround him--and to the stern Warden Fisher--Feldman must come to terms with what it means to be jailed not for his crimes, but for his character. Wry and insightful, A Bad Man is an engrossing story of an antihero's journey through the twisted world of an unforgiving penal system. This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis.

A bad man /
ISBN: 1564783324 OCLC: 52381044

Dalkey Archive Press, [Normal, Ill.] : 2003.

"Sentenced to a year in jail for providing his customers with everything they needed - drugs for the nervous, abortions for the unintending, guns for the crazed - department store owner Leo Feldman finds himself in a Kafkaesque prison. Labeled a "bad man," Feldman is treated as a fool, made to wear a clownish version of his business suit with oversized button holes too big for the buttons and miscut legs and pockets. While incarcerated, he's forced to come to terms with his criminal self - a man always on the make, one who can't avoid overselling to the poor and lying to the trusting - in this grey-stone purgatory run by a sadistic prison warden who enforces a set of elaborate, ever-shifting rules."--Jacket.

Boswell :
ISBN: 1564781747 OCLC: 40498110

Dalkey Archive Press, Normal, Ill. : 1999.

"Boswell is Stanley Elkin's first and funniest novel: the comic odyssey of a twentieth-century groupie who collects celebrities as his insurance policy against death." "James Boswell - strong man, professional wrestler (his most heroic match is with the Angel of Death) - is a con man, gate crasher, and moocher of epic talent. He is also a man on the make for all the great men of his time - his logic being that if you can't be a lion, know a pride of them. Can he cheat his way out of morality?"--Jacket.

Boswell :
ISBN: 9781453204108 OCLC: 752932831

Open Road Integrated Media, New York, NY : 2010, ©1964.

Elkin & rsquo;s striking debut: The story of one man & rsquo;s comic attempts at immortality James Boswell is a professional strongman and a wrestler. He is also a loveable leech who amasses friends of wealth and influence as his own insurance policy against death, an obsession that leads him from coast to coast, crashing parties and mentioning any celebrity whose name will grant him an ounce of social currency. But when those around him begin dying, Boswell is forced to confront his own mortality and determine once and for all how to find permanence in an ephemeral world. Poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, Boswell is Elkin & rsquo;s engaging novel of one man & rsquo;s desperate attempts to outmaneuver death, and an acerbic take on the follies of the American Dream. This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author & rsquo;s estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis.

Criers & kibitzers, kibitzers & criers /
ISBN: 1564782344 OCLC: 43323676

Dalkey Archive Press, [Normal, IL] : 2000.

  Criers & Kibitzers.
ISBN: 1306596238 OCLC: 877031324

Open Road Media, 2010.

Early Elkin /
ISBN: 0917453034 OCLC: 12514998

Bamberger Books, Flint, Mich. : 1985.

George Mills
ISBN: 9781453204184 OCLC: 727146120

Open Road Integrated Media, New York, NY : 2010.

Since the time of the First Crusade, every generation of the Mills family has been consigned by fate to an unfulfilling, servile existence. And each successive Mills has had a son, George, to perpetuate the family plight through history. Whether a stable hand in feudal Europe or a prisoner in an Ottoman harem, each George Mills falls prey to his hereditary misfortune--until the modern George Mills threatens to reverse this fate once and for all. Written with penetrating insight and wit, George Mills is an engrossing story of one man's salvation, and an unforgettable defense of free will in even the most overwhelming of circumstances. This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis.

George Mills /
ISBN: 1564782921 OCLC: 51280528

Dalkey Archive Press, [Normal, Ill.] : 2003.

Considered by many to be Elkin's magnum opus, George Mills is, an ambitious, digressive and endlessly entertaining account of the 1,000 year history of the George Millses. From toiling as a stable boy during the crusades to working as a furniture mover, there has always been a George Mills whose lot in life is to serve important personages. But the latest in the line of true blue-collar workers may also be the last, as he obsesses about his family's history and decides to break the cycle of doomed George Millses.

Mrs. Ted Bliss
ISBN: 9781453204221 OCLC: 729565372

Open Road Integrated Media, New York, N.Y. : 2010, ©1995.

The novel follows the everyday life of Dorothy Bliss, a retired widow in Miami--cleaning, cooking, writing letters--all the while recording her memories and her wise observations on life. A slice of life enlivened by a brush with drug dealers.

Mrs. Ted Bliss /
ISBN: 1564783227 OCLC: 31971349

Hyperion, New York : ©1995.

