The Resuscitation of a Hanged Man [Hardcover]

Denis Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 5, 1991

Resuscitation of a Hanged Man is Denis Johnson's most fully realized novel to date, an enthralling and shattering reading experience, which probes the mysteries of faith, hope and love.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Leonard English, a failed suicide from Kansas, arrives in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in bleakest November to begin a new life as a private detective. The first thing he notices is that the women in town look remarkably mannish; then he realizes that they are men. The one real woman he meets is gay, but he pursues her anyway. A self-proclaimed "knight of faith," English tries to embrace Catholicism, but the local priest doubts his sincerity. Cut off from God and convinced that a secret paramilitary group is on his trail, English arms himself for a violent last stand. Johnson, author of the noir classic Angels (1983), here rehabilitates the Kierkegaardian religious novel. At once hilariously funny and profoundly serious, Resuscitation of a Hanged Man is philosophical fiction of the first order and a minor masterpiece of New England local-color literature.
- Edward B. St. John, Loyola Law School Lib., Los Angeles
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A classic.... The touch of one of the finest American novelists writing today." -- --Los Angeles Times Book Review

"A cosmically charged fiction that combines hard-boiled theology and a redeeming wit -- the perfect spiritual tonic for tough times." -- --Kirkus Reviews

"An utterly brilliant and original talent, a novelist who reminds us just how wonderful fiction can be." -- --Philadelphia Inquirer

"Denis Johnson is an artist. He writes with a natural authority, and there is real music in his prose." -- --New York Times Book Review

"One of the best and most compelling novelists in the nation." -- --Elle --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition (March 5, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374249490
• ISBN-13: 978-0374249496
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #296,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The magical talent of a born poet, April 20, 2002

By 

Robert Bezimienny (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Resuscitation of a Hanged Man (Paperback)

It seems unlikely that anyone affluent and successful, or, to use a borrowed phrase, comfortable and powerless, would go in search of anything. Therefore Denis Johnson depicts characters in need, whose only true choices lie in how to fail, and they search endlessly for things, things as disparate as their own souls, meaning in the world, the love of another human being, a sensible ordering of their own thoughts. Their quests bear the taint of madness and of poetry - it is not surprising that they, his protagonists, not least Lenny English in this novel, cultivate ecstatic relationships with their gods, for such relationships blur all too readily into madness.
*
First and foremost Johnson is a poet. He prises moments and emotions from the depths of ordinariness and sets them wet and gleaming before our eyes. He gives us an insight into a human mind, its particular way of seeing (and avoiding) the world. Consequently, plot is of secondary importance, yet nevertheless this tale has twists and surprises enough to carry the reader steadily along, calmly swimming through events while waiting for the next unsettling insight, the next beautiful passage of prose.
*
It's also very funny. The humour can come from absurdity, or just from his ear for smart...conversation. He's read Kerouac and moved a long way on from there. In fact, Johnson is plain better than Kerouac.
*
If you like literature, then this novel is essential, as is Johnson's poetry, collected in "The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millenium General Assembly", and his short story collection "Jesus' Son".
*
It's interesting to compare what he's doing with the projects of other, perhaps more feted, contemporary American authors - say, Richard Powers or Don Delillo. For mine, Johnson has fathomed his own soul far deeper than either of these men, and he is not ashamed to expose himself, and he has sharpened his means of so doing. In contrast, Delillo's characters appear soulless, hiding from themselves and his readers; Powers presents people in fractions, their shiny sides open for view, with sneaky peeks at their libidos, and their darker sides miraculously forgotten or rationalised - both these writers of encyclopedic fiction feel almost cowardly when set beside Johnson's work, and neither of them can tell a joke; their prose is often laboured and stupidly erudite, with no hope of attaining the grace of Johnson's, yet their books are without doubt amongst the best being written today. So how good does that make Johnson? Most probably he is a god-forsaken genius. More people need to know about him. For the sake of the world, read his books and spread the word.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strange, but good, April 9, 2004

By 

Henry Platte (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Resuscitation of a Hanged Man (Paperback)

This novel is quite bizzare. Not just garden-variety modernist bizzare, either. Odd things happen. Nothing is predictable; problems are solved in the most impossible ways, and relationships undergo incredible, unbelievable contortions - I can't explain why it works, but after closing it, and after blinking a couple of time and thinking _Boy_ was that weird, I had a sense of having finished something very profound. I think that for once Denis Johnson is completley on top of his game. He's incredibly talented, and he always displays that talent, but his other novels sometimes take _effort_ to appreciate - if you know what I mean - but here, you really have the sense that he knows more than you, that he's holding all the cards, that he knows exactly where the story is going and what effect he wants it to have on you. I think the fact that he could make a cohesive story around such a group of oddballs with such an outrageous plot is testament enough to his ability, but it's also a very good read. That said, it is really, really bizzare, and doesn't _settle_ easily - which I guess is the point, since the vision it holds out is one without much comfort and with a great deal of horror and grotesquery - but I generally prefer books which are at least somewhat more human.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding book..., February 7, 2008

By 

Clark - See all my reviews

This review is from: Resuscitation of a Hanged Man (Paperback)

This book was quite enjoyable. It is impossible not to get submerged into the story, Johnson hooks you and never lets go. Denis Johnson is a master of the English language. It seems like every word is necessary for the story. Johnson has a focus on providing the reader a well-written novel that lacks useless page filling words. Resuscitation of a Hanged Man makes you question your own life. This book is truly a work of art. A+ for Denis Johnson and Resuscitation of a Hanged Man.