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The Overwhelming Urge
It is a world where men wake up with laser beams for eyes and wives play sadistic practical jokes. It is a world where body parts randomly fall off and fathers turn into antelopes. In this world, vampires and spontaneous combustions are a constant threat. THE OVERWHELMING URGE is a collection of bizarro flash fiction, containing ridiculous characters and absurd stories reminiscent of David Lynch and Franz Kafka. Written at knifepoint in a burning room, this book will make you think of a dirty comedian raving from Freud's couch.
123 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2008
20 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
Andersen Prunty
51 books670 followersAndersen Prunty lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He writes novels and short stories. Visit him at notandersenprunty.com, where he posts a free story every Friday.
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May 16, 2008I wrote it so, of course, I give it five stars. I'd give it like six or seven if I could. Is it tacky to review one's own book? I'm sure it is.
April 26, 2008
Prunty's flash fiction is sick, quirky, and damn funny. Some of the pieces seem completely pointless and are still entertaining (welcome to bizarro). Others are insightful, disturbing, and humorous all at the same time. These are short stories worth checking out. I look forward to checking out his upcoming novel, Jack and Mr. Grin.
February 20, 2009
I wasn't expecting much from this book. I enjoyed Andersen Prunty's novel I had just read, but the idea of reading sixty something short stories in only about a hundred and something pages seemed like it would probably be tedious. But I found myself without a book to read on break one day and I didn't want to get into anything too involved, or spend much money on buying a new book so I picked this up to read while freezing my ass off on a concrete step behind the store.
For a series of flash, or micro fiction stories these are on the whole really good. Each of them has enough of it's own personality that it doesn't at all feel like you are reading the same thing over and over again. They also seem to be just about the perfect length. Many of them are almost like absurd little jokes, told with just enough filler to set up the punchline perfectly. I could see some of these ideas being so appealing to an author that they would try to create longer works out of them, but while doing so losing the humor and interest of the idea while trying to milk it for too many pages. Lots of fun, but not for those who don't enjoy reveling from time to time in the darkly absurd.
For a series of flash, or micro fiction stories these are on the whole really good. Each of them has enough of it's own personality that it doesn't at all feel like you are reading the same thing over and over again. They also seem to be just about the perfect length. Many of them are almost like absurd little jokes, told with just enough filler to set up the punchline perfectly. I could see some of these ideas being so appealing to an author that they would try to create longer works out of them, but while doing so losing the humor and interest of the idea while trying to milk it for too many pages. Lots of fun, but not for those who don't enjoy reveling from time to time in the darkly absurd.
June 28, 2008
Andersen Prunty is probably my first positive experience with the newly-fledged Bizarro movement in fiction. Bizarro lit seems to be gaining momentum and a readership rather quickly. This is probably due to the easy readability of these books, and because the works are often fun and unpretentious. Bizarro books (when they are enjoyable) feel almost like guilty pleasures, and restore us to the time when we read more fanciful, "messed up" sci fi or fantasy books--when we were kids or teenagers. "You reading that crap?" was the sort of comnment we'd get from those more enlightened beings around us who were probably reading Harold Robbins or Jackie Collins. Or worse: Tom Wolfe.
We knew why we read those books back then, but many of us have forgotten. Wasn't it for the sense of the miraculous and the marvelous, the sense that anything was possible in this weird universe? Well, Bizarro is bringing that sense back by the shovelful.
Bizarro fiction is not for everyone. You have to possess a rather macabre sense of humor, for sure. Do you laugh often at David Lynch films? If so, you will probably enjoy bizarro fiction. Andersen Prunty's book of flash fiction and short fiction, The Overwhelming Urge, was published by Eraserhead Press, after all, and once you read it I don't think you will find that fact a coincidence. Bizarro fiction appears to owe more to David Lynch's brand of American surrealism than the surrealism of Breton and Company. Bizarro has a gooey, macabre and existential (but often hilarious) take on life. You get the impression these books are probably as much fun to write as they are to read.
Of course, freedom always brings liability. And this means the extravagant freedom that Bizarro encourages in its authors will not always result in books of quality. For every Pollock, there will be 10,000 more Jack the Drippers out in the garage, sure they are creating a work to rival "Lavendar Mist." I have seen some very bad Bizarro writing, and have seen some of these books get their comeuppance in astute literary reviews. As with any style, there must be substance. There must be a real author, chosing to wear this skin for a while. Wallace Stevens's infamous charge directed at European surrealism (that it "invents without discovering") should be kept in mind by any would-be Bizarro litterateur.
