Swimming to Cambodia (Paperback)

by Spalding Gray (Author) "This is a recording..." (more)
Key Phrases: pleasure prison, magic mushrooms, green button, New York, Khmer Rouge, Lon Nol (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"It took courage to do what Spalding did-courage to make theatre so naked and unadorned, to expose himself in this way and fight the demons in public. In doing so, he entered our hearts-my heart-because he made his struggle my struggle. His life became my life."-Eric Bogosian

"Virtuosic. A master writer, reporter, comic and playwright. Spalding Gray is a sit-down monologist with the soul of a stand-up comedian. A contemporary Gulliver, he travels the globe in search of experience and finds the ridiculous."-The New York Times

In 2004, we mourned the loss of one of America's true theatrical innovators. Spalding Gray took his own life by jumping from the Staten Island ferry into the waters of New York Harbor, finally succumbing to the impossible notion that he could in fact swim to Cambodia. At a memorial gathering for family, friends and fans at Lincoln Center in New York, his widow expressed the need to honor Gray's legacy as an artist and writer for his children, as well as for future generations of fans and readers. Originally published in 1985, Swimming to Cambodia is reissued here 20 years later in a new edition as a tribute to Gray's singular artistry.

Writer, actor and performer, Spalding Gray is the author of Sex and Death to the Age 14; Monster in a Box; It's a Slippery Slope; Gray's Anatomy and Morning, Noon and Night, among other works. His appearance in The Killing Fields was the inspiration for his Swimming to Cambodia, which was also filmed by Jonathan Demme.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author
Spalding Gray was the author of numerous solo pieces including Monster in a Box; It's a Slippery Slope; Morning, Noon and Night, and Sex and Death to the Age of 14 and other pieces. He leaves behind a wife, two children of his own and a stepdaughter. He will be sorely missed.

Product Details

• Paperback: 127 pages
• Publisher: Theatre Communications Group; First Edition first Printing edition (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093045250X
• ISBN-13: 978-0930452506
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #992,391 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and Intensive, January 15, 2000

By	J. B. Barton "Beth Barton" (Saint Petersburg, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Swimming to Cambodia [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Yes, it is a documentary and, yes, it is a monologue. Yes, he discusses the sex trade in Cambodia which is extemely explicit. But this is about Cambodia. This is about the Killing Fields. This is about our involvement in that history. There is nothing gratuitous. Gray is captivating as he sits on a darkened stage with his words and topics accented with strategic lighting, maps, sounds and video clips. You will leave this film with a new understanding of what happened from Cambodia to Kent State. He also has a unique insight into mankind. In this, his "Talking Cure", you will be compelled to try to answer the question that he wrestles with - 'Is morality a moving feast?'. This is an important film.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars UNFORGETTABLE!!!, November 23, 1998

By	D. Benz (Columbia, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swimming to Cambodia [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This film blew me away. This guy sits behind a small desk on-stage in a small auditorium with a couple of maps of Southeast Asia behind him and talks for two hours. Spalding Gray's descriptions of Phuket, Thailand beat any travelogue hands-down. His oral history of Cambodia is as fascinating as it is succinct. His word-pictures and imagery of his experiences in Southeast Asia, on the train from Philadelphia to Chicago, and in his girlfriend's downtown New York neighborhood display his mastery of the art of storytelling. You don't just hear it, you experience it! This film is worth playing again and again and again.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating story as told by a madman., January 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Swimming to Cambodia [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie is simply amazing. Spalding Gray sits behind a small wooden desk with a glass of water and talks. Sounds simple right? Well you just have to experience his twisted perception of reality to understand. After this, you'll want to seek out every monologue he's done, as I have.