Confessions of a Crap Artist [Paperback]

Philip K. Dick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1992

Confessions of a Crap Artist is one of Philip K. Dick's weirdest and most accomplished novels. Jack Isidore is a crap artist -- a collector of crackpot ideas (among other things, he believes that the earth is hallow and that sunlight has weight) and worthless objects, a man so grossly unequipped for real life that his sister and brother-in-law feel compelled to rescue him from it. But seen through Jack's murderously innocent gaze, Charlie and Juddy Hume prove to be just as sealed off from reality, in thrall to obsessions that are slightly more acceptable than Jack's, but a great deal uglier.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the most original practitioners writing any kind of fiction." -- The Sunday Times (London)

"Dick is entertaining us about reality and madness, time and death, sin and salvation.... We have our own homegrown Barges."-- Ursula K. LeGuin, New Republic

"Philip K. Dick's best books always describe a future that is both entirely recognizable and utterly unimaginable? -- The New York Times Book Review

From the Inside Flap

Confessions of a Crap Artist is one of Philip K. Dick's weirdest and most accomplished novels. Jack Isidore is a crap artist -- a collector of crackpot ideas (among other things, he believes that the earth is hallow and that sunlight has weight) and worthless objects, a man so grossly unequipped for real life that his sister and brother-in-law feel compelled to rescue him from it. But seen through Jack's murderously innocent gaze, Charlie and Juddy Hume prove to be just as sealed off from reality, in thrall to obsessions that are slightly more acceptable than Jack's, but a great deal uglier.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; First Edition edition (June 30, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679741143
• ISBN-13: 978-0679741145
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF DICK'S BEST, March 23, 2001

By 

EMAN NEP - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Crap Artist (Paperback)

A tire-regroover named Jack Isidore is an eccentric fellow. He believes that sunlight has weight, cows have four stomachs, the earth is hollow, and by the way, the world is going to end on April 23rd. But the weirdest part of the story is this: his "normal" sister and brother-in-law and some friends of theirs are even STRANGER than he is. In this book Philip K. Dick explores what it means to be normal. Are we any different from the people in the mental institutions? Unlike some of PKD's books, this one is very consistent and keeps your attention the whole way through. I was very pleased with it. Sure, it's more fiction than science fiction, but it proves how versatile an author PKD really is. This is definitely one of his best books, and I've read about half of his novels.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dick's mainstream attempt that bites deep, November 15, 2001

By 

Ian Vance (pagosa springs CO.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Confessions of a Crap Artist (Paperback)

Over the last two decades Philip K. Dick has slowly gained in repute as one of this centuries' most inventive and prolific authors: a sci-fi auteur who cranked out pulp masterpieces by the dozen while surviving on horsemeat and methamphetamine. There are several themes prevalent in the majority of Dick's oeuvre: paranoia, drugs, the nature of God, schizophrenic time/space variations, aliens, semi-tragic characters in often archetypical clothing. _Confessions of a Crap Artist_, however, contains almost none of these bizarre themes; as one of Dick's stabs at the mainstream, _Confessions_ is a straightforward examination of life in Southern California the 50's, with `normal' people co-existing by `wackos,' both of whom, in typical Dick fashion, change places over the course of the novel.

Jack Isodore is a crap artist, a collector of crackpot theories and useless junk, a man endlessly fascinated by the world's unexplained secrets be they legitimate or not. But he is also happy and fairly satisfied by his life, something that cannot be said for his sister-in-law Judy and her husband Charlie, painted in broad strokes as a shrew and the man she uses, respectable on the surface but narrow-minded and demented when closely examined. Their `American Dream' lifestyle, the house and the farm and the three little kids, is altered/destroyed by manipulation and dissatisfaction with said `Dream', and when set in place next to Jack's lackadaisical routines and surprisingly strong moral fiber, the line between crazy and normal blurs with rapid intensity.

Along with _The Man in the High Castle_, this is among Dick's most lucid works, and probably the place novices should start first. Though a quick read, the implications and undercurrents of _Confessions of a Crap Artist_ should resonate within the reader for some time after completion, which, in my opinion, is the truest mark of a worthwhile book. Recommended.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting,enjoyable, a story that will stick with the reader., September 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Confessions of a Crap Artist (Paperback)

Those familiar with Dick's work will enjoy this. And new-comer's to Dick's style (Or Sci-Fi entirely) will become thirsty for more. Chronicalling the (supposed) social misfit, Jack Isidore, as he speaks his mind about science, life, and his family. In Berkley (where most of Dick's work takes place), California, Jack resides and lives, until he is taken in by his sibling, and brother-in -law. There, begins a story that raises intriguing questions, affairs, madness, and life as a supposed misfit. After reading this, you WILL know Jack Isidore. Warning: This book will stick with you for a long time! Also, if you get a chance, look into the movie based on this book: Barjo, the 1993 French film.NOTE:NEVER LISTEN TO THE DESCRIPTION OF PHILIP K. DICK's BOOKS, THAT ARE ON THE BACK. FOR SOME REASON, THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STORY, ESPECIALLY "WE CAN BUILD YOU". The backs make each book sound like every other crappy second-rate sci-fi book. THEY ARE NOT.