I first encountered Bizarro fiction on Goodreads.com. There are a number of practitioners of the aesthetic on there, and many of the authors are enjoying a nascent popularity. It's not a literary movement in the traditional sense. The authors have not been publishing annoying manifestos, and condemning the art of the past as "bourgeois" or "irrelevant." (At least this hasn't happened yet, which is a refreshing change.) No one is getting ground down under a critical or theoretical apparatus which is clearly designed for future academic consumption and the torture of undergraduates. Hell, there is not even a Wikipedia entry on Bizarro Fiction yet! Now how unlikely is that? Could you imagine any poetic or prose-based avant-garde movement in the 20th century not making a beeline for Wikipedia codification in the first fifteen minutes of existence? I think of the pods in Invasion of the Body Snatchers when I think of most of those literary movements. Let's hope the purity remains in Bizarro.
Oh, one last note before discussing Andersen Prunty's book in particular. I haven't established what Bizarro fiction acknowledges as the source for the name itself, but I don't believe it's Superman's hilarious alter ego, Bizarro (see the Wikipedia article by the same name for some marvelous tutelage on this). Perhaps it's from Mondo Bizarro. It doesn't seem to really matter, since everyone gets what Bizarro is. Everyone uses that word naturally at one point or another to describe something they are encountering beyond the bourne of recognition. Breton called it le merveilleux. These writers simply call it Bizarro, which is much easier to pronounce, and just as useful.
Andersen Prunty's The Overwhelming Urge is a decidedly uneven collection. There are stories I think are rather brilliant; there are near-misses; there are duds. I don't want to be cavalier here. I do want to say I think there is a real originality present in the best pieces, and that I'm impressed that the work is always accessible, even when it's challenging. I get the impression that many of the stories I don't like will be loved by others. I feel the author has a real sense of the variousness of his audience. And that's a good, compassionate thing. As one reads the stories, possible literary antecedents flit through one's mind. Kafka? Definitely. Donald Barthelme? Possibly. Edson? Oh, yes. The Steve Martin of Cruel Shoes? Very probable.
Like many of the authors I just mentioned, Prunty has a gift for writing the weird parable. Many of these stories resonate well beyond their particulars, and leave a real smack on the brain. I am going to scan in two stories I wanted to share ("Vagina" and "The Joke") to give you an idea of the sort of writing I think Prunty does best. (See my blog, Joe Brainard's Pyjamas, for these.) Several of these stories deserve to be anthologized and given a wider readership. I love the simplicity of Prunty's language, the refusal to deviate stylistically from what is essential to the telling of the miniature tale. It's hard to write well about the relationship between the sexes, or our relationship to sex itself, but Prunty has a knack for that. But he has no particular obsessions or subject matter; he's pretty much interested in the whole weird platter of life, and in that regard the stories deliver up a Petronian spread. The longest piece of fiction in here, "Discovering the Shape of My Skull," is a compelling demonstration of how the entire universe of Eros is really only a spinning plate balanced on a thin stick for a circus act. Read it, and you'll see what I'm talking about.
When Prunty succeeds, he creates a vision to rival the best scenes out of Lynch (and yes, often the darkest works, like Eraserhead or Lost Highway). When he fails, it's a joke with no punchline, or a too obvious punchline. "Prince," in which the narrator finds himself inexplicably babysitting the rock god--who is now a geriatric teenager--flops flat on its purple lame belly. "Void" ("I have a bowel movement that lasts for three days") inexplicably discovers a Kafkaesque tale of strange beauty in extremely disgusting, scatological circumstances. "Vagina" and "The Joke" both work their stiletto heels beautifully on the literary runway. "Shoes" and "The Johnsons" are both too close to pieces in Martin's Cruel Shoes for my liking. "Frogs" is hilarious and filmic. Andersen better watch that one doesn't get cribbed. I expect some screenwriter to steal that baby from him.
Prunty's best writing is completely aware of the thought that runs under our thought, the humongous fears and worries we carry around with us on this planet in which everything is uncertain, and it sculpts those fears...not into epiphanies the way the worst mainstream fiction does (the man wouldn't insult you like that) but rather into a strange sort of release that may be a laugh, may be a gasp, or may just be a moan.
The French poststructuralists would have a field day with some of his writing on the body and sex. Even Bachelard would love the obsessively attentive way Prunty plays with our sense of space in these stories.
