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McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern #21
McSweeney's Issue 21
With work by Roddy Doyle, Stephen Elliott, Peter Orner, Joyce Carol Oates, Yannick Murphy, and Miranda July, as well as the triumphant return of Arthur Bradford and stories concerning fistfighting Mormons, New Zealand police
malfeasance, and a man named Trang, and with all of those works interspersed with heartfelt letters to Ray Charles and storyboards by some of the finest pen-and-ink artists of our day, our twenty-first issue is sure to be one of our best assemblages yet.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 9, 2006
9 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Dave Eggers
342 books9,537 followersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is best known for his 2000 memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, which became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Eggers is also the founder of several notable literary and philanthropic ventures, including the literary journal Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, the literacy project 826 Valencia, and the human rights nonprofit Voice of Witness. Additionally, he founded ScholarMatch, a program that connects donors with students needing funds for college tuition. His writing has appeared in numerous prestigious publications, including The New Yorker, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 12, 2007
These stories have a fluffy macabre sensibility. Let's just say: sadistic sex, snakebits, and Samuel Clemens, all in one book. It's fun but I can't really make out the overall tone of the work as a whole, since I get the feeling the authors feel a sense of importance to their tales, but I can't make it out through their rush to witticism.
Best story: Grandpa Clemens & Angelfish 1906
Best thing about the whole thing: Bizzarre letters to Ray Charles.
How I read it: The 4/5/6 train between Bleeker Street and 138th in the Bronx, on my commute.
Best story: Grandpa Clemens & Angelfish 1906
Best thing about the whole thing: Bizzarre letters to Ray Charles.
How I read it: The 4/5/6 train between Bleeker Street and 138th in the Bronx, on my commute.
September 28, 2011
As usual the literary journal started by Dave Eggers, McSweeney’s, has introduced me to some new and original writers. This issue also has great pen and ink storyboards for every story and some really weird letters to Ray Charles in between the stories. Anyway, Issue 21 starts out with a compelling journalistic piece, “The Tall Man”, about a case of police brutality, at the hands of a white man, that lead to death of an aboriginal man on the aboriginal island community of Palm Island in Queensland Australia. The plight of the Australian aboriginal is similar to that of the America Native American Indian; they have been herded into small communities that are saturated with poverty, alcoholism, lack of education and employment, and violence. Chloe Hooper does an excellent job of providing the background, history, context, and attitudes of the community/police/government as well as a rendering of the events of the day that led to the death of an aboriginal man in the custody of the police. It is clearly a case of a death that could have been avoided, but due to inaction and precedent that has avoided acknowledging or punishing suspect behavior of the police guard. On a positive note, while I was on vacation I read a news story that provides a vindication of sorts. The “Tall Man Man” a.k.a. Chris Hurley has been charged for the death of Cameroon Doomadgee, this is a case that makes history for the rights of aborigines all over Australia. This is a fascinating and compelling look at race, politics, and justice in contemporary Australia.
There was also a really entertaining modern horror story, ”The Pram” by Roddy Doyle, included in this issue. It is a sort of modern mystery suspense tale that is well paced and full of exacting detail. A Polish nanny becomes bewitched by an invented horror story that she herself has created to frighten her charges. I haven’t read anything by Doyle in years, but it would appear as though he has still has it.
Another new discovery was Rajesh Parameswaran’s short story “The Strange Career of Doctor Raju Gopalarjar.” It is a strange, but compelling story of identity/self-deception, and ultimately redemption. The fact that it deals with naturalized East Indians in America draws comparisons in my mind to the work of Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing, although Parameswaran has his own individual style that is quite distinct from Lahiri.
There was a Miranda July story in Harper’s last month and I didn’t care much for it, but “Majesty” has all the same elements that made me want to see her feature film when I read an excerpt form her script for Me, You, and Everyone We Know: realistic dialogue, humorous situations, interesting characters, bizarre situations, and an obsessions with the posterior region of the body.
