Customer Reviews

Atet A.D.

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It is really criminal that there is only one other reader's review of Nathaniel Mackey's brilliant novel. I use the term "novel" for convenience only, because it is so much more than that. Atet AD chronicles the creative journey of a band of musicians and how the music is intertwined with their perspectives on the world. We readers have the pleasure of experiencing these events through letters written by the enigmatic musician N. to the even more enigmatic "Angel of Dust". He writes letters detailing not just their performances and rehearsals but the philosophical implications of their creative endeavors. The topics range from the music of John Coltrane, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Pharaoh Saunders to Alejo Carpentier, CLR James, Toussaint L'overture and Congolese Mbuti rituals. I loved being taken on this thrilling journey through the intertwined relationships between music, language, history and ritual! If you want a simple minded linear narrative, look elsewhere. However, if you want something that will stimulate and challenge you; if you want language as Jazz and Jazz as language then don't hesitate to pick up Atet AD! Also recommended are the first two installments in this series, Bedouin Hornbook and Djbot Baghostus's Run in addition to his two books of essays Discprepant Engagement and Paracritical Hinge. All have profound takes on the African Diaspora, literature and music.

I was pleased to hear upon completing this book that Nathaniel Mackey has more or less given himself over to writing poetry which I think is a smart move because his srange writing style (which places emphasis on sound) is far more suitable for poetry than prose. This novel, is the third installment of a trilogy about a traveling jazz band that is presented in letter form and has an off the wall weird mixture of music, myth, etymology, and surrealism. Unfortunately, for readers like me de-emphasis on story and character is always a serious handicap. It seems that Mackey is most interested with proving to his readers that he's an intellectual. Perhaps I just misunderstood this book, and maybe I would like it better if I read it again, but I just f ound it overly pretentious and ultimately unapproachable. There is a large following of literature buffs who swear it is masterful, but I can't imagine the average casual reader being anything but annoyed by this one.