Discovering Prunty as a young author (with all the inevitable imperfections and rough spots) is rather like encountering Bukowski early in his career. You know this guy is gonna take a lotta shit from people who are sure they "know better." You know it will be fun to watch this display of ego in the monkey house. But you also see the wild hunger, and the gift. You know who you're putting your mental money on. You know who's going to win in the long run and the big picture. And you know it will be a fun film to watch.
We knew why we read those books back then, but many of us have forgotten. Wasn't it for the sense of the miraculous and the marvelous, the sense that anything was possible in this weird universe? Well, Bizarro is bringing that sense back by the shovelful.
Bizarro fiction is not for everyone. You have to possess a rather macabre sense of humor, for sure. Do you laugh often at David Lynch films? If so, you will probably enjoy bizarro fiction. Andersen Prunty's book of flash fiction and short fiction, The Overwhelming Urge, was published by Eraserhead Press, after all, and once you read it I don't think you will find that fact a coincidence. Bizarro fiction appears to owe more to David Lynch's brand of American surrealism than the surrealism of Breton and Company. Bizarro has a gooey, macabre and existential (but often hilarious) take on life. You get the impression these books are probably as much fun to write as they are to read.
Of course, freedom always brings liability. And this means the extravagant freedom that Bizarro encourages in its authors will not always result in books of quality. For every Pollock, there will be 10,000 more Jack the Drippers out in the garage, sure they are creating a work to rival "Lavendar Mist." I have seen some very bad Bizarro writing, and have seen some of these books get their comeuppance in astute literary reviews. As with any style, there must be substance. There must be a real author, chosing to wear this skin for a while. Wallace Stevens's infamous charge directed at European surrealism (that it "invents without discovering") should be kept in mind by any would-be Bizarro litterateur.
I first encountered Bizarro fiction on Goodreads.com. There are a number of practitioners of the aesthetic on there, and many of the authors are enjoying a nascent popularity. It's not a literary movement in the traditional sense. The authors have not been publishing annoying manifestos, and condemning the art of the past as "bourgeois" or "irrelevant." (At least this hasn't happened yet, which is a refreshing change.) No one is getting ground down under a critical or theoretical apparatus which is clearly designed for future academic consumption and the torture of undergraduates. Hell, there is not even a Wikipedia entry on Bizarro Fiction yet! Now how unlikely is that? Could you imagine any poetic or prose-based avant-garde movement in the 20th century not making a beeline for Wikipedia codification in the first fifteen minutes of existence? I think of the pods in Invasion of the Body Snatchers when I think of most of those literary movements. Let's hope the purity remains in Bizarro.
Oh, one last note before discussing Andersen Prunty's book in particular. I haven't established what Bizarro fiction acknowledges as the source for the name itself, but I don't believe it's Superman's hilarious alter ego, Bizarro (see the Wikipedia article by the same name for some marvelous tutelage on this). Perhaps it's from Mondo Bizarro. It doesn't seem to really matter, since everyone gets what Bizarro is. Everyone uses that word naturally at one point or another to describe something they are encountering beyond the bourne of recognition. Breton called it le merveilleux. These writers simply call it Bizarro, which is much easier to pronounce, and just as useful.
Andersen Prunty's The Overwhelming Urge is a decidedly uneven collection. There are stories I think are rather brilliant; there are near-misses; there are duds. I don't want to be cavalier here. I do want to say I think there is a real originality present in the best pieces, and that I'm impressed that the work is always accessible, even when it's challenging. I get the impression that many of the stories I don't like will be loved by others. I feel the author has a real sense of the variousness of his audience. And that's a good, compassionate thing. As one reads the stories, possible literary antecedents flit through one's mind. Kafka? Definitely. Donald Barthelme? Possibly. Edson? Oh, yes. The Steve Martin of Cruel Shoes? Very probable.
Like many of the authors I just mentioned, Prunty has a gift for writing the weird parable. Many of these stories resonate well beyond their particulars, and leave a real smack on the brain. I am going to scan in two stories I wanted to share ("Vagina" and "The Joke") to give you an idea of the sort of writing I think Prunty does best. (See my blog, Joe Brainard's Pyjamas, for these.) Several of these stories deserve to be anthologized and given a wider readership. I love the simplicity of Prunty's language, the refusal to deviate stylistically from what is essential to the telling of the miniature tale. It's hard to write well about the relationship between the sexes, or our relationship to sex itself, but Prunty has a knack for that. But he has no particular obsessions or subject matter; he's pretty much interested in the whole weird platter of life, and in that regard the stories deliver up a Petronian spread. The longest piece of fiction in here, "Discovering the Shape of My Skull," is a compelling demonstration of how the entire universe of Eros is really only a spinning plate balanced on a thin stick for a circus act. Read it, and you'll see what I'm talking about.
