A wild, hilarious account of one man’s absurd quest for enlightenment, inner peace and a really good pair of trousers.Anthony Zen is an untroubled man in a deeply troubled world. He lives alone with his perpetually ringing cat, collects round objects, forgets to wear pants with startling regularity, and shrugs off absurd catastrophes—whether it's being attacked by an angry giraffe or having to face a gorilla in traffic court.
While everyone else panics, hustles, and desperately searches for meaning, Anthony simply exists—calm, collected, and utterly unfazed by the nonsense of contemporary life. As reality bends, warps, and occasionally crumbles around him, Anthony remains true to himself, proving that sometimes the best way to survive chaos is to ignore it completely.
A collection of bizarre, hilarious, and strangely profound interconnected short stories,
The Surreal Adventures of Anthony Zen is a deadpan comedy for anyone who has ever felt like the world makes no sense—and wondered if maybe that’s okay.
Is the chaos of contemporary life getting you down? Need some fun? Craving a good laugh? Brain needs a stretch? ESCAPE! Dive into the world of Anthony Zen - a brilliantly weird and deeply funny mix of absurd humor, satire, and low-key philosophy. Experience Anthony Zen’s unshakable selfhood in an absurd world gone mad, remaining calm and unfazed while life throws surreal nonsense at him - a modern-day Zen absurdist hero for these uncertain times!
- A must-read for fans of Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, and Terry Pratchett
- Perfect for readers who love deadpan humor, satire, and absurdist fiction
- Surreal, darkly comedic, and strangely philosophical
Reviews"Reminded me of ‘Rhinoceros’ - Ionesco. A commentary on the absurdity of the human condition made tolerable only by self-delusion. Shows struggle of individual (Anthony) to maintain his integrity and identity alone in a world where others have succumbed to ‘beauty’ of brute force, natural energy and/or mindlessness.” -- Colette Stevenson
"Your stories reminded me of a cross between Lewis Carroll and Richard Brautigan"
-- Larry Logan SATIRE - THE JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY SATIRE
"North American authors, with the exception of a few (Kurt Vonnegut Jr., et al.), have very little sense of the absurd, something you’ve been cultivating, I think." -- C.F. Kennedy DRIFT/NECESSARY PRESS
"I [found] your Anthony Zen stories funny. In fact, I really enjoyed them. You obviously have a flair for nonsense, and a knack for turning cliches on their heads. The ability to find comic potential in the everyday mundanities of life is pretty rare, and the stuff that good comic writers are made of. I think it's obvious you have this same type of funny bone."
-- Tim Bowling FLASH MAGAZINE
“When the book begins with poor Anthony being harassed by his ringing cat, being late for work, and rushing out the door forgetting to put on pants, you know you're in for a treat. Anthony is a likable character with a good sense of humor. His friends, Harry and Chubby, had me laughing out loud when they were prank-calling Anthony. All 23 short stories have the same theme, mainly the "how-to" deal with a work/life balance, dealing with family, and maintaining the kid spirit that exists in all of us while living an adult life. The Surreal Adventures of Anthony Zen is a great book if you are looking for a quick read.”
-- Danielle Watkins THE BOOK SMUGGLER’S DEN
"The author is a gifted writer. The author’s writing prowess is immaculate. Incorporated a lot of themes and literary devices. Light-hearted and fun to read. It was hilariously genius. The writing style and humor are perfect. The hilarious jokes are executed very well."
-- Eunice Geres
ONLINEBOOKCLUB.ORG
Winner of the Literary Titan Book Award, LitPick Five Star Book Review Award, BREW Seal of Excellence 2023 and the 2023 Cadmus Book Award for Humour & Satire.
Cameron A. Straughan was born in a small, conservative lake-side town whose motto was "don't change anything" and its social machinations - and their impact upon him - would not be out of place in any given Morrissey lyric. A loner by nature, his endless hours spent fishing and exploring the local woods and waterways led him to a career as a fisheries biologist.
His career led him across Canada and down into New York - where he provided outdoor education for at-risk-youth. He slowly became more interested in the social and cultural aspects of science - in particular science communication. This led him to pursue two additional degrees - a Master of Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Education. For his Master's Degree, he made a documentary on Algonquin Park wolves. As a teacher, he taught secondary science and biology, and primary school, for 12 years in England. He now works as a STEM teacher in a Northern Ontario First Nations school.
His vivid dreams, fascination with surrealism, love of photography and filmmaking, and professional experience with both scientific and technical writing helped develop his unique, clean, matter-of-fact visual style - where the commonplace is juxtaposed with the fantastic.
His blog, "Trapped on a Rock Floating in Space", is a perfect encapsulation of his view of life and his desire to reach out and share ideas with similar-minded individuals. The blog's tagline sums him up well: "The singular adventures of a lone traveller drifting through time, searching for peace, comfort and meaning."