“Snakebite” by Arthur Bradford is another odd but compelling little story about salvation through a snakebite, saying things that shouldn’t be said, and doing things that shouldn’t be done.
I like it when stories incorporate an incongruous motif or theme from an outside source in a story like the life of Flaubert in Flaubert’s Parrot. Greg Ames does this with aplomb by using the life of Tolstoy in his story about a dysfunctional relationship in “I Feel Free.”
Meanwhile, Peter Orner has managed to compress pathos, bathos, loss, betrayal, revelation, acceptances and other unspoken observation about his father and life in a brief story about a tangential figure in the narrator’s life: “Pampkin’s Lament.”
An epiphany is realized in the afterthoughts of fight witness by a directionless boy in Mormon-country Idaho in Christian Winn’s “Rough Cut.”
The books finishes with a flourish as the collection’s most famous author, Joyce Carol Oates, presents a fictional account of Mark Twain’s last years by drawing on letters and scholarship. It’s not the picture I want of Twain, but obviously was a part of who he was. I find the mature writings of Twain to have amoral authority that isn't as fierce in his earlier work. Twain was above all a moralist, and I think Oates captures that in this story of an old man’s obsession with purity and youth.
There was also a really entertaining modern horror story, ”The Pram” by Roddy Doyle, included in this issue. It is a sort of modern mystery suspense tale that is well paced and full of exacting detail. A Polish nanny becomes bewitched by an invented horror story that she herself has created to frighten her charges. I haven’t read anything by Doyle in years, but it would appear as though he has still has it.
Another new discovery was Rajesh Parameswaran’s short story “The Strange Career of Doctor Raju Gopalarjar.” It is a strange, but compelling story of identity/self-deception, and ultimately redemption. The fact that it deals with naturalized East Indians in America draws comparisons in my mind to the work of Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing, although Parameswaran has his own individual style that is quite distinct from Lahiri.
There was a Miranda July story in Harper’s last month and I didn’t care much for it, but “Majesty” has all the same elements that made me want to see her feature film when I read an excerpt form her script for Me, You, and Everyone We Know: realistic dialogue, humorous situations, interesting characters, bizarre situations, and an obsessions with the posterior region of the body.
“Snakebite” by Arthur Bradford is another odd but compelling little story about salvation through a snakebite, saying things that shouldn’t be said, and doing things that shouldn’t be done.
I like it when stories incorporate an incongruous motif or theme from an outside source in a story like the life of Flaubert in Flaubert’s Parrot. Greg Ames does this with aplomb by using the life of Tolstoy in his story about a dysfunctional relationship in “I Feel Free.”
Meanwhile, Peter Orner has managed to compress pathos, bathos, loss, betrayal, revelation, acceptances and other unspoken observation about his father and life in a brief story about a tangential figure in the narrator’s life: “Pampkin’s Lament.”
An epiphany is realized in the afterthoughts of fight witness by a directionless boy in Mormon-country Idaho in Christian Winn’s “Rough Cut.”
The books finishes with a flourish as the collection’s most famous author, Joyce Carol Oates, presents a fictional account of Mark Twain’s last years by drawing on letters and scholarship. It’s not the picture I want of Twain, but obviously was a part of who he was. I find the mature writings of Twain to have amoral authority that isn't as fierce in his earlier work. Twain was above all a moralist, and I think Oates captures that in this story of an old man’s obsession with purity and youth.
October 3, 2013
Holly Tavel's "The Last Words" is worth the price of admission for this collection. It is a brilliant story. The rest range from meh to pretty good. The Joyce Carol Oates story, "Grandpa Clemens & Angelfish 1906", was too deflating to an idol of American literature for me to really enjoy. There's something to be said for keeping author's private lives separate from their public personas. "The Pram" is a good old-fashioned spooky campfire story that gave me goosebumps. But "The Last Words" is really the last word in this anthology.
