The Huey Williams Story

by Andy Kaufman

Book by Kaufman, Andy

495 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

About the author

Andy Kaufman was an American performance artist. Though often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman repeatedly stated he did not consider himself one. He disliked telling jokes or engaging in comedy as it was traditionally understood, referring to himself instead as a "song-and-dance man."

Reviews

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very difficult book to obtain, being out of print with a very limited run to begin with, I did managed to find a copy online. I was reluctant to finish it, for months leaving the end several pages away in an attempt to preserve the author's life, knowing that he died before the book could be completed. (Or maybe he faked his death and wrote this possibly-posthumous epic over the 15 years between his death of lung cancer and the release of this book.) The book was left unedited to preserve the translation from his notebooks, which the typos can get annoying, but perhaps it's all part of the joke. The writing is simple, making it an easy read, but the storytelling is pure genious - and perhaps too big of an undertaking for any one to possibly complete. The story is the life of the author told through the fictional character Huey Williams. Through what seems like several life times, the plot twists and turns more than a roller coaster, many characters are introduced and live out their lives, and the narrator changes point of view at whim just to keep the reader on his toes. But I would expect nothing less from one of the greatest practical jokers of all time. The abrupt ending made me feel as if the author died in my hands while reading, and sad that the protagonist is stuck in time and may never achieve his destiny. A great comedy and tragedy within and without the book.

Richard Pryor said about the author after having been read a few unformed passages of the novel - "He's a genius! He makes us all look like nothing!".