Bats out of Hell

Be the first to write a review

Overview

Love and torment, lunacy and desire, tenderness and war—the stories in "Bats Out of Hell" provide a brilliant, dazzling odyssey into American life. A man is possessed by the spirit of an eighteenth-century noblewoman every time he plays chess; a crippled boy yearns for brotherhood; dreaming and spinning lies to one another, a group of old men wait for death. No one but Barry Hannah could create this vivid world—and explore the nature of lust, captivity, and love in marriage. Hannah's reputation as a master of the...
See more details below
Paperback
$12.58
BN.com price
(Save 3%)$13.00 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (Paperback)
  • All (16) from $1.99   
  • New (3) from $12.42   
  • Used (13) from $1.99   
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

Love and torment, lunacy and desire, tenderness and war—the stories in "Bats Out of Hell" provide a brilliant, dazzling odyssey into American life. A man is possessed by the spirit of an eighteenth-century noblewoman every time he plays chess; a crippled boy yearns for brotherhood; dreaming and spinning lies to one another, a group of old men wait for death. No one but Barry Hannah could create this vivid world—and explore the nature of lust, captivity, and love in marriage. Hannah's reputation as a master of the short story, first established in 1978 with the publication of "Airships," is magnified in this new collection. Astonishing in range and in portrayal of the human heart, these stories give us individuals in whom hilarity and pain combine with true and startling clarity.

Love and torment, lunacy and desire, tenderness and war--the stories in Bats Out of Hell provide a dazzling odyssey into American life. Hannah's reputation as a master of the short story, first established in 1978 with the publication of Airships, is magnified in this volatile collection of new stories.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
In his long-anticipated but disappointing second volume of short stories, one of the gurus of contemporary ``guy'' fiction ( Airships ; Boomerang ) focuses on the red-blooded American subjects with which he has made his reputation--sex, booze, drugs and guns. The visceral description for which Hannah has rightly been praised in the past degenerates here into bad-taste verbosity and sophomoric prurience. ``High-Water Railers'' concerns fishing and old men, one named Sidney Farte, as they share sexual secrets and confessions of missed opportunity. ``Scandale d'Estime'' begins with great promise in Kosciusko, Miss. (Hannah's home state), as old reprobate Harold befriends teenage George and takes him to a production of Waiting for Godot ; the story line (which also includes the young man's infatuation with an older woman) disintegrates into short takes on paregoric addiction, attempted suicide, the Klan, and bondage equipment. The best story, ``The Spy of Loog Root,'' pairs the telescope-toting scion of a white-trash clan with the owner of a tobacco and magazine shop in Montana, and shows what Hannah is capable of in terms of characterization and emotional insight. For the most part, though, he seems to have invested more time in pompous, overwritten story titles--``Upstairs, Mona Bayed for Dong,'' ``Hey, Have You got a Cig, the Time, the News, My Face?''--than in polishing the pieces themselves (some of which consist of only a few paragraphs). Half of these 23 stories have been published in magazines; a few aren't ready to be published anywhere. Too much of this volume reads like the output of a writing group that meets in a bar; as the saying goes, ``You had to be there.'' Author tour. (Feb.)
Library Journal
Hannah's approach to writing is wonderfully summed up by a character named Harold in the story ``Scandale d'Estime.'' ``Scandal is delicious, little man. All we are is obsession and pain. That is all humans are. And when these things go public and are met with howls, they ring out the only honest history we have. They are unbearable! Magnificent! Wicked!'' Indeed, there is a fierceness to these 23 pieces (to call them all stories is something of a misnomer) that generates both power and perturbation. In his drive to get to the essence of things, Hannah takes no prisoners. Some readers will find his work misogynistic and offensive in its violence, yet beneath its often tormented surface lies a desperate, almost tender search for truth. Coming out of the Southern tradition, Hannah writes with fervor and, in spite of the violence, considerable humor. He is willing to take chances, to go to the edge, to challenge the reader in untypical ways. Not a ``mainstream'' work, this book nonetheless belongs in most library collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/92.-- David W. Henderson, Eckerd Coll. Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780802133861
  • Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
  • Publication date: 3/28/1994
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 400
  • Sales rank: 777,840
  • Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.34 (h) x 1.06 (d)

Table of Contents

High-Water Railers 1
Two Things, Dimly, Were Going At Each Other 13
Bats Out of Hell Division 41
The Vision of Esther by Clem 51
Allons, Mes Enfants 79
Evening of the Yarp: A Report by Roonswent Dover 89
A Christmas Thought 103
Ride Westerly for Pusalina 107
Dear Awful Diary 125
The Spy of Loog Root 129
Mother Mouth 151
Rat-faced Auntie 155
Scandale d'Estime 191
Death of a Bitch 225
Slow Times in a Long School 233
Revealed: Rock Swoon Has No Past 259
Upstairs, Mona Bayed for Dong 263
Herman Is in Another State 283
Dental 289
This Happy Breed 299
Hey, Have You Got a Cig, the Time, the News, My Face? 303
That Was Close, Ma 343
Nicodemus Bluff 361
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)