June 21, 2023
As I've said in other reviews, I'm trying to read every page of my collection of McSweeney'ses, which is why I'm finally getting to this volume from 2006. (I'm bouncing back and forth between newer and older numbers.)
This volume is a paperback, with a beautifully complex color wraparound cover (including a small flap to cover the unbound end), which I'm told came in 8 different versions. Robert Goodin appears to be the artist. The illustration has references to all the stories, and inside, each story has an illustration that consists of "stills" from the story, and the inside cover repeats all these.
Instead of the usual Letters section [often my favorite part of the issue], this volume has interesting artifacts from the archives of Ray Charles. After each piece in the volume there is the photograph of one letter that Ray Charles received during the year 1999. The identifying information is blacked out, for privacy, but the range is interesting. They are mostly pleas for autographs, especially autographed photos; many of them insisting that they will never sell them. One, interestingly, is addressed "Dear President Ford", though its content references Charles. Some are typed, some handwritten (one with every word's first letter capitalized). One praises the vegetarian diet, there are a couple of lyrics, there's a fair amount of gratuitous advice. Loved it.
Peter Orner's "Pampkin's Lament" offered a rarity in my experience: a reference to Rantoul, Illinois. I spent my 6th-thru-11th grade years there, and I don't see much talk about the place in literature.
One thing I really like about McSweeney's is that they are open to all genres of writing, which aligns with my personal good-writing-is-good-writing view. One of the things I loathe about McSweeney's is that they refuse to identify fiction as fiction and non-fiction as non-fiction. I'm sure they have some principle to justify this, but I see it as an irresponsible affectation. Which leads me to Chloe Hooper's "The Tall Man", which appears to be non-fiction, and revealing police abuse of aboriginals on Palm Island, Queensland. This is an excellent piece, which earned an exclam in the table of contents from me.
But I was mentioning genre ... because the next piece is a horror story, really, which only slowly reveals itself. This is "The Pram" by Roddy Doyle. Effective.
The other piece I especially noted is "The Balloon" by A. Nathan West, which got the notation "Ha!" in my notes. It describes a very common family situation, but has a surprise (but tempting, and therefore credible) surreal ending.
Holly Tavel's "Last Words" missed the mark, for me, but in a way that will make me look for more of her work. There's imagination on display, and skill, but when I finished I put a question mark in my note, and defined the piece as Pointless Surrealism. [I can be prickly about the uses of surrealism.]
And speaking of being prickly, I have had the misfortune of reading several short stories by Joyce Carol Oates in recent months, and this collection closes with one of hers. I don't know how to define her ongoing project, except to say that I find it to be pathologic, and when I'm reading her pieces, I note the excellent composition but am unable to get past the pathology. I will not offer further comment.
I liked most of this issue -- but will dock it one star for the misfires. Which reminds me that there is a misuse of the word "careen" on page 246. People on two feet cannot careen.
This volume is a paperback, with a beautifully complex color wraparound cover (including a small flap to cover the unbound end), which I'm told came in 8 different versions. Robert Goodin appears to be the artist. The illustration has references to all the stories, and inside, each story has an illustration that consists of "stills" from the story, and the inside cover repeats all these.
Instead of the usual Letters section [often my favorite part of the issue], this volume has interesting artifacts from the archives of Ray Charles. After each piece in the volume there is the photograph of one letter that Ray Charles received during the year 1999. The identifying information is blacked out, for privacy, but the range is interesting. They are mostly pleas for autographs, especially autographed photos; many of them insisting that they will never sell them. One, interestingly, is addressed "Dear President Ford", though its content references Charles. Some are typed, some handwritten (one with every word's first letter capitalized). One praises the vegetarian diet, there are a couple of lyrics, there's a fair amount of gratuitous advice. Loved it.
Peter Orner's "Pampkin's Lament" offered a rarity in my experience: a reference to Rantoul, Illinois. I spent my 6th-thru-11th grade years there, and I don't see much talk about the place in literature.