When Prunty succeeds, he creates a vision to rival the best scenes out of Lynch (and yes, often the darkest works, like Eraserhead or Lost Highway). When he fails, it's a joke with no punchline, or a too obvious punchline. "Prince," in which the narrator finds himself inexplicably babysitting the rock god--who is now a geriatric teenager--flops flat on its purple lame belly. "Void" ("I have a bowel movement that lasts for three days") inexplicably discovers a Kafkaesque tale of strange beauty in extremely disgusting, scatological circumstances. "Vagina" and "The Joke" both work their stiletto heels beautifully on the literary runway. "Shoes" and "The Johnsons" are both too close to pieces in Martin's Cruel Shoes for my liking. "Frogs" is hilarious and filmic. Andersen better watch that one doesn't get cribbed. I expect some screenwriter to steal that baby from him.
Prunty's best writing is completely aware of the thought that runs under our thought, the humongous fears and worries we carry around with us on this planet in which everything is uncertain, and it sculpts those fears...not into epiphanies the way the worst mainstream fiction does (the man wouldn't insult you like that) but rather into a strange sort of release that may be a laugh, may be a gasp, or may just be a moan.
The French poststructuralists would have a field day with some of his writing on the body and sex. Even Bachelard would love the obsessively attentive way Prunty plays with our sense of space in these stories.
Discovering Prunty as a young author (with all the inevitable imperfections and rough spots) is rather like encountering Bukowski early in his career. You know this guy is gonna take a lotta shit from people who are sure they "know better." You know it will be fun to watch this display of ego in the monkey house. But you also see the wild hunger, and the gift. You know who you're putting your mental money on. You know who's going to win in the long run and the big picture. And you know it will be a fun film to watch.
August 5, 2012
As opposed to other short story bizarro books I have read I have to say this is my favorite. I've liked his books and now his short short mini stories. The stories are all over the map but each one great and well thought out in its own right. The longest one at ten pages and going against the short rhythm of the book itself, feels like an epic. Each one is a smooth, fast read, propelled along by the quality of Prunty's storytelling.
The quality of Prunty's writing is great, polite & nice, bordering on apologetic. But with these short stories I am reminded of telling jokes, due to their shortness; moreover, I pair some of these stories and the art form to improv comedy like The UCB theater, and Andersen does a great job at setting up the story and delivering the laughs. And on the laugh spectrum it goes from crazily weird, to the gross out funny, to laugh out loud hysterical to the scratch your head and then laugh about it later.
Some of my favorites include: Prince, Void, Blood, The Wise Man, Drugs, Vampire, The Animal Trainer, and Frogs.
4.5 stars, a great rapid-fire bizarro short story novella. So far I have enjoyed every Prunty read that I have gotten my hands on.
The quality of Prunty's writing is great, polite & nice, bordering on apologetic. But with these short stories I am reminded of telling jokes, due to their shortness; moreover, I pair some of these stories and the art form to improv comedy like The UCB theater, and Andersen does a great job at setting up the story and delivering the laughs. And on the laugh spectrum it goes from crazily weird, to the gross out funny, to laugh out loud hysterical to the scratch your head and then laugh about it later.
Some of my favorites include: Prince, Void, Blood, The Wise Man, Drugs, Vampire, The Animal Trainer, and Frogs.
4.5 stars, a great rapid-fire bizarro short story novella. So far I have enjoyed every Prunty read that I have gotten my hands on.
January 26, 2010
Andersen Prunty's The Overwhelming Urge already had a mark in its favor, as I love flash fiction when done well (and it is very hard to do - try and tell a story in 1000, 750 or 500 words or less). Prunty does flash well, and there are a couple of short story length pieces in the book. His spare writing style can cram a lot into a few lines, and in the midst of all the absurdity, there is a pathos that drew me into the stories. For example, in the story Bully, the trope is that the protagonist sent a story to the wrong sort of venue and the editor not only rejected it, but showed up at the protagonist's home to challenge him to a fight. As one reads the description of the bully and the protagonist, then looks at Prunty's author picture on the back page, the resemblance between the three is clear, and one wonders if this tale is possibly a clever, short look at the writer's war with himself. The mistakes, the potential for humiliation, the sense of horror when work is rejected by peers. Of course, the story is littered with strange details that could mean the piece is simply an attempt to entertain using absurdity, but as someone who tries herself to write fiction, I left the piece with this interpretation.[return:]Read more of my review at: [return:]http://ireadoddbooks.com/?p=110
May 16, 2008
This is a funny book full of weird flash fiction. I wouldn't call it "funny" as in how a book by Woody Allen is funny. It's funny, weird funny. Bizarro funny. Absurd, gross funny.