The life of a retired senior citizen. She is Dorothy Bliss, a widow after a butcher who lives in a condo in Miami. The novel follows her everyday life--cleaning, cooking, writing letters--all the while recording her memories and her wise observations on life. A slice of life enlivened by a brush with drug dealers. By the author of George Mills.

Pieces of soap :
ISBN: 9781941040379 OCLC: 950901643

With a wickedly witty touch, Elkin's essays takes readers on a tour of American life in the 20th century. Stanley Elkin was one of our great American writers. A divine exploiter of the idiocies and intricacies of our language, as John Irving put it, and nowhere is that more clear than this collection of essays, which find Elkin wresting hilarity and heartbreak from the most unlikely of sources.

Searches & seizures :
ISBN: 0879232536 OCLC: 4765494

Nonpariel, Boston : ©1973.

Searches and seizures
ISBN: 9781453204283 OCLC: 815561704

Open Road Integrated Media, New York : [2010]

Three novellas filled with humor and insight by one of America's modern literary masters. In Searches & Seizures, Elkin tells the story of the criminal, the lovelorn, and the grieving, each searching desperately for fulfillment--while on the verge of receiving much more than they bargained for. Infused with Elkin's signature wit and richly drawn characters, The Bailbondsman, The Making of Ashenden, and The Condominium are the creations of a literary virtuoso at the pinnacle of his craft. This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis.

The Dick Gibson show
ISBN: 9781453204320 OCLC: 752962279

Open Road Integrated Media, New York, NY : 2010, ©1971.

When Dick Gibson first goes on the air to fill in for a regular program, it's the beginning of an unquenchable passion.

The Dick Gibson show /
ISBN: 1564781984 OCLC: 39157631

Dalkey Archive Press, Normal, IL : 1998.

"Look who's on the "Dick Gibson Radio Show": Arnold the Memory Expert ("I've memorized the entire West Coast shoreline - except for cloud cover and fog banks"). Bernie Perk, the burning pharmacist. Henry Harper, the nine-year old orphan millionaire, terrified of being adopted. The woman whose life revolves around pierced lobes. An evil hypnotist. Swindlers. Con-men. And Dick Gibson himself." "Anticipating talk radio and its crazed hosts, Stanley Elkin creates a brilliant comic world held together by American manias and maniacs in all their forms, and a character who perfectly understands what Americans want and gives it to them."--Jacket.

The franchiser
ISBN: 9781453204368 OCLC: 752962403

Open Road Integrated Media, New York, NY : 2010, ©1976.

For the better part of the 1970s, entrepreneur Ben Flesh could expand his business kingdom with the snap of his fingers. His fast food restaurants and electronics stores were all a part of his rapidly growing domain, remaking America one enterprise at a time. But when a series of personal and professional catastrophes strike unexpectedly, Ben finds himself on the verge of losing it all. Hailed as one of Stanley Elkin's greatest works, The Franchiser is a biting satire of American consumerism and the story of one man's all-consuming determination to create his lasting legacy, one business at a time. This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis.

The franchiser :
ISBN: 1564783057 OCLC: 46777478

Dalkey Archive Press, Chicago : 2001.

"Ben Flesh is one of the men "who made America look like America, who made America famous." He collects franchises, traveling from state to state, acquiring the brand-name establishments that shape the American landscape. But both the nation and Ben are running out of energy. As blackouts roll through the West, Ben struggles with the onset of multiple sclerosis, and the growing realization that his lifetime quest to buy a name for himself has ultimately failed."--Jacket.

The living end
ISBN: 9781453204405 OCLC: 729242897

Open Road Integrated Media, New York, N.Y. : 2010, ©1979.

When he is killed during a holdup at his Minneapolis liquor store, Ellerbee's bad luck is only beginning. After a short stint in heaven, Ellerbee is banished to hell, abruptly and without explanation. What follows is a surreal and memorable adventure that brings Ellerbee face-to-face not only with his murderer's accomplice, but also with God, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and a host of others, all in his quest for salvation unlike any other. Moving and witty, The Living End is a hilarious send-up of afterlife clichés and a masterful exploration of the absurdities of human existence. This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis.

The living end /
ISBN: 0380728974 OCLC: 36317924

Avon, New York, NY : 1996.

The living end /
ISBN: 1564783421 OCLC: 53993052

Dalkey Archive Press, [Normal, Ill.] : 2004.

Killed during a senseless holdup, kindhearted Ellerbee finds himself on a whirlwind tour of a distressingly familiar theme park Heaven and inner-city Hell, where he learns the truth about God's love and wrath.

