Now Dig This: The Unspeakable Writings of Terry Southern, 1950-1995 [Import] [Paperback]

Terry Southern (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 267 pages
• Publisher: Methuen Publishing Ltd (July 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0413772411
• ISBN-13: 978-0413772411
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,587,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the long awaited sequel to Red Dirt Marijuana, May 31, 2001

By 

Lee Hill - See all my reviews

This review is from: Now Dig This: The Unspeakable Writings of Terry Southern, 1950-1995 (Hardcover)

In these heartless consumerist times, irony has become debased. Thus the arrival of this anthology of previously uncollected and unpublished work by Terry Southern is not only a delightful surprise, but profoundly neccesary. Just as his 1967 anthology, Red Dirt Marijuana, proved that Southern was not just the great black humorist of the post-WWII era, but a great short story writer and essayist, so does Now Dig This affirm that status. No one has ever managed to quite duplicate Southern's mastery of so many forms: the letter as put-on, gonzo journalism, literary criticism, screenwriting and short fiction. Southern fans will be delighted at the inclusion of "Heavy Put-Away", a superb essay on Kurt Weill, and reminscences of Stanley Kubrick and Frank O'Hara. For first time readers, I have only envy. Now Dig This will be your all expenses paid ticket to a world of darkness and laughter. To paraphrase Ringo Starr, who acted in adaptations of two Southern novels, Candy and The Magic Christian, Buy a Terry Southern book today. Now Dig This is a very, very good place to start your spending spree.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Vile, July 9, 2007

By 

Thomas Quale (Centerville, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Now Dig This: The Unspeakable Writings of Terry Southern, 1950-1995 (Paperback)

A grave disappointment. I cast myself into the Great Pit of Squaredom, surely, by this judgement, but aside from some isolated good bits, including Southern's notes on working with Kubrick on Strangelove and his interview with Henry Green, this is a poor (unspeakable, indeed!) excuse for a collection--repetitive, full of tiresome hipster tics, willfully and wearyingly perverse, seeking shock for shock's sake, like a child misbehaving to get attention. Do not waste your time or your money on this unfortunate production. Buy a copy of The Magic Christian instead.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He's Too Hip, Baby!, June 1, 2001

By 

Jim Yoakum (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Now Dig This: The Unspeakable Writings of Terry Southern, 1950-1995 (Hardcover)

It's hard to imagine today, but there once was a time when the simple written word could send shudders of fear and loathing down the spines of mainstream America. And no one gave Mr and Mrs Front Porch USA the shakes more than Terry Southern. His novel "Candy" was banned and branded as pornography before it even reached our shores; his take on the military in "Doc Strangelove" earned him the label "pinko." But, like all great satirists (which he certainly was) know, "telling it like it is" often times means "taking your lumps like a man." And Terry took plenty of lumps, and humps, but never let his trials and tribs get in the way of "making it hot" for people. Although the mighty lions of 60's pop culture are now - alas! - all nearly gone, this volume of previously unseen TS works serves as an excellent reminder of a time when humor meant more than just being funny, and words alone had the power to give people the coniptions. And as "Now Dig This!" reminds us, while Southern took on all comers and suffered no fool gladly, he was a gentle giant who did so whilst nudging us playfully in the ribs - not poking us in the eye. "Now Dig This!" is a great addition to any modern humor library, and a worthy addition to the Southern canon. Bravo.