Pack of Lies: A Trilogy

by Gilbert Sorrentino

Overview

Gilbert Sorrentino is one of the most accomplished innovators in twentieth-century fiction, a position that is everywhere confirmed in this trilogy of novels, Odd Number, Rose Theatre, and Misterioso. Beginning with a series of interrogations (we never do find out why they are being conducted) about characters drawn from other Sorrentino novels and concluding with the reappearance of the same characters, Pack of Lies is Gilbert Sorrentino's testament to the supremacy of the imagination, a critique of the state of art and society, and a vicious comedy portraying a world of fraud and mayhem.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781564781543
Publisher:	Deep Vellum Publishing
Publication date:	06/01/1997
Series:	American Literature
Pages:	564
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 8.95(h) x 1.25(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

In addition to his books of poetry and criticism, Gilbert Sorrentino is the author of fourteen novels, including Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things, The Sky Changes, and Mulligan Stew. He has received numerous grants and awards throughout his career, including the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature, two Guggenheim Fellowships, two NEA Fellowships and a Lannan Literary Award.

Editorial Reviews

"As any reader of not only the trilogy, but also novels such as the earlier Mulligan Stew, can testify, Sorrentino is uproariously funny, and the enormous humor of his outrageous stylistic tours de force is what propels the reader on.... The endless varieties of parody, pastiche, quotation, and plagarism in postmodern fiction give ample occasion for laughter, and yet Sorrentino's brand of humor is so distinctive that a discussion of comedy in general does not quite do justice to his specific achievement." --American Book Review

Dalkey Archive Press

"Sorrentino has established an artistic beachhead over the past twenty years; one could think of him... as a sort of American literary conscience." --Washington Post

Dalkey Archive Press

"Sorrentino's work demands rereading, indeed, demands revisions of the reading process, and in so doing is rewarding for several reasons." --Rain Taxi

Dalkey Archive Press

From the Publisher

This postmodern murder mystery was originally published as three separate novels: Odd Number, Rose Theatre and Misterioso. (June)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This cleverly titled volume combines Sorrentino's Odd Number (1985), Rose Theatre (1987), and Misterioso (1989). The trilogy received praise from LJ's reviewers, who, however, found that Sorrentino's literary style was not for the common reader. If you're looking for something a little different, this three-in-one budget-stretcher offers a good value for libraries.

Library Journal