Customer Reviews

The Complete Prose of Woody Allen

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I must admit I'm a sucker for the silly side. The thing with Woody is that he'll have you laughing out loud like a fool one sentence and the next he's got you staring off into space thinking, "Yeah, yeah...that's true." Conversations with Death, the supernatural explained, the story of one man's pathetic attempt at a life of crime, and the single best description of sex I've ever read- "...executing with total emotional commitment the absurd choreography of human passion," it's all in there. I was always afraid of Woody Allen because I thought you'd have to be Jewish to get it. Rather, you'd have to be dead not to.

As it says on the jacket (or sleeve?) of one of these 3 books, it is dangerous reading on a bus because its nearly impossible to not burst out laughing. I was waiting at a bus stop recently in San Francisco and a lone young man reading a paperback book was unable to suppress his laughter. I took a surreptitious look at the title and I wasn't suprised to discover that it was 'Side Effects'! I treasure my copy of "The Complete Prose.." and I highly, strongly recommend it to everyone! I've given it as a gift and the recipients have always been amazed at how incredibly, ceaselessly, mercilessly funny it is. READ IT! READ IT! READ IT! -the empress of adverbs

Woody has said that his prose is influenced by two past masters--Robert Benchley and S.J. Perelman. I believe Woody has surpassed these giants and created laugh out loud prose that will last for ages. Where Perelman often loses his readers in baroque construction, Woody brings his crisp, well-honed stand-up structure to the written word. Benchley is hard to beat, and I suspect he was only beaten here because Benchley had to turn out pieces like a comedic assembly line, and Woody had the advantage of taking each piece and honing it to perfection before submission. Benchley's fingerprints are all over this work--just compare Woody's academic parodies with any of Benchley's. Do yourself a favor and read this book--you will laugh out loud. Satisfaction guaranteed.

I've always loved Woody's movies but he proves with this collection that he has always been a writer first and foremost. This book is a must for any lover of intelligent comedy. There are so many brilliant stories and essays here--prose you can turn to again and again as if revisiting a favorite album. Possibly the finest, funniest collection of humorous writing ever assembled.

Three great books all in one fun filled volume of sheer funny. Including:

Getting Even is the comedic genious at his ludicrous best. The reparte between the two chess playing opponents, via e-mail, is worth the price of the book alone. Very funny.

Side Effects was released in 1980. It is a very funny collection of Allen's work, much of which first appeared in the New Yorker and other publication. The books is pretty even, and rather funny. The high point here is The Kugelmass Episode which features a professor named Sidney Kugelmass who is, via a magician, tranpsorted into the novel Madame Bovary.

Without Feathers is a witty humorous book with 15 or so short essays/stories on a variety of topics. The humor here is very funny and not dated at all. You most pay close attention as the one-liners fly off the pages. Simply hilarious stuff. Hard to believe this was released in 1975.

A 5 star book, well worth the price... enjoy!

Note: This collection is also available in paperback and titled The Insanity Defense: The Complete Prose

This is genuinely hilarious and intelligent prose. My favourites are "Mr Big", "Viva Vargas!" and "Reminiscences, People and Places". Prepare to convulse. People will stare at you while you gasp for oxygen. Pure genius. The only mystery is why Allen isn't as well recognised for his writing as his movies. If you read this you will also wonder.

Allen sometimes seems to step over the line separating sharp satire from outright cynicism, especially in the later writing - but who cares? It's still a class apart. Highly recommendable.

I'm amazed and a little sad that there are so few reviews here for such a hilarious book. Check out the reviews for the 3 prose books separately. Almost none! These books, comprised in this volume, are the best ever

What can I say? I was reading this book in the bus and everybody kept staring at me because of my laughter. When you have the oportunity to witness a genius' work in progress, don't hesitate: go and watch the movies, but this book, read it, watch the movies again, read the book again... and so on. Woody rules!

Who else could empathise with Socrates, exchange quips with Abe Lincoln, visit a brothel whose main service is a conversation in existentialism and tell the story of Hitler's barber? No-one. More quotable than one hundred Monty Python's. Funny? Of course.

I read this book on occasion when I need cheering, and in our world that is pretty much everyday. This book is filled with timeless and luminous insights into the poignant insignificance of existence. Mr. Allen is a true master of unyeilding despair. Although his humor appeals to a more gentler time, is less coarse and more humane than that of our time, it is still worth reading. Even my analyst says this is to be read before and after my next suicide attempt. And yes, I will have to pay for all the sessions I miss. Alas.