Get it?
Oh, and I also heard rumors that the author is, in fact, invisible..which makes the book even more impressive.
If you want something to read on the toilet, this is the book to get. Short bursts of fiction similar to the short bursts of rectal refuse that you'll discharge while laughing at the witty words of Mr. Prunty.
I confess that I'm really not a big fan of what you call "flash fiction". Generally I like to read longer works and if I had to read a short story, the longer the better. I like to see a developed plot and characters. Plus, many short stories tend to be extended jokes or just something to hang a clever ending on. THE OVERWHELMING URGE, though, was an entertaining and extremely bizarro collection that will definitely impress readers.
There're more than 60 stories in 126pgs so you can tell that many of them are very short. There are titles like "Vagina" and "Cowboy" as well as "Mobile Desk".
If you are looking for outright weirdness and stories that are sometimes in very bad taste, this is for you. And there were a few that were pretty creepy but not in the horror way (more in the uncomfortable sex way like in the story "Pimp"). I believe this book is quite disarming.. I didn't expect a lot of the explicit material for some reason. It hits you in the face like one of those appendages that grace the cover.
One thing I liked was the appearance of Wilfred Brimley as a character not to mention Craig T. Nelson and a poster of Kirk Cameron. Very creative use of pop culture (b-list pop culture?) figures. Another favorite is the "The Plath Maneuver". I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud from a story, especially one as short as that one.
The writing itself is smooth and you could tell that the author took time developing his rhythm.
The downside to this collection is one that I find in many short story collections. There are really great pieces in here which only make the mediocre ones more visible. Also, there are a few really short "flash" pieces that seemed so nonsensical that I felt that they could've been left out and not really affected my enjoyment of the book. However, I did notice that quite a few of the really really short ones were VERY entertaining and creative. Overall, though, I enjoyed the longer pieces.
For those who do enjoy flash (really short) fiction, I'd say this book will probably be a favorite on the bookshelf. As for me, I enjoyed it but am eagerly waiting for a full-length work by Prunty. I just don't think flash fiction is my thing. That doesn't affect the merit of this book, though.
If you like weird stories, you'll have fun with this.
However, if I had to point you to one work by Andersen Prunty, it'd be his full-length novel JACK & MR. GRIN
Get it?
Oh, and I also heard rumors that the author is, in fact, invisible..which makes the book even more impressive.
If you want something to read on the toilet, this is the book to get. Short bursts of fiction similar to the short bursts of rectal refuse that you'll discharge while laughing at the witty words of Mr. Prunty.
I confess that I'm really not a big fan of what you call "flash fiction". Generally I like to read longer works and if I had to read a short story, the longer the better. I like to see a developed plot and characters. Plus, many short stories tend to be extended jokes or just something to hang a clever ending on. THE OVERWHELMING URGE, though, was an entertaining and extremely bizarro collection that will definitely impress readers.
There're more than 60 stories in 126pgs so you can tell that many of them are very short. There are titles like "Vagina" and "Cowboy" as well as "Mobile Desk".
If you are looking for outright weirdness and stories that are sometimes in very bad taste, this is for you. And there were a few that were pretty creepy but not in the horror way (more in the uncomfortable sex way like in the story "Pimp"). I believe this book is quite disarming.. I didn't expect a lot of the explicit material for some reason. It hits you in the face like one of those appendages that grace the cover.
One thing I liked was the appearance of Wilfred Brimley as a character not to mention Craig T. Nelson and a poster of Kirk Cameron. Very creative use of pop culture (b-list pop culture?) figures. Another favorite is the "The Plath Maneuver". I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud from a story, especially one as short as that one.
The writing itself is smooth and you could tell that the author took time developing his rhythm.