One thing I really like about McSweeney's is that they are open to all genres of writing, which aligns with my personal good-writing-is-good-writing view. One of the things I loathe about McSweeney's is that they refuse to identify fiction as fiction and non-fiction as non-fiction. I'm sure they have some principle to justify this, but I see it as an irresponsible affectation. Which leads me to Chloe Hooper's "The Tall Man", which appears to be non-fiction, and revealing police abuse of aboriginals on Palm Island, Queensland. This is an excellent piece, which earned an exclam in the table of contents from me.
But I was mentioning genre ... because the next piece is a horror story, really, which only slowly reveals itself. This is "The Pram" by Roddy Doyle. Effective.
The other piece I especially noted is "The Balloon" by A. Nathan West, which got the notation "Ha!" in my notes. It describes a very common family situation, but has a surprise (but tempting, and therefore credible) surreal ending.
Holly Tavel's "Last Words" missed the mark, for me, but in a way that will make me look for more of her work. There's imagination on display, and skill, but when I finished I put a question mark in my note, and defined the piece as Pointless Surrealism. [I can be prickly about the uses of surrealism.]
And speaking of being prickly, I have had the misfortune of reading several short stories by Joyce Carol Oates in recent months, and this collection closes with one of hers. I don't know how to define her ongoing project, except to say that I find it to be pathologic, and when I'm reading her pieces, I note the excellent composition but am unable to get past the pathology. I will not offer further comment.
I liked most of this issue -- but will dock it one star for the misfires. Which reminds me that there is a misuse of the word "careen" on page 246. People on two feet cannot careen.
May 17, 2019
nice collection, though the oates twain story was disturbing af.
January 16, 2026
Geez. The first and the last selections really hit me.
September 19, 2011
I only read half of the stories in this book and couldn't bear to carry on. Because, my, this is a bloody depressing book! I like McSweeney's, I think it's got a lot going for it but bloody hell, this volume, let's have a little humour! Maybe because it's Sunday night but I'd like something that's not so bloody serious and sober minded!
The first story is by Chloe Hooper called "The Tall Man" and is about the doomed and miserable lives of Aborigines on a remote Aussie island. They're all alcoholics, wife beaters, and generally get abused by the police all the live long day. One of them is beaten to death by a police officer in jail and the police officer gets off. That's the whole story!
The next one is a damn boring Literary story about "modern" love so I won't bother.
Roddy Doyle's story is about dead babies. Rajesh Parameswaran's story is about a simpleton Indian immigrant who decides to become a doctor. He maims a patient and, its implied, kills his wife in the end (who by the way had inoperable ovarian cancer).
Miranda July's story is about a middle aged woman whos in love with Prince William and is taunted by a younger more attractive sister who calls her and tells her all about her varied sexual encounters, taking pleasure in the fact that her dumpy older sis can't get laid. In the end the older sister wishes for a giant earthquake to cover her in rubble.
A. Nathan West's "The Balloon" is the last story I could read in this book and is about an elderly man who loses his wife and is shouted at by his middle aged siblings who think about his upcoming death.
You see what I mean? How utterly miserable the stories in this book are! Read individually they'd probably be fine but lined up in a row like this, it's like being kicked in the balls repeatedly, and, because it's Literary, being told to like it! Urgh, I'm going to read something that's perhaps a bit more balanced and not filled with despair and morbidity all the time. Actually there was one story that had some humour to balance the pathos called "Snakebite" by Arthur Bradford but it was too little too late. And the letters sent to Ray Charles add nothing to the book, they could be added or taken away it doesn't matter.
And also, the design of the quarterlys is usually good. This one's cover looks like it was drawn by a 5 year old and is just an ordinary paperback. Very dull.
