Holy Tango of Literature (Paperback)

~ (Author), Richard Thompson (Illustrator) "Let us go then, to the john,..." (more)
Key Phrases: emmis humor, Dramatis Personae, Allen Ginsberg, Oscar Wilde (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A very funny and possibly classic anthology. -- Mark O'Donnell, author of Let Nothing You Dismay and creator of Hairspray

All bow down to Francis Heaney. He is a gob-smacking genius! -- David Rakoff, author of Fraud

EACH YEAR FINNS say that FRANCIS HEANEY is A REFINANCE SHY of a FANCY EAR SHINE... He's finally arrived. -- Neal Pollack, author of The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature

Francis Heaney displays a verbal dexterity that should commend him to any savvy reader craving the... literary parody experience. -- Randy Cohen, writer of The Ethicist in New York Times Magazine

Heaney's exquisite writing ... and considerable wit are utterly squandered in this trivial literary pastiche-- ... exactly why I loved it ... -- Will Shortz, Crossword Editor, The New York Times

Product Description

Holy Tango of Literature is a unique and captivating collection mimicking the great writers of literary history. This devilishly witty book has a twist: Each writer's name is rearranged as a title, creating the subject for a parody rendered in the author's style.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Clerisy Press, Emmis Books; First Edition, First Printing edition (October 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578601592
• ISBN-13: 978-1578601592
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,226 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Attention All English Majors, November 18, 2004

By	Alexandra Ringe (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

You must have this book. To wit, a sample of the brilliance within:

Skinny Domicile
by Emily Dickinson
(actually by Francis Heaney, who wrote poems whose titles are anagrams of canonical poets' names; he used the poets' styles, meters, et al)

I have a skinny Domicile-
Its Door is very narrow.
'Twill keep-I hope-the Reaper out-
His Scythe-and Bones-and Marrow.

Since Death is not a portly Chap,
The Entrance must be thin-
So-when my Final Moment comes-
He cannot wriggle in.

That's why I don't go out that much-
I can't fit through that Portal.
How dumb-to waste my Social Life
On Plans to be-immortal-

Mr. Heaney is a true wordsmith and a _really_ funny one at that. The perfect present for anyone who has ever had to read a sonnet. It's true that I worked with this man at Modern Humorist, but he has added tons of new work (including forms other than poetry) that I haven't seen yet, and I can't wait to get my copy.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All The Literature You'll Ever Need, June 5, 2005

By	R.T. "Real Name" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This is wonderful stuff by a true comic polymath. Just read "Likable Wilma" by William Blake, which begins, "Wilma, Wilma, in thy blouse, Red-haired prehistoric spouse" , and you'll know what I mean. I have a conflict of interest here (I drew the pictures) but I laughed hard at Francis Heaney's work before I got tangled up with it, when I first saw it in Mirth of a Nation. Buy The Holy Tango today! The children of America should be committing it to memory!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A work of unique brilliance and multi-layered wit, April 30, 2005

By	j-hay (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This expertly-crafted and flawlessly erudite effort would be well worth one's attention as a jaw-droppingly-impressive literary stunt, even if it weren't that funny. The fact that it is, on top of everything else, hilarious makes it absolutely irresistible.