The downside to this collection is one that I find in many short story collections. There are really great pieces in here which only make the mediocre ones more visible. Also, there are a few really short "flash" pieces that seemed so nonsensical that I felt that they could've been left out and not really affected my enjoyment of the book. However, I did notice that quite a few of the really really short ones were VERY entertaining and creative. Overall, though, I enjoyed the longer pieces.
For those who do enjoy flash (really short) fiction, I'd say this book will probably be a favorite on the bookshelf. As for me, I enjoyed it but am eagerly waiting for a full-length work by Prunty. I just don't think flash fiction is my thing. That doesn't affect the merit of this book, though.
If you like weird stories, you'll have fun with this.
However, if I had to point you to one work by Andersen Prunty, it'd be his full-length novel JACK & MR. GRIN
January 23, 2009
Andersen Prunty is one of the writers at the forefront of the second wave of bizarro. "The Overwhelming Urge" is his first book from Eraserhead Press and is a collection of much of Prunty's short fiction. The book compiles sixty-six stories of various lengths; the longest being a few pages, the shortest is shorter than this review. The topic matter varies greatly but a cursory glance at the table of contents will give you an idea of the topics Prunty is dealing with. "The Wise Man," "Drugs," "Vagina," and "Vampire" are just a few of the twisted tales within.
Prunty is already developing a reputation as a talented horror writer, but this collection shows different side to his genre writing. While elements of horror do frequently appear in the stories, the general tone of the book is of humor and philosophy rather than scares. Prunty writes with a thoughtful smirk but does not forget entertain, titillate, and thrill.
It has already been suggested that the bizarro genre works best in the short form and "The Overwhelming Urge" is a convincing argument. This balance of the weird, dark, and funny is difficult to sustain for long works but succeeds wonderfully in this more limited medium. Each story quickly jumps into the reader's head, scrambles things around a bit, and then leaves before the reader has the chance to put it down with rationality.
With books coming out later this year and the next on Eraserhead Press and Cargo Cult Press, Andersen Prunty is set to make a big splash. "The Overwhelming Urge" is a perfect introduction to those curious about this exciting new talent. What the stories lack in word-count they more than make up for in pure literary impact.
Prunty is already developing a reputation as a talented horror writer, but this collection shows different side to his genre writing. While elements of horror do frequently appear in the stories, the general tone of the book is of humor and philosophy rather than scares. Prunty writes with a thoughtful smirk but does not forget entertain, titillate, and thrill.
It has already been suggested that the bizarro genre works best in the short form and "The Overwhelming Urge" is a convincing argument. This balance of the weird, dark, and funny is difficult to sustain for long works but succeeds wonderfully in this more limited medium. Each story quickly jumps into the reader's head, scrambles things around a bit, and then leaves before the reader has the chance to put it down with rationality.
With books coming out later this year and the next on Eraserhead Press and Cargo Cult Press, Andersen Prunty is set to make a big splash. "The Overwhelming Urge" is a perfect introduction to those curious about this exciting new talent. What the stories lack in word-count they more than make up for in pure literary impact.
August 30, 2008
Flash Fiction is very difficult. You can make it into a bad joke, an irritating pretentious koan or a dull Jeremiad if you're not careful with it. Its malleability and the potential misuses of it have always reminded me of improv comedy. Improv comedy can generate chuckles, paroxysms of laughter or shrugs. The Overwhelming Urge by Andersen has none of the latter (immensely to his credit) a substantial amount of paroxysms and a couple of chuckles. But with this laughter comes an observation of aberrant human behavior, which, coupled with the comedy brings to mind the darker moments of Mr. Show, Kids in the Hall and the Upright Citizen's Brigade. The stories are thought provoking funny and exciting, the desperation of his story "Vagina" aches, the trueness of "Drugs" evokes a small shudder with the laughter and "Discovering the Shape of My Skull" is a strangely compelling, bittersweet Kafkaesque nightmare. My sole complaint about the collection is one of personal preference. I would have preferred more stories like "Vagina" and fewer moments of broad-ish comedy. A good laugh, a good thinkpiece and a virtuoso use of a difficult form. I can only hope my own flash fiction could someday be at this level.
June 14, 2011
This is a collection of very brief fiction, 66 stories in 140 pages, by Bizarro author Andersen Prunty. I suspect most of these are earlier than his novels and they are clearly under the definition of what I consider Bizarro fiction, meaning they are weird, not at all plot-based and usually vague in meaning. My main issue with these writings is my issue with all flash fiction. They tend to read like writing exercises rather than stories meant to convey meaning or even entertainment. However, they are still very good and surpasses most the flash fiction I've read. While I prefer his novellas to his short fiction, he still demonstrates that he is one of the best writers in the Bizarro genre.
