Holy Tango of Literature [Paperback]

Francis Heaney (Author), Richard Thompson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 2004

Holy Tango of Literature is a unique and captivating collection mimicking the great writers of literary history. This devilishly witty book has a twist: Each writer's name is rearranged as a title, creating the subject for a parody rendered in the author's style.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A very funny and possibly classic anthology. -- Mark O'Donnell, author of Let Nothing You Dismay and creator of Hairspray

All bow down to Francis Heaney. He is a gob-smacking genius! -- David Rakoff, author of Fraud

EACH YEAR FINNS say that FRANCIS HEANEY is A REFINANCE SHY of a FANCY EAR SHINE... He's finally arrived. -- Neal Pollack, author of The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature

Francis Heaney displays a verbal dexterity that should commend him to any savvy reader craving the... literary parody experience. -- Randy Cohen, writer of The Ethicist in New York Times Magazine

Heaney's exquisite writing ... and considerable wit are utterly squandered in this trivial literary pastiche-- ... exactly why I loved it ... -- Will Shortz, Crossword Editor, The New York Times

From the Publisher

Heaney’s work is whip-smart and laugh-out-loud funny. HOLY TANGO (that’s an anagram of "anthology"—see it now?) will send gullible readers scrambling for their old literature textbooks to hunt down ersatz classics.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Clerisy Press, Emmis Books (October 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578601592
• ISBN-13: 978-1578601592
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,182,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Attention All English Majors, November 18, 2004

By 

Alexandra Ringe (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holy Tango of Literature (Paperback)

You must have this book. To wit, a sample of the brilliance within:

Skinny Domicile
by Emily Dickinson
(actually by Francis Heaney, who wrote poems whose titles are anagrams of canonical poets' names; he used the poets' styles, meters, et al)

I have a skinny Domicile-
Its Door is very narrow.
'Twill keep-I hope-the Reaper out-
His Scythe-and Bones-and Marrow.

Since Death is not a portly Chap,
The Entrance must be thin-
So-when my Final Moment comes-
He cannot wriggle in.

That's why I don't go out that much-
I can't fit through that Portal.
How dumb-to waste my Social Life
On Plans to be-immortal-

Mr. Heaney is a true wordsmith and a _really_ funny one at that. The perfect present for anyone who has ever had to read a sonnet. It's true that I worked with this man at Modern Humorist, but he has added tons of new work (including forms other than poetry) that I haven't seen yet, and I can't wait to get my copy.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All The Literature You'll Ever Need, June 5, 2005

By 

R.T. "Real Name" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holy Tango of Literature (Paperback)

This is wonderful stuff by a true comic polymath. Just read "Likable Wilma" by William Blake, which begins, "Wilma, Wilma, in thy blouse, Red-haired prehistoric spouse" , and you'll know what I mean. I have a conflict of interest here (I drew the pictures) but I laughed hard at Francis Heaney's work before I got tangled up with it, when I first saw it in Mirth of a Nation. Buy The Holy Tango today! The children of America should be committing it to memory!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A work of unique brilliance and multi-layered wit, April 30, 2005

By 

j-hay (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holy Tango of Literature (Paperback)

This expertly-crafted and flawlessly erudite effort would be well worth one's attention as a jaw-droppingly-impressive literary stunt, even if it weren't that funny. The fact that it is, on top of everything else, hilarious makes it absolutely irresistible.