Roomanitarian [Paperback]

Henry Rollins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2005

In Roomanitarian, popular author, actor, musician, and spoken-word artist Henry Rollins returns to the combative prose that has won him critical acclaim and a legion of devoted fans. The book is divided into three parts: The first section, "Walking the Chasm,” written in the form of a poem, epitomizes Rollins’s beautifully stark, hard-hitting style. The second part, "Ended," is a series of short prose pieces reminiscent of Solipsist. Finally, the biting humor and social commentary Rollins is renowned for is on full display in "To Ann Hitler with Love," a series of mock love letters to a fictional woman who bears a striking resemblance to conservative pundit Ann Coulter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: 2.13.61 (October 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880985772
• ISBN-13: 978-1880985779
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important book, February 19, 2006

By 

J. Brantley "Wyman Brantley" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Roomanitarian (Paperback)

This 2005 work from Henry Rollins is different from some his more familiar journal-based works, like "Get in the Van" and "Black Coffee Blues." It is a collection of topical works, quite wide-ranging in both tone and subject.

One of the two main threads to be discerned in "Roomanitarian" is Rollins' adoption of another persona to explore various ideas and personalities. For example, separate sections of the chapter "Ended" have him writing first as a plastic-surgery-addicted inhabitant of a gated community, and later as a Russian citizen comparing recent American history to life under Stalin.

These vignettes provide a dizzying and poignant read. Imagine Kierkegaard if he had been born to a single runaway teen and been left for dead in a dumpster behind an L.A. McDonalds.

There are hints among these short pieces of greater things to come. Two must-read sections of "Ended" have Rollins wielding a command of fiction-craft that is much deeper and mature than one would suspect from his journal-based works.

The first is a short story that begins with a man and woman on plane discovering common interests, but which develops through surprising shifts of perspective. Another extended section has Rollins evoking a stark, David-Lynchian atmosphere as a man's everyday surroundings become increasingly ominous. My hope is that these portend a novel from Rollins at some point.

Another main strand through "Roomanitarian" addresses this question: How can a guy who draws sellout crowds to his gut-busting spoken word manage to bring his talent for humor to the page without trying to duplicate his live act? The answer: satire.

Rollins' written work has always provided source material for his talking gigs, but hearing or going to the gigs was always necessary for really catching the humor in his stories. He was never one to include the little one-liners and non-stop quipping that career humor-writers do. The fun was in the live delivery.

But now comes "Roomanitarian." Through the use of satire he has managed to write a book that is funny without seeming forced. None of that Dave Barry insert-punchline-here hackery.

Satire is criticism and it is also humor. Rollins is a critic of culture and politics, but he has never set himself up as a great arbiter of truth. You read his criticism somewhat like you would listen to a crude but shrewd guy down the street. There are gems of wisdom, but you don't expect some grand treatise.

However, with Rollins, your "guy down the street" is one who has packed about three lifetimes into one. The signal to noise ratio is accordingly much higher.

Both in the satirical pieces and in the fictional ones, readers will discover a political edge in "Roomanitarian." From his first Reagan-era book "2.13.61," Rollins has always had a few nasty things to about those in power. In this latest work the anger comes to a white-hot head. In the "Letters to whitey," "To Ann Hitler," and in several sections of "Ended," Rollins applies a keen blade to the throat of the Bush administration and its supporters. He seems to channel the anger of millions of us who felt betrayed by the farcical Iraq War and 2004 election.

Here is a quote from a standout Jeremiad in "Ended," clearly directed at Bush: "Do you know what parents consider themselves when they bury their sons? Failures. Will you admit that you never knew what you were doing and you were never ready to give what you made others give? That you are and always will be a coward? A weakling who preaches strength, who sends in the best to do the worst." (p.8)

"Roomanitarian" is an important part of Rollins' output in many ways. It will be seen as a transitional book for Rollins. It will be a book in which one can discern several lines of his later development maturing.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short but Visceral, December 2, 2005

By 

Allison "Librarian" (TN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roomanitarian (Paperback)

There's no comparing this book, really, to "Broken Summers", Henry's last book, because the two are so vastly different in content, since "Roomanitarian" is more sparse and prose oriented; the kind of thing we knew from his earlier book, "Solipsist". At just under 200pgs, I do admit I wish it were longer but the content is well worth it, packed into such a small volume. It seems as he gets older, Rollins thins out his work, packing more and more into less and less with better results.

Perhaps not as great as earlier prose-style books of his when he was younger, this is still a worthy addition, though maybe not as appealing to newcomer's. I'd suggest going backwards and starting with the original "Black Coffee Blues" and working up through this book to get the full effect and range of his style but if you're already a fan, by all means, put this in your collection, you won't be dissappointed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, For Rollins Fans & Non-Fans, December 8, 2010

By 

Fraueinkaufen (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roomanitarian (Paperback)

Henry Rollins: literary mastermind. He describes life in the rigid details that rip across our skin on a daily basis.

And now, for a favorite quote:
"Happiness left me when I saw that things end. That your desire, passion, and commitment don't mean much. You're just left to walk through the debris of your effort. What was a beautiful machine eventually turns into an ignored relic."