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FAMOUS WRITERS I HAVE KNOWN

James Magnuson

In this brilliant mix of literary satire and crime caper, Frankie Abandonato, a small-time con man on the run, finds refuge by posing as V. S. Mohle—a famously reclusive writer—and teaching in a prestigious writing program somewhere in Texas.

Streetwise and semiliterate, Frankie finds that being treated as a genius agrees with him. The program has been funded by Rex Schoeninger, the world’s richest novelist, who is dying. Buzzards are circling, angling for the remains of Rex’s fortune, and Frankie quickly realizes that he has been presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. Complicating matters is the fact that Rex is haunted by a twenty-five-year feud with the shadowy Mohle. What rankles Rex is that, while he has written fifty bestsellers and never gotten an ounce of literary respect, Mohle wrote one slender novel, disappeared into the woods, and become an icon. Determined to come to terms with his past, Rex has arranged to bring his rival to Texas, only to find himself facing off against an imposter. Famous Writers I Have Known is not just an unforgettable literary romp but also a surprisingly tender take on two men—one a scam artist frantic to be believed, the other an old lion desperate to be remembered. James Magnuson is the author of eight previous novels and the recipient of multiple fellowships and awards for fiction. He currently directs the James A. Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas. He lives in Austin.

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Book Published 2014-01-01 by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. - New York (USA)

Comments

A fast, fun read. Magnuson’s writing is strong.

The single wickedest satire I've read in years. Flat-out hilarious (and disturbing, in the most genial kind of way.

This is a droll, understated, ultimately sweet-tempered but also keenly savvy send-up of the much-lamented (and misunderstood) creative writing industry in America. A copy could usefully be included in the welcome kit for all new MFA candidates.

Jim Magnuson has done something remarkable—written a page-turner about the life of a writer. In his insights into the particular Famous Writer considered here, Magnuson’s peerless eye has not missed a single telling detail. His comedy is huge but its also sly: just under the surface of this Portrait of the Almost-Artist as a Cranky Old Man lies a moving meditation on the quest for immortality that drives us all, the mad cry from Othello: "Reputation! Reputation! Reputation!

James Magnuson's new novel is an anything-goes mash-up. It's funny, it's poignant, it's scarily on-target when it comes to writing programs and dreams of literary immortality—and, best of all, it's out of its mind.

Michener Center Director To Mold Its Namesake Into Fiction: James Magnuson, who has been the director of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin since 1994, will bring some of his experience with boldface names to his next novel. Read more...

amous Writers I Have Known is the engaging story of an ingenious con-man who enters the world of Creative Writing with a mixture of innocence, nerve and talent. James Magnuson creates a character both cunning and warmhearted. He describes the Texan landscape with a loving and painterly eye, and he re-creates the world of writers and would-be writers with wit and knowledge and dark laughter.

It’s unlikely that anyone else has managed a more ingenious way to caricature his workplace… Most of the fun Magnuson pokes is gentle and tinged with affection for the sundry weirdos you might encounter in a writing program.

A triumphantly preposterous fish-out-of-water campus caper.

James Magnuson’s mischievous comedy of novelists and conmen—professional liars both—is as subtle as it is subversive, as clever as it is courageous, as witty as it is touching. Readers will love it—but writers beware!

Wildly entertaining and insightful, Magnuson's book is an unsparing look into the fragile, orphaned hearts of writers and con men alike. Its pitch-perfect narrator, Frankie Abandonato, is a hilarious, lovable American anti-hero for the 21st century.

A gloriously far fetched tale, but alarmingly real to anyone who knows the weird world of MFA programs. Besides which, it's a shit-load of fun.

In the wildly intelligent, hugely funny, and superbly plotted Famous Writers I Have Known, James Magnuson examines literary fame and writers' workshops through the sharp eyes of his hero, the irrepressible Frankie Abandonato. Readers everywhere are in for a wonderful treat.