Update: I finished the book months after putting it down and despite a number of poor stories there were a couple of gems. Greg Ames' "I Feel Free" is about a man who tries internet dating and winds up with a batty woman and her even weirder ex-boyfriend living with him. The story is funny and well written with a great ending that makes you want to read more of Ames' work.
Joyce Carol Oates writes about Sam Clemens aka Mark Twain in his twilight years. He's 70 years old, having trouble writing his latest book "The Mysterious Stranger" about Satan in 16th century Austria, and is haunted by his daughter Susy who died very young. He begins a correspondence with other young girls whom he calls "Angelfish". One of these correspondences goes badly for the young girl and an increasingly ill Clemens. This is the best story of the collection and asks me once again why I've not read a Joyce Carol Oates book. Well written, interesting story, great characterisation of Clemens (though not having a great depth of understanding about the man can't say how accurate it is) and despite being the lengthiest story at 43 pages, it's the quickest read as it's so good. Pick up the book for this story.
The first story is by Chloe Hooper called "The Tall Man" and is about the doomed and miserable lives of Aborigines on a remote Aussie island. They're all alcoholics, wife beaters, and generally get abused by the police all the live long day. One of them is beaten to death by a police officer in jail and the police officer gets off. That's the whole story!
The next one is a damn boring Literary story about "modern" love so I won't bother.
Roddy Doyle's story is about dead babies. Rajesh Parameswaran's story is about a simpleton Indian immigrant who decides to become a doctor. He maims a patient and, its implied, kills his wife in the end (who by the way had inoperable ovarian cancer).
Miranda July's story is about a middle aged woman whos in love with Prince William and is taunted by a younger more attractive sister who calls her and tells her all about her varied sexual encounters, taking pleasure in the fact that her dumpy older sis can't get laid. In the end the older sister wishes for a giant earthquake to cover her in rubble.
A. Nathan West's "The Balloon" is the last story I could read in this book and is about an elderly man who loses his wife and is shouted at by his middle aged siblings who think about his upcoming death.
You see what I mean? How utterly miserable the stories in this book are! Read individually they'd probably be fine but lined up in a row like this, it's like being kicked in the balls repeatedly, and, because it's Literary, being told to like it! Urgh, I'm going to read something that's perhaps a bit more balanced and not filled with despair and morbidity all the time. Actually there was one story that had some humour to balance the pathos called "Snakebite" by Arthur Bradford but it was too little too late. And the letters sent to Ray Charles add nothing to the book, they could be added or taken away it doesn't matter.
And also, the design of the quarterlys is usually good. This one's cover looks like it was drawn by a 5 year old and is just an ordinary paperback. Very dull.
Update: I finished the book months after putting it down and despite a number of poor stories there were a couple of gems. Greg Ames' "I Feel Free" is about a man who tries internet dating and winds up with a batty woman and her even weirder ex-boyfriend living with him. The story is funny and well written with a great ending that makes you want to read more of Ames' work.
Joyce Carol Oates writes about Sam Clemens aka Mark Twain in his twilight years. He's 70 years old, having trouble writing his latest book "The Mysterious Stranger" about Satan in 16th century Austria, and is haunted by his daughter Susy who died very young. He begins a correspondence with other young girls whom he calls "Angelfish". One of these correspondences goes badly for the young girl and an increasingly ill Clemens. This is the best story of the collection and asks me once again why I've not read a Joyce Carol Oates book. Well written, interesting story, great characterisation of Clemens (though not having a great depth of understanding about the man can't say how accurate it is) and despite being the lengthiest story at 43 pages, it's the quickest read as it's so good. Pick up the book for this story.
July 29, 2011
I only read half of the stories in this book and couldn't bear to carry on. Because, my, this is a bloody depressing book! I like McSweeney's, I think it's got a lot going for it but bloody hell, this volume, let's have a little humour! Maybe because it's Sunday night but I'd like something that's not so bloody serious and sober minded!
