Searches & Seizures
by Stanley Elkin
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.Review
For Elkin, the sentence is more than instrumental to the end, and its
loving elaboration of perceptions, surprising and just, is the key to
his work, putting him among not only the best of novelists, but only the
best of writers. --Howard NemerovThe searches of Elkin's latest
book are philosophical, but the seizures are almost epileptic. In three
novellas, through three very different alienated characters, Elkin
traces a search for an Other, whether it be a criminal prey, a beloved,
or the dead. In each case the search is ended through a seizure, a
paroxysm of hate, lust or despair. Elkin's strength as a writer lies in
his arch, tricky, pyrotechnical style, and his ability to fuse horror
and humor in each "seizure." He has given us three good novellas in this
book, worthy of inclusion in any college or university fiction
collection. --ChoiceWrenchingly funny and oddly moving. This
collection of three new novellas should provide the uninitiated with an
ideal introduction to Elkin's art even as it confirms addicts like me in
our belief that no American novelist tells us more about where we are
and what we are doing to ourselves. This is a remarkably various talent,
and the stories in Search & Seizures nicely illustrate its range
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.Review
For Elkin, the sentence is more than instrumental to the end, and its
loving elaboration of perceptions, surprising and just, is the key to
his work, putting him among not only the best of novelists, but only the
best of writers. --Howard NemerovThe searches of Elkin's latest
book are philosophical, but the seizures are almost epileptic. In three
novellas, through three very different alienated characters, Elkin
traces a search for an Other, whether it be a criminal prey, a beloved,
or the dead. In each case the search is ended through a seizure, a
paroxysm of hate, lust or despair. Elkin's strength as a writer lies in
his arch, tricky, pyrotechnical style, and his ability to fuse horror
and humor in each "seizure." He has given us three good novellas in this
book, worthy of inclusion in any college or university fiction
collection. --ChoiceWrenchingly funny and oddly moving. This
collection of three new novellas should provide the uninitiated with an
ideal introduction to Elkin's art even as it confirms addicts like me in
our belief that no American novelist tells us more about where we are
and what we are doing to ourselves. This is a remarkably various talent,
and the stories in Search & Seizures nicely illustrate its range