One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Softcover

Kesey, Ken

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141181222 ISBN 13: 9780141181226

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2002

Ken Kesey's bracing, inslightful novel about the meaning of madness and the value of self-reliance

Boisterous, ribald, and ultimately shattering, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is the seminal novel of the 1960s that has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time. Here is the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially the tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her. We see the struggle through the eyes of Chief Bromden, the seemingly mute half-Indian patient who witnesses and understands McMurphy’s heroic attempt to do battle with the awesome powers that keep them all imprisoned.

From the Inside Flap:

An international bestseller, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest defined the 1960s era of ever-widening perspectives and ominous repressive forces. Full of mischief, insight, and pathos, Kesey's powerful story of a mental ward and its inhabitants probes the meaning of madness, often turning conventional notions of sanity and insanity on their heads.

The tale is chronicled by the seemingly mute Indian patient, Chief Bromden; its hero is Randle Patrick McMurphy, the boisterous, brawling, fun-loving rebel who encourages gambling, drinking, and sex in the ward, and rallies the other patients around him by challenging the dictatorial rule of Big Nurse. McMurphy's defiance -- which begins as a sport -- develops into a grim struggle with the awesome power of the "Combine", concluding with shattering, tragic results. In its unforgettable portrait of a man teaching the value of self-reliance and laughter destroyed by forces of hatred and fear, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a classic parable that has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time.

About the Author:

Ken Kesey was born in 1935 and grew up in Oregon. His books include Sometimes a Great Notion, Kesey's Garage Sale, Demon Box, Sailor Song, and Last Go Round (with Ken Babbs). He passed away on November 10, 2001.

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0141181222
• ISBN 13: 9780141181226
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 312