The first story is by Chloe Hooper called "The Tall Man" and is about the doomed and miserable lives of Aborigines on a remote Aussie island. They're all alcoholics, wife beaters, and generally get abused by the police all the live long day. One of them is beaten to death by a police officer in jail and the police officer gets off. That's the whole story!
The next one is a damn boring Literary story about "modern" love so I won't bother.
Roddy Doyle's story is about dead babies. Rajesh Parameswaran's story is about a simpleton Indian immigrant who decides to become a doctor. He maims a patient and, its implied, kills his wife in the end (who by the way had inoperable ovarian cancer).
Miranda July's story is about a middle aged woman whos in love with Prince William and is taunted by a younger more attractive sister who calls her and tells her all about her varied sexual encounters, taking pleasure in the fact that her dumpy older sis can't get laid. In the end the older sister wishes for a giant earthquake to cover her in rubble.
A. Nathan West's "The Balloon" is the last story I could read in this book and is about an elderly man who loses his wife and is shouted at by his middle aged siblings who think about his upcoming death.
You see what I mean? How utterly miserable the stories in this book are! Read individually they'd probably be fine but lined up in a row like this, it's like being kicked in the balls repeatedly, and, because it's Literary, being told to like it! Urgh, I'm going to read something that's perhaps a bit more balanced and not filled with despair and morbidity all the time. Actually there was one story that had some humour to balance the pathos called "Snakebite" by Arthur Bradford but it was too little too late. And the letters sent to Ray Charles add nothing to the book, they could be added or taken away it doesn't matter.
And also, the design of the quarterlys is usually good. This one's cover looks like it was drawn by a 5 year old and is just an ordinary paperback. Very dull.
Update: I finished the book months after putting it down and despite a number of poor stories there were a couple of gems. Greg Ames' "I Feel Free" is about a man who tries internet dating and winds up with a batty woman and her even weirder ex-boyfriend living with him. The story is funny and well written with a great ending that makes you want to read more of Ames' work.
Joyce Carol Oates writes about Sam Clemens aka Mark Twain in his twilight years. He's 70 years old, having trouble writing his latest book "The Mysterious Stranger" about Satan in 16th century Austria, and is haunted by his daughter Susy who died very young. He begins a correspondence with other young girls whom he calls "Angelfish". One of these correspondences goes badly for the young girl and an increasingly ill Clemens. This is the best story of the collection and asks me once again why I've not read a Joyce Carol Oates book. Well written, interesting story, great characterisation of Clemens (though not having a great depth of understanding about the man can't say how accurate it is) and despite being the lengthiest story at 43 pages, it's the quickest read as it's so good. Pick up the book for this story.
The first story is by Chloe Hooper called "The Tall Man" and is about the doomed and miserable lives of Aborigines on a remote Aussie island. They're all alcoholics, wife beaters, and generally get abused by the police all the live long day. One of them is beaten to death by a police officer in jail and the police officer gets off. That's the whole story!
The next one is a damn boring Literary story about "modern" love so I won't bother.
Roddy Doyle's story is about dead babies. Rajesh Parameswaran's story is about a simpleton Indian immigrant who decides to become a doctor. He maims a patient and, its implied, kills his wife in the end (who by the way had inoperable ovarian cancer).
Miranda July's story is about a middle aged woman whos in love with Prince William and is taunted by a younger more attractive sister who calls her and tells her all about her varied sexual encounters, taking pleasure in the fact that her dumpy older sis can't get laid. In the end the older sister wishes for a giant earthquake to cover her in rubble.
A. Nathan West's "The Balloon" is the last story I could read in this book and is about an elderly man who loses his wife and is shouted at by his middle aged siblings who think about his upcoming death.
You see what I mean? How utterly miserable the stories in this book are! Read individually they'd probably be fine but lined up in a row like this, it's like being kicked in the balls repeatedly, and, because it's Literary, being told to like it! Urgh, I'm going to read something that's perhaps a bit more balanced and not filled with despair and morbidity all the time. Actually there was one story that had some humour to balance the pathos called "Snakebite" by Arthur Bradford but it was too little too late. And the letters sent to Ray Charles add nothing to the book, they could be added or taken away it doesn't matter.