December 20, 2008
Nice. 66 shocking little dreams, told starkly and without pretension, that somehow add up to an inner landscape painting of tiny victories and aching defeats.
January 13, 2024
This collection of flash fiction is yet another testament to how great bizarro fiction can be but it is also shows us that Prunty is a great writer who has lknack for writing stories that are not just good but can be a bit weird. If you never read anything in this genre this is a great place to start.
December 22, 2020
Is there such a thing as ‘Flash Bizarro’? My first experience with this author leaves me asking a lot of questions of life and stories in general. Everything had a flare of the strange or grotesque and I enjoyed it.
October 8, 2008
The Overwhelming Urge has a certain underlying rhythm to it, like the dots and dashes of an SOS distress call. These shorts roll over the reader, wave upon wave, drawing a haplessly logical audience further from shore or any other recognizable reference point. Is it reasonable to wake up with laser beam eyes? Perhaps. Does it follow that if everyone in a village was named Johnson, and they didn't have first names, then you'd have to refer to them by their house numbers? Well that does seem logical, doesn't it?
Andersen's style is spare, almost apologetically polite. However his topics are often violent, perverse or gross creating a perpetual awkward moment that can only be relieved with behind-the-hand giggling. The best thing about this collection is that you absolutely never know what's going to be around the next period. I just dare you to guess! There are lots of surprises and, though the stories are short, there's a lot to think about. For instance the titles often seem unobtrusive but once you've read the story they take on new and surprising meaning.
The Overwhelming Urge is a must-read for anyone who enjoys the work of D. Harlan Wilson or absurdist fiction in general. However people who like intricate or predictable plotting and complex characters will not find much to sustain them.
Andersen's style is spare, almost apologetically polite. However his topics are often violent, perverse or gross creating a perpetual awkward moment that can only be relieved with behind-the-hand giggling. The best thing about this collection is that you absolutely never know what's going to be around the next period. I just dare you to guess! There are lots of surprises and, though the stories are short, there's a lot to think about. For instance the titles often seem unobtrusive but once you've read the story they take on new and surprising meaning.
The Overwhelming Urge is a must-read for anyone who enjoys the work of D. Harlan Wilson or absurdist fiction in general. However people who like intricate or predictable plotting and complex characters will not find much to sustain them.
August 14, 2010
This collection of flash fiction oozes with alienation, awkwardness, and angst (well, I'm not sure about "angst", but I needed another "a" word to keep with the alliteration).
Andersen Prunty has a clean, sparse, understated style...he's sort of the Hemingway of the Bizarro scene. This collection has the same vibe as watching a collection of experimental short films. Some of them hit more than others (my favorite is "Prince", and I also really enjoyed "Void" and "Blodd").
I recommend buying this book because it serves as a sort of Prunty sampler -- demonstrating the range of his work as well as some of the recurring themes. I also recommend it because it's the ideal book to read in short spurts. You can take it with you everywhere and read little pieces of it here and there over a series of months.
While I feel that Prunty's novella/short novel ZEROSTRATA is a stronger work -- this book was a fun read.
Andersen Prunty has a clean, sparse, understated style...he's sort of the Hemingway of the Bizarro scene. This collection has the same vibe as watching a collection of experimental short films. Some of them hit more than others (my favorite is "Prince", and I also really enjoyed "Void" and "Blodd").
I recommend buying this book because it serves as a sort of Prunty sampler -- demonstrating the range of his work as well as some of the recurring themes. I also recommend it because it's the ideal book to read in short spurts. You can take it with you everywhere and read little pieces of it here and there over a series of months.
While I feel that Prunty's novella/short novel ZEROSTRATA is a stronger work -- this book was a fun read.
July 15, 2014
So I have become a pretty big fan of bizarro fiction, and mostly with the short fiction category of it. This book goes along with that fact as it has a great deal of stories in a short amount of time, most of them would qualify as microfiction or flash fiction but they have a great deal of content for the shortness.
