The Buddha in Malibu: New and Selected Stories - Softcover

9780826211705: The Buddha in Malibu: New and Selected Stories
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In his first collection of stories since the famed Roller Ball Murder, William Harrison casts a sardonic eye on unique facets of our present society, as well as our futuristic destinies. Composed of seventeen stories, The Buddha in Malibu is divided into three sections—"The Movies and Malibu," "Africa and Anarchy," and "The Future and Forever"—creating an overall unity for this distinctive collection.

Harrison's characters live on the fringes of show business, illusion, and personal disorientation; a bodyguard, an astrologer, a failed screenwriter, a stuntman, a male escort, and a light-fingered thief are among those searching for success. In each protagonist we catch a glimpse of American obsessions: our longing for fame, our preoccupation with the future, our confusions over love, and our raw ambitions.

Dissecting a legendary American locale where people live in close proximity to the movie business and at vast distances from themselves, the Malibu stories explore a series of satiric yet deeply human confrontations. "The Cockatoo Tower" weaves the tale of a construction worker ensnared in the lives of three of his most profitable clients. In order to retain his current projects, the man must appease the persistent advances of a wealthy mystic, pose as a lucrative Canadian businessman, and convince an avid antique collector to open her own shop. In this humorous yet unsentimental story, Harrison reveals that even a simple construction worker must play the subtle games that permeate Malibu's elite society.

The African stories reflect Harrison's long preoccupation with that continent and add a new dimension to this turbulent setting. "On Location" presents an untamed view of the great continent. In each bizarre scenario, a director or an actor tries, with the help of a technical adviser, to capture the "essence" of Africa, whether that be the power of the Congo or the murderous skills of a wild leopard. Regardless of time, place, or location, "the capricious darkness sings to itself," and the true essence of the continent is revealed, despite often tragic consequences.

Lauded by the Dallas Morning News as "one of the most interesting, creative, and gifted practitioners of fiction now in this country," William Harrison skillfully uses sharp detail, bulls-eye language, and comic surprises to create stories that are somehow more than the sum of their parts. The Buddha in Malibu once again reveals a writer at the top of his game.

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Review:
Harrison's collection of 17 imaginative stories showcase a range of styles and voices from satirical to experimental. The stories are organized into three sections: The Movies and Malibu slices and dices the Hollywood hype that elevates celluloid dreams over human relationships; Africa and Anarchy contains stories of quests for the "true" Africa, a country that "sings to itself"; and The Future and Forever speculates on the not-so-distant future, as in "Roller Ball Murder," a story that takes sports mania to the furthest extremes that competition can go.

Harrison's best-known short story, and the basis for a popular movie, Roller Ball Murder describes a game populated by pampered (but pounded upon) heroes and riddled with big money, figurative backstabbing, and literal, legal murder. What more could a promoter do to sell tickets? The answer is a horrifying projection into the future of sports and human nature. In "The Makeup Man" the new face of the future depends upon special effects: the more horrifying the better. Mutilation is considered pop art, and facial scars are the fad of executives. The Fabulous Byron, better known for his creations of traditional glamour, reluctantly joins the trend for economic reasons, when a famous model begs him to make her ugly. Later, when she insists on replacing the old with a new look, it takes much more than makeup.

The author wrestles with the unfathomable elements of human desire in his present-time stories, as well. The title story, "The Buddha in Malibu," dissects Hollywood's vanity and the hopes of the hangers-on. Brock goes to work as a bodyguard for an eccentric, paranoid, has-been producer named Ennis, who lives a celebrity's life even though he hasn't made a movie in years. Even after Ennis has shot and wounded Brock "accidentally," Brock finds the seductions of money and fame overwhelming his survival instincts.

About the Author:

William Harrison is the author of novels and short stories that have been filmed for movies and TV, as well as screenplays, essays, and travel pieces. He is perhaps best known for Roller Ball Murder, in print and in film, and the recent novels Three Hunters and Burton and Speke.

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  • PublisherUniversity of Missouri
  • Publication date1998
  • ISBN 10 0826211704
  • ISBN 13 9780826211705
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages222

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Harrison, William
Published by University of Missouri (1998)
ISBN 10: 0826211704 ISBN 13: 9780826211705
New Soft cover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Shadetree Rare Books
(Chatham, VA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Soft cover. Condition: New. Soft Cover. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. BRAND NEW BOOK. NO MARKS. Seller Inventory # N2799

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