And also, the design of the quarterlys is usually good. This one's cover looks like it was drawn by a 5 year old and is just an ordinary paperback. Very dull.
Update: I finished the book months after putting it down and despite a number of poor stories there were a couple of gems. Greg Ames' "I Feel Free" is about a man who tries internet dating and winds up with a batty woman and her even weirder ex-boyfriend living with him. The story is funny and well written with a great ending that makes you want to read more of Ames' work.
Joyce Carol Oates writes about Sam Clemens aka Mark Twain in his twilight years. He's 70 years old, having trouble writing his latest book "The Mysterious Stranger" about Satan in 16th century Austria, and is haunted by his daughter Susy who died very young. He begins a correspondence with other young girls whom he calls "Angelfish". One of these correspondences goes badly for the young girl and an increasingly ill Clemens. This is the best story of the collection and asks me once again why I've not read a Joyce Carol Oates book. Well written, interesting story, great characterisation of Clemens (though not having a great depth of understanding about the man can't say how accurate it is) and despite being the lengthiest story at 43 pages, it's the quickest read as it's so good. Pick up the book for this story.
September 23, 2011
Thank you Internet, thank you Goodreads, thank you Jean, thank you McSweeneys.
I never heard of McSweeneys until I saw it pop up in the timeline of one of my goodreads friends. It looked very interesting so I ordered a few back issues. One of these issues was #21 and I was immediately blown away by the whole concept and especially the unique design of each issue. Without the Goodreads (or the Internet) allowing me to connect to friends thought gone, I would have never encountered this series.
I immediately got a subscription (a combo with The Believer monthly mag, which is also a good read) and am now back ordering as many issues as I can.
Since I am a sucker for layout and design I decided to give all McSweeneys issues a biased 5 stars.
I never heard of McSweeneys until I saw it pop up in the timeline of one of my goodreads friends. It looked very interesting so I ordered a few back issues. One of these issues was #21 and I was immediately blown away by the whole concept and especially the unique design of each issue. Without the Goodreads (or the Internet) allowing me to connect to friends thought gone, I would have never encountered this series.
I immediately got a subscription (a combo with The Believer monthly mag, which is also a good read) and am now back ordering as many issues as I can.
Since I am a sucker for layout and design I decided to give all McSweeneys issues a biased 5 stars.
December 7, 2008
McSweeney's Issue 21 brings a collection of 14 stories, and several letters to Ray Charles from fans. (And these are mostly entertaining, for various reasons. Some sweet, some creepy, some just autograph seekers.)
This foundation of tales shows plenty of variation in style and subject, which is enough to make the collection compelling for most readers. Although several of the fictional characters are, well, somewhat irritating, they are no worse than all of us imperfect beings-- such as my early-rising neighbor Hassock, who loudly grinds concrete at 3:00 AM.
You also may never think about Mark Twain the same way after reading this.
This foundation of tales shows plenty of variation in style and subject, which is enough to make the collection compelling for most readers. Although several of the fictional characters are, well, somewhat irritating, they are no worse than all of us imperfect beings-- such as my early-rising neighbor Hassock, who loudly grinds concrete at 3:00 AM.
You also may never think about Mark Twain the same way after reading this.
February 4, 2008
I always love McSweeney’s. 21 features really enjoyable block art accompanying each piece that was just as delightful as the stories. I like that you can play around with these journals beyond the written word. I love such creativity in publishing and I only with there was more of it. From this collection, “The Strange Career of Dr. Raju Gopalarajan” by Rajesh Parameswaran was a great find. I loved this story. It’s beautifully crafted and really stayed with me. I think this is the kind of piece people in fiction workshops all over the land are trying to write.