What I like the most about this collection is the fact that every story is based mostly in reality and its the subtle things that make it surreal. That sort of small feeling that things aren't right is what I look for in some of my reading. It's not too gory or full of sex but there is some of both of them, so not for the complete squeamish but don't expect too much extreme content either. For favorites it would be really hard to list them as there are 20+ stories, but honestly I liked all but the longest one a great deal. Highly recommended.
also posted at http://darkeclectictastes.blogspot.com/
What I like the most about this collection is the fact that every story is based mostly in reality and its the subtle things that make it surreal. That sort of small feeling that things aren't right is what I look for in some of my reading. It's not too gory or full of sex but there is some of both of them, so not for the complete squeamish but don't expect too much extreme content either. For favorites it would be really hard to list them as there are 20+ stories, but honestly I liked all but the longest one a great deal. Highly recommended.
also posted at http://darkeclectictastes.blogspot.com/
January 6, 2013
Andersen Prunty, The Overwhelming Urge (Eraserhead Press, 2008)
I'm a pretty big fan of Andersen Prunty's. While I can't claim to have read anywhere near the man's entire output—he's easily one of the most prolific authors whose bibliography I keep track of—what I've read has been good stuff from front to back. The Overwhelming Urge, a collection of mostly short-shorts, is no exception. While it would be more accurate to label most of these character sketches rather than stories, they never fail to be interesting. And when Prunty does show up with a full-fledged story, as he does a few times in this collection, wow. “Discovering the Shape of My Skull” is a darned fine blend of horror, humor, and existential angst, a blend that Prunty has come close to perfecting. This is fine stuff indeed, and if you get a chance to pick a copy of this up, go for it. *** ½
I'm a pretty big fan of Andersen Prunty's. While I can't claim to have read anywhere near the man's entire output—he's easily one of the most prolific authors whose bibliography I keep track of—what I've read has been good stuff from front to back. The Overwhelming Urge, a collection of mostly short-shorts, is no exception. While it would be more accurate to label most of these character sketches rather than stories, they never fail to be interesting. And when Prunty does show up with a full-fledged story, as he does a few times in this collection, wow. “Discovering the Shape of My Skull” is a darned fine blend of horror, humor, and existential angst, a blend that Prunty has come close to perfecting. This is fine stuff indeed, and if you get a chance to pick a copy of this up, go for it. *** ½
December 30, 2012
I had never heard of "Flash Fiction" before, but it may well turn out that the snippets of ideas I have for stories myself would work better in this fast and frenetic style of story telling.
Prunty is an absolute lunatic and how he has remained a free man is beyond me. I would not be surprised if he is highly medicated and addicted to several questionable substances.
I bet he sleeps really well though.
Geez, I do love crazy people.
Prunty is an absolute lunatic and how he has remained a free man is beyond me. I would not be surprised if he is highly medicated and addicted to several questionable substances.
I bet he sleeps really well though.
Geez, I do love crazy people.
September 7, 2010
This book was excellent... a collection of Bizarro flash fiction... 66 stories in 126 pages... The thing that surprised me the most was the consistency of the quality of these little stories... Pretty much every one is just as unique and curious and entertaining as the rest... good work, Andersen!!!
October 23, 2012
If this is an introduction to Andersen Prunty, I want to read probably anything he writes. I liked enough of the stories that I don't want to just name 3 or 4, because that would exclude too many other ones I liked. It wasn't just the stories, there are specific sentences in the book I want to go back and memorize so that I can recite them in my head when I need a laugh.
March 21, 2010
Andersen Prunty's flash fiction tends to be a little more left-of-center than his full length books, and as such, I think reading The Overwhelming Urge one story at a time would be a huge mistake. The stories are short (some only three or four paragraphs), and work best in large chunks.
January 10, 2011
"Absurd stories" sounded cool to me but probably because I somehow imagined that more of these stories would have more of a point. Apparently, when the word "bizarro" is used, it means the only point is to be weird. A disappointment, because I'd been looking forward to these.
Read
August 22, 2008I have to read the book.
November 9, 2008
Some of my favorite flash fiction I've ever read is in this book. Very funny, and weird, stuff.
May 12, 2009
If prose-poet Russel Edson could possibly get stranger and weirder than he already is, he'd write flash fiction like Andersen Prunty.
Want to read
March 4, 2011free download here on goodreads?...checking it out...
May 8, 2012
Some cracking short stories, just so weird that I didn't know what to make of them. Philosophy stands
out as one of the eerie and poignant ones.
out as one of the eerie and poignant ones.
September 5, 2015
Absurd, twisted and plain weird short -REALLY short- stories. Loved it!
January 26, 2009
Funny and interesting. Pretty weird but fun.
July 27, 2013
Nothing exceptional but I had a few laughs and liked it enough to read it all in one day.
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