Darkest Desire: The Wolf's Own Tale [Hardcover]

Anthony Schmitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1998

Wolf's life in the wood might be happy, except for one problem. He can't control his urge to devour children who stumble across his path. His runaway desires have made him an outcast among his peers. He lives an unhappy, solitary life -- until he encounters the Brothers Grimm. Wolf is thrilled to realize that in the presence of these scholars, he can speak. The Grimms take Wolf into their camp, fill him with brandy, and poke at the source of his easily apparent unhappiness. When they learn the truth about Wolf's cravings, they propose a cure.

Now Wolf must make a decision. Can the satisfaction of a "normal" life outweigh the joys of his perversion? Are his desires truly dreanged, or is he simply giving full expression to his personal nature? Does he have an obligation -- as his occasional companion Devil argues -- to live as a unique individual in the manner to which he was born?

Wolf trust his new friends, and agrees to their cure. The brothers construct a complicated and dangerous scenario to discover how Wolf will behave. Is Wolf nothing more than a subject for research? The Grimms no more than conniving reporters?

Ultimately, Wolf, Devil, the Brothers Grimm, an outraged Frau, and her endangered babe collide at a pool in the dark wood to settle ancient questions: Can the deepest and most perverse desires ever be overruled? Or more important, should they?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In Darkest Desire Anthony Schmitz turns the Brothers Grimm on their heads, retelling "Little Red Riding Hood" from the wolf's perspective. Whatever charm the reader might reasonably expect from such a conceit, however, rapidly dissipates under the beast's graphic and unpleasantly sexual descriptions of child murder:

If I close my eyes, I can still hear the sound of cloth shredding as I pulled with my teeth. I was mad with rage and joy for a moment, and then I was overwhelmed by guilt. Yes, yes, certainly he was a pathetic thing, so miserably, mistakenly confident. But he was as God had made him, and now he was torn asunder. I quickly lost my appetite. I left him almost whole, except for the upper ham. That I retched in the grass a few minutes later.

The wolf goes on to describe how, in the days following this first kill, he "relived those few minutes again and again," and one can't help but think of the Ted Bundys and Jeffrey Dahmers of the world, slouching towards their next gruesome murder.

Schmitz does have a point he's trying to make about the individual's obligation to his own true nature, no matter how perverse, versus his duty to conform to social norms. In exploring this dichotomy, the author skewers psychotherapy--or at least the most opportunistic practitioners of it--and paints Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm as the 19th-century equivalent of tabloid journalists, willing to go to any length to get their story, even if it means manufacturing it. All this might have worked had the wolf's proclivities been less revolting. Unfortunately, there's just no argument to be made in favor of baby-killing as a form of self-expression. Darkest Desire is well written but deeply unpleasant to read. --Alix Wilber

From Publishers Weekly

In the clever conceit of Schmitz's (Lost Souls) novella, an articulate wolf with a passion for eating children is approached by the Brothers Grimm, who claim they want to help cure him of his desire, but, in fact, use him for their own literary inspiration. While the Brothers conduct their ostensible therapy, another figure, a changeling whom the nameless wolf calls Devil, argues that by eating children the wolf is only being true to his nature. Eventually, the Brothers lure the wolf to attack a house where children have been left alone. Schmitz's postmodern rewriting of familiar folk tales explores ideas of forbidden desire and of the manipulative relationship storytellers often have with their subjects. The narrative's brevity is a little thin rather than dense, like an observant short story stretched to book length. Schmitz is clearly an adroit storyteller, nevertheless, and his wolf emerges as a sympathetic narrator, his tale brisk and sly, if unsurprising.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 134 pages
• Publisher: Ecco; 1st edition (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880016264
• ISBN-13: 978-0880016261
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,396,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anthony Schmitz's novel, Darkest Desire, was described as offering "a vivid psychological portrait, witty dialogue worthy of the stage and sharp meditations on the nature of desire and the hopelessness of self-improvement schemes," by the Minneapolis StarTribune. Schmitz was the founder and publisher of the Frogtown Times, a newspaper that served St. Paul's immigrant neighborhood. He has long been active in neighborhood affairs. In addition, he builds traditional skin-on-frame kayaks, and is a certified kayak instructor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable short read, February 26, 2003

By 

Logan Daugherty (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Darkest Desire: The Wolf's Own Tale (Hardcover)

Schmitz performs in 100+ pages what many writers cannot do with several hundred more. Presents us with an affable yet fallable protagonist, sets up themes and conflict we can relate (in our own desires), and resolves it satisfactorily. As it is so short, it would be unwise to summarize the plot and spoil things for the reader. Surely, however, a newly vocal wolf who preys on children, the Brothers Grimm, and the Devil should provoke anyone to read this appealing work. :)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A splendid and original idea well done, November 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Darkest Desire: The Wolf's Own Tale (Hardcover)

This is one of the most original books I've ever read. I was a bit skeptical when I heard about the premise. Who writes an adult book about the Big Bad Wolf? Once I cracked it, though, I couldn't put it down. Schmitz has fashioned fairy-tale characters that are not only interesting but (who would believe it?) believable. His writing is precise, his observations droll. And as you might suspect, the story is hilarious. This is a book that I'm going to tout to my friends.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good and dark tale of morality, February 12, 2004

By 

DONALD G. FOX "Santee Sioux" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Darkest Desire: The Wolf's Own Tale (Hardcover)

Schmitz has written a great book. There is so much to feed on on so many levels. I was so astounded by the wolf's understanding of his relationship with evil. He refuses to personify it and yet has realized that his ongoing companionship is not friendship. I think the story raises questions about humnan complicity in evil and the human tendency towards idolatry (knowledge, science, consuming). By the end of the book, one has to wonder where the center of the evil that is being described lies: in the devil, in the wolf, or in the Brothers Grimm? Schmitz ablilities to make the reader see situations from the view point of the wolf is truly amazing. It's a good tale and will keep the reader thinking about those big questions about good and bad and knowledge.