December 21, 2008
Pretty middle-of-the-road McSweeney's. Which is to say solid. The design wasn't especially unusual but the drawings and letters to Ray Charles (yep, actual letters mailed to Ray Charles) that accompanied each story were a nice touch. The opening journalism concerning Australia's rocky relationship with its aboriginal inhabitants was a standout just for being chilling and in many ways universally relevant, and the "Strange Career of Dr. Raju Gopalarajan" was just good storytelling. None of the stories especially bored or irritated me. Good work. Lots more to go.
August 21, 2010
mysterious and great. loved everything - starting from the cover and to letters to Ray Charles after each story. though it is difficult to write after some time anything specific. good short stories like a flash - take you all in fast and then change as fast from one to another. you simply don't get bored.
November 9, 2010
Hits: Rajesh Parameswaran, Miranda July, Arthur Bradford, Greg Ames, Joyce Carol Oates.
Misses: Stephen Elliott, Yannick Murphy, Holly Tavel, Kevin Moffett, Christian Winn.
The rest were somewhere in between. Rajesh Parameswaran's "The Strange Career of Doctor Raju Gopalarajan" was a strange wonder and wins my improptu BEST STORY IN #21 award.
Misses: Stephen Elliott, Yannick Murphy, Holly Tavel, Kevin Moffett, Christian Winn.
The rest were somewhere in between. Rajesh Parameswaran's "The Strange Career of Doctor Raju Gopalarajan" was a strange wonder and wins my improptu BEST STORY IN #21 award.
July 8, 2007
this was my first mcsweeney's quarterly. All of the stories are very, very engaging. I didn't even know I liked short stories that much. The Balloon and the las story, (the one by Joyce Carol Oates) were both particularly ineresting.
February 7, 2012
As far as McSweeney's goes, this is a pretty so-so issue. The big winners in this one are Rajesh Parameswaran, Greg Ames, and Joyce Carol Oates- Their three stories are fantastic, some of the best I've read in Mcsweeney's. The rest- some good, some meh.
June 30, 2013
it was very very cool and interesting but my lack of literary skills prevented me from fully understanding and absorbing the meaning of the story :( but even so, it was a lovely read which i enjoyed immensely :)
September 4, 2013
Some of the stories in this anthology were completely unrelatable but I did thoroughly enjoy a few of them. I especially loved the one about the birds of paradise--it was written in a beautiful style reminiscent of modern magical realism that I could easily devour another hundred pages of.
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January 20, 2008I'm giving up. It's been on my bedside table for months and I have zero desire to pick it up. I barely got through the first 2 stories... I guess I'm not a McSweeney's gal after all.
September 9, 2007
I always enjoy reading McSweeney's, but this wasn't my favorite issue. The stories were mostly interesting, some definitely good, but I didn't think any in this issue were really great.
November 27, 2007
My friend Greg's story "I Feel Free" is in this issue. Read it now. He's brilliant.
Or go to his website - GregAmes.com
Or go to his website - GregAmes.com
December 16, 2007
I learned to love McSweeney's.
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May 8, 2008Normally I don't add lit journals, but this one has a great story in it called "I Feel Free," by Greg Ames. Very twisted, funny, entertaining story. Cracked me up several times.
May 17, 2008
Nice collection, some of course stronger than others. Greg Ames's "I Feel Free" and Miranda July's "Majesty" are stand-outs.
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July 13, 2009maggie murray credit!
October 28, 2009
The Strange Career Of Doctor Raju Gopalarajan by Rajesh Parameswaran on p. 77 is wonderful.
January 1, 2013
Hate to Be Alone
The Pram
Majesty
I Feel Free
Last Words
Serenade
The Pram
Majesty
I Feel Free
Last Words
Serenade
October 25, 2012
I really enjoyed the Joyce Carol Oates story at the end of this one, "Grandpa Clemens and Angelfish 1906."
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