"For all the talk of the black aesthetic, few black novelists have broken sharply with the traditional devices of the realistic novel. One writer who departs from such conventions, however, is Ishmael Reed. . . . The Free-Lance Pallbearers uses an explosive combination of straightforward English prose, exaggerated black dialect, hip jargon, advertising slogans and long, howling uppercase screams."—Newsweek
Ishmael Reed's electrifying first novel zooms readers off to the crazy, ominous kingdom of HARRY SAM—a miserable and dangerous place ruled for thirty years by Harry Sam, a former used car salesman who wields his power from his bathroom throne. In a land of a thousand contradictions peopled by cops and beatniks, black nationalists and white liberals, the crusading Bukka Doopeyduk leads a rebellion against the corrupt Sam in a wildly uproarious and scathing satire, earning the author the right to be dubbed "the brightest contributor to American satire since Mark Twain" (The Nation).
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"(Reed) ... is one of the most underrated writers in America. Certainly no other contemporary black writer ... has used the language and beliefs of folk culture so imaginatively, and few have been so stinging about the absurdity of American racism" -- New York Review of Books
"A great writer." -- James Baldwin
"For all the talk of the black aesthetic, few black novelists have broken sharply with the traditional devices of the realistic novel. One writer who departs from such conventions, however, is Ishmael Reed. . . . The Free-Lance Pallbearers uses an explosive combination of straightforward English prose, exaggerated black dialect, hip jargon, advertising slogans and long, howling uppercase screams." -- Robert Gross, Newsweek, 6/16/69
"Reed's gift is for the outrageous, for giving vivid expression to cultural controversies very much in the air. . . . He is one of the most underrated writers in America. Certainly no other contemporary black writer, male or female, has used language and beliefs of folk culture so imaginatively, and few have been so stinging about the absurdity of American racism." -- New York Review of Books, 10/12/89
"Reed's hero serves as a weird telescope for a society that is terrifying for its violence and passive hypocrisy, yet somehow hilarious as well .... If comparisons are to be made, they should be to Burroughs, but this novel is all Mr. Reed's own. Read it!" -- The Nation
"[A] wildly provocative young Negro writer anxious to create an uproarious uproar . . . Ishmael Reed can hardly be called a camp follower. His novel inverts conventional attitudes for sustained comic effect; his feints are brilliant and his punches swift." -- Martin Tucker, Commonweal
"A great writer." -- James Baldwin
"For all the talk of the black aesthetic, few black novelists have broken sharply with the traditional devices of the realistic novel. One writer who departs from such conventions, however, is Ishmael Reed. . . . The Free-Lance Pallbearers uses an explosive combination of straightforward English prose, exaggerated black dialect, hip jargon, advertising slogans and long, howling uppercase screams." -- Robert Gross, Newsweek, 6/16/69
"Reed's gift is for the outrageous, for giving vivid expression to cultural controversies very much in the air. . . . He is one of the most underrated writers in America. Certainly no other contemporary black writer, male or female, has used language and beliefs of folk culture so imaginatively, and few have been so stinging about the absurdity of American racism." -- New York Review of Books, 10/12/89
"Reed's hero serves as a weird telescope for a society that is terrifying for its violence and passive hypocrisy, yet somehow hilarious as well .... If comparisons are to be made, they should be to Burroughs, but this novel is all Mr. Reed's own. Read it!" -- The Nation
"[A] wildly provocative young Negro writer anxious to create an uproarious uproar . . . Ishmael Reed can hardly be called a camp follower. His novel inverts conventional attitudes for sustained comic effect; his feints are brilliant and his punches swift." -- Martin Tucker, Commonweal
About the Author
Ishmael Reed is the author of over twenty-five books—including Mumbo Jumbo, The Last Days of Louisiana Red, Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down and Juice!. He is also a publisher, television producer, songwriter, radio and television commentator, lecturer, and has long been devoted to exploring an alternative black aesthetic: the trickster tradition, or “Neo-Hoodooism” as he calls it. Founder of the Before Columbus Foundation, he taught at the University of California, Berkeley for over thirty years, retiring in 2005. In 2003, he received the coveted Otto Award for political theater.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unforgettable,
By Odu "Odu" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Freelance Pallbearers (Paperback)
I read this book as a teenager in the 80's and never forgot it. I often end up telling everyone I know about it eventually. I decided to use a search engine to find the name of the author and was surprised to learn the name and a little about the writer Ishmael Reed. I plan to buy a second copy and donate it to the library. This book is hilarious. The main thing is that it introduced me to the satire genre. my own sense of humor is similar. I am encouraged as a wannabe writer.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very funny satire,
By Sylveste (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Freelance Pallbearers (Paperback)
This book is a wonderful satire of race relations in the sixties. It is also extremely funny. I often found myself laughing out loud as I was reading it. It provides a nice contrast with much of the African-American literature from this time period. Its style is a bit intimidating at first, but after a few pages it becomes easy reading. I highly recommend checking it out.
0 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Service but bad book,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Freelance Pallbearers (Paperback)
the quality of the book i received was brand new and speedy delivery, but don't read this book, its just awful and stupid.
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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hoopla hoops, turkey musket, strange recipes Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Fannie Mae, Bukka Doopeyduk, Black Bay, The Last One, Eclair Porkchop, Rutherford Birchard Hayes Is Thrown, Nurse Rosemary, Nancy Spellman, Harry Sam Projects, Aboreal Hairyman, Chief Nazarene Bishop, Deformed Demokrat, Betty Grable, Elijah Raven, Georgia Nosetrouble, Harry Sam College, Sam's Island, Church of the Holy Mouth, Emperor Franz Joseph Park, Nazarene Bishops, Pandy Matzabald, Harry Sam Ear Muffle Factory, Seventeen Nation Disarmament Conference Bar, Stephen Wolinski, University of Buffalo New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
hoopla hoops, turkey musket, strange recipes Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Fannie Mae, Bukka Doopeyduk, Black Bay, The Last One, Eclair Porkchop, Rutherford Birchard Hayes Is Thrown, Nurse Rosemary, Nancy Spellman, Harry Sam Projects, Aboreal Hairyman, Chief Nazarene Bishop, Deformed Demokrat, Betty Grable, Elijah Raven, Georgia Nosetrouble, Harry Sam College, Sam's Island, Church of the Holy Mouth, Emperor Franz Joseph Park, Nazarene Bishops, Pandy Matzabald, Harry Sam Ear Muffle Factory, Seventeen Nation Disarmament Conference Bar, Stephen Wolinski, University of Buffalo New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
46
books
cite this book:
See all 46 books citing this book
- American Dream, American Nightmare: FICTION SINCE 1960 by Kathryn Hume on 9 pages
- Ishmael Reed and the Ends of Race by Patrick McGee on 7 pages
- Black Literature and Literary Theory by Henry Louis Gates on page 71, page 297, and page 320
- Black Is the Color of the Cosmos: Essays on Afro-American Literature and Culture, 1942-1981 by Charles T. Davis on page 58, page 61, and page 75
- Multicultural Teaching in the University by David Schoem on page 196, and Back Matter
See all 46 books citing this book
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