The MacGuffin
ISBN: 9781453204443 OCLC: 729246517

Open Road Integrated Media, New York, N.Y. : 2010, ©1991.

Narrates forty hours in the life of Bobbo Druff, City Commissioner of Streets, aged fifty-eight whose ordered world becomes suddenly more complicated.

The MacGuffin /
ISBN: 1564782239 OCLC: 41572672

Dalkey Archive Press, Normal, IL : 2000.

As he's chauffeured about in his official limousine, aging City commissioner of Streets Bobbo Druff comes to a frightening realization: he's lost force, the world has started to condescend to him. His once fear-inspiring figure has become everyone's "little old lady." In retaliation, Druff constructs a paranoid plot, his "MacGuffin" within which)he believes) everyone is out to get him. with unabashed enthusiasm Druff starts an illicit affair (in order to incriminate himself), instigates fights with his employees, invents lies for his family- in short, everythingything in his power to create a world in which he is placed safely and firmly at the scandalous center.

The magic kingdom
ISBN: 9781453204481 OCLC: 707082517

Open Road Integrated Media, New York : 2010, ©1985.

Eddy Bale's twelve-year-old son died after a terrible, drawn-out illness. Now, determined to help alleviate the suffering of other sick children, Eddy plans to take a group of seven terminally ill youths on a dream vacation to Disney World. Accompanied by four eccentric chaperones, Eddy and the kids embark on what is meant to be a magical retreat that quickly devolves into a series of disasters when the kids turn out to be more full of life than anyone expected. This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis.

The magic kingdom /
ISBN: 156478259X OCLC: 44683465

Dalkey Archive Press, Normal, IL : 2000.

"Abandoned by his wife and devastated by the death of his twelve-year old son, Eddy Bale becomes obsessed with the plight of terminally ill children and develops a plan to provide a "last hurrah" dream vacation for seven children who will never grow-up. Eddy and his four dyfunctional chaperones journey to the entertainment capital of America - Disney World. Once they arrive, a series of absurdities characteristic of an Elkin novel - including a freak snowstorm and a run-in with a vengeful Mickey Mouse - transform Eddy's idealistic wish into a fantastic nightmare."--Jacket.

  The rabbi of Lud
ISBN: 9781453204528 OCLC: 729610352

Open Road Integrated Media, New York, N.Y. : 2010, ©1986.

The only long-term occupants of Lud, New Jersey, reside in its cemeteries, a fact that suits Rabbi Jerry Goldkorn just fine. Never particularly passionate about his religious calling, Rabbi Goldkorn spends his days officiating funerals and burying the dead in the local cemetery. His life is simple by design, until one day his daughter's scandalous rebellion threatens to send his world spinning wildly out of control. Spiked with Elkin's characteristic wit, The Rabbi of Lud is a poignant satire of religious culture and the story of one man's struggle with morality, mortality, and the meaning of life. This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis.

The rabbi of Lud /
ISBN: 1564782700 OCLC: 45963220

Dalkey Archive Press, [Normal, Ill.] : 2001.

"Surrounded by cemeteries in the flatlands of New Jersey, the small town of Lud is sustained by the business of death. In fact, with no synagogue and no congregation, Rabbi Jerry Goldkorn has only one true responsibility: to preside over burial services for Jews who pass away in the surrounding cities. But after the Arctic misadventures that led him to Lud, he wouldn't want to live (or die) anywhere else." "As the only living child in Lud, his daughter Connie has a different opinion of this grisly city, and she will do anything to get away from it - or at least liven it up a bit. Things get lively indeed when Connie testifies to meeting the Virgin Mary for a late-night romp through the local graveyards."--Jacket.

Van Gogh's room at Arles :
ISBN: 9781453204566 OCLC: 733076846

Open Road Integrated Media, New York, NY : 2010, ©1993.

A wheelchair-bound professor is abandoned by his wife at the worst possible time, leaving him to preside - helplessly - over a party for his students that is careening out of control ... The spurned fiancee of the Prince of England pens her furious memoirs for public consumption in a series of outrageous tabloid exposes ... And in the title work, a man awarded a foundation grant searches for his scholarly identity in a land of academic giants. Van Gogh's Room at Arles finds the profound and prodigiously creative Stanley Elkin at the peak of his powers, with three astonishing novellas that throw off wit and wisdom like sparks from the grindstone of their author's imagination.

Van Gogh's room at Arles :
ISBN: 1564782808 OCLC: 50674657

Dalkey Archive Press, Chicago, Ill. : 2002.

 

 

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