McSweeney's Issue 22 (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern) [Hardcover]

Dave Eggers (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1932416668 | ISBN-13: 978-1932416664 | Publication Date: January 24, 2007 | Edition: First Edition

McSweeney's Issue 22 is a three-part exercise in inspired restriction — of author, of content, and of form. In section one, poets (yes — poets!) including Mary Karr, Denis Johnson, C. D. Wright, and D. C. Berman initiate poet-chains, picking a poem of their own and one by another poet. The next poet will then do the same, and then again, and again, and so on. In section two, Fitzgerald (yes — F. Scott Fitzgerald!) provides a list of unused story premises first cataloged in The Crack-Up; his mission is completed by writers like Diane Williams and Nick Flynn. In section three, finally, the president of France's (yes — France!) legendary Oulipians offers a rare glimpse into his group's current experiments with linguistic constraint. Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: McSweeney's; First Edition edition (January 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932416668
• ISBN-13: 978-1932416664
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #888,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars F. Scott/Oulipo/Poetry/Magnets, August 16, 2010

By 

Matt M. Martin "No, One" (Fort Collins, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: McSweeney's Issue 22 (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern) (Hardcover)

McSweeney's 22 is one of the coolest issues to hold in your hands, as it's three paperbacks with magnetic strips in their spines attached to a hardcover case with a magnetic strip in its spine.

The first book is called a collection of "unfinished" F. Scott Fitzgerald stories. This is misleading--these aren't stories Scott actually started, but just half-ideas and possibilities, some of them a couple words long. Seventeen different writers take these fragments and scraps and write new short shorts about them. Surprisingly, the greater majority of them work.

The second book is a sampling of work from French experimental writing cabal Oulipo. This is possibly the most hit-and-miss collection of stories ever gathered: when they work, they're charming and innovative; when they don't, they're wearying and unbearably self-indulgent. Regardless, it's enjoyable to see such uniqueness and creativity even when the results are difficult. It showcases one of the things McSweeney's does best, which is bring worthwhile super-obscurity to some deserved attention.

The third book is all poetry, called "Poets Picking Poets" (this was later published as a standalone book), where they asked poets to pick poems they like and so on. I've been told by a reliable poet friend that it's pretty good, so I'll vouch for that.

Issue 22 is a bit riskier issue than some, and certainly focuses heavily on the esoteric, but it rewards well by finding some of the best work from some of the least known.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Magnetic, May 18, 2010

By 

Sam Quixote - See all my reviews

This review is from: McSweeney's Issue 22 (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern) (Hardcover)

McSweeney's 22 presentation is a hardcover case with a magnetic strip on the inside spine with 3 paperbacks each with magnetic strips on their spine attached. Books held together with magnets, those guys...

The first book takes the ideas F Scott Fitzgerald had for potential stories and has a different writer realise each one. Some are just a few words "Girl and Giraffe" and others more detailed but it's a great idea done so well. Miriam Toews' "The Misstep" is a small play based on an office worker who organised an after hours orgy in the office, "Finally" by Judy Budnitz tells the story of a despot who gets his comeuppance, "The Flying Machine" by Marc Bojanowski is about a gravedigger asked to do a strange favour, Tom Lombardi's "The Bear" features a talking bear, and Rachel Ingalls' "A Gift of the Gods" is about a dancing princess who is given wings by a goddess. These stories are superb and are worth getting the book for alone. Even the lesser stories are well written.

The second book features experimental work from "Oulipo" (no I hadn't heard of them either) and the stories are more stylistic than substantial.

The third and final book is a collection of 50 poets and poems. It's the biggest of the 3 books with about 200 pages.

Despite being a literature student and a big fan of McSweeney's, I'm not as inclined to like either experimental literature or poetry, both rare things to find in any issue. Maybe the poetry's good, I don't know as I don't read it often enough to judge. As for the experimental stories...

It's an interesting issue from McSweeney's as always, with a number of hidden gems with innovative design work. Good stuff.