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An Arrow's Flight, by Mark Merlis
Download Ebook An Arrow's Flight, by Mark Merlis
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An Arrow’s Flight is a joyous and eccentric tour-de-force by the author of American Studies and Man About Town. The siege of Troy has dragged on for ten years, with no end in sight, when an oracle supplies the Greeks with the recipe for victory. All they need is Pyrrhus, son of the fallen Achilles. But Pyrrhus has been putting his godlike form to profitable use as a go-go dancer in the big city. Why should he leave the party, give up his hard-bought freedom, just because some voice in a jar says he must strap on a suit of hand-me-down armor? Still, he has always known destiny had plans for him, some more glittering future than life as a used-up hustler on a park bench somewhere. So he sails for Troy, hoping to transform himself into the bronzed immortal history requires. Instead, on an unscheduled detour, he stumbles through his first lessons on how to be a man. Magically blending ancient headlines and modern myth, Merlis creates a fabulous new world where legendary heroes declare their endowments in the personal ads and any panhandler just might be a divinity in disguise. Comical, moving, startling in its audacity and range, An Arrow’s Flight is a profound meditation on gay identity, straight power, and human liberation. -- Lambda Literary Award, Gay Men’s Fiction, 1998 A boldly conceived narrative of uncommon artistry…Merlis’s insight into human nature and his ability to find and articulate grace in the ordinary process of human exchange is remarkable. Among the many books written about AIDS and the gay experience, Merlis’s novel is a stunning standout. – Publishers Weekly (starred review) Equal parts Iliad and City of Night…Merlis transforms the gimmick into a miraculously wacky, droll, and sometimes tragic story. – Village Voice Top-of-the-line gay fiction, compulsively readable and very, very sexy. – The Advocate Dazzles with its originality, its willingness to take astonishing risks, its triumphant conjuration of a world at once sternly archaic and bracingly contemporary…This is a beautiful, haunting work by one of America's finest novelists. – Paul Russell
- Sales Rank: #2187086 in Books
- Published on: 2015-07-05
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 10.00" h x .87" w x 7.00" l, 1.47 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 386 pages
Amazon.com Review
Mark Merlis, who debuted in 1995 with the marvelous American Studies, has once again worked magic, producing a book that is as momentous as it is mysteriously moving. Set during the Trojan War, An Arrow's Flight recounts the story of Achilles's son Pyrrhus, prophesied to be the soldier who conquered Troy. But Merlis's tale departs from the standard versions of the story: here, Pyrrhus is a go-go boy and hustler who lives in the demiworld of the gay ghetto and bears a closer resemblance to characters from John Rechy's City of Night than anybody in Edith Hamilton's Mythology. In its opening pages, An Arrow's Flight seems to be little more than a clever postmodern gag, but Merlis knows exactly what he is doing, and the novel quickly becomes a unique, emotionally overwhelming masterpiece. Merlis's historical and sexual sleights of hand end up thrilling and shocking by locating us somewhere between myth and history, between fiction and fable. The very themes and ideas of An Arrow's Flight shimmer and shift before our eyes: war, male friendship, Troy, AIDS, sexual identity, and Vietnam are all explored and elucidated. By the end, the novel resonates with beauty, intelligence, and empathy. --Michael Bronski
From Publishers Weekly
In a boldly conceived narrative of uncommon artistry, the author of American Studies succeeds in making the implausible not only plausible but probable as he wryly juxtaposes contemporary icons and lingo with long-familiar schoolbook characters. Bringing to vivid life in the late 20th century figures from Greek mythology, Merlis tells the story of Achilles' gay 21-year-old son, Pyrrhus, and how he comes to embrace a destiny that takes him far beyond the urban gay ghetto?and the half-hearted "job" of dancing nude and hustling?that he's resigned himself to. One-quarter divine, Pyrrhus not only possesses extraordinary beauty and the world's most lustrous red hair, but his sense of himself is unflappable in the face of mere mortals whose truncated imaginations can't fathom gay love. Themes of destiny, the quest for personal truth, the nature of love and desire, even the very contemporary issue of gays in the military are explored in spectacularly imaginative style. In addition to his deft use of language and narrative technique, Merlis's insight into human nature?the nature of gay men in particular?and his ability to find and articulate grace in the ordinary process of human exchange is remarkable. Among the many books written about AIDS and the gay experience, Merlis's novel is a stunning standout.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Picture Achilles disguised as a auto mechanic, who "could get into polishing armor and stuff" but who thinks "rotating strangers' tires [gets] old pretty quickly." In this audacious retelling of the fall of Troy, Merlis (American Studies, LJ 8/94) constantly plays with the combination of ancient and modern, referring to television and the Vietnam War in the same sentences that mention sacrifices to the gods. The sharp and slyly witty narration consistently offers surprises. The thoroughly modern hero, Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles and a "hemidemigod," dreams of life in the "City," a gay mecca that could just as easily be 20th-century San Francisco as ancient Athens. He first appears dancing naked on a bar, making his living as a hustler and go-go boy. The story of his transformation as he is recruited to go to war and redefine himself is compelling and original, offering insights into modern gay life and identity. Highly recommended for all collections.?Daniel Starr, Museum of Modern Art Lib., New York
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Most helpful customer reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
No Summary Will Prepare You for How Truly Wonderful This Is
By A Customer
I haven't been this impressed with a work of fiction in quite some time. Mark Merlis sets himself up to fail, with his idea of semi-updating the Trojan war, and then succeeds so wondrously. He catches the reader quickly with opening chapters that are funny, engaging, swift-moving (any man or woman who was ever young and confused will identify, but gay men in particular will laugh out loud) then deftly begins weaving in deeper themes. In some ways, his subject is the same as Homer's (or Shakespeare's, or just about any great writer's): what does it mean to be a man? His answer is slowly and beautifully revealed to the reader, as it is to his protagonist. The surprising ending (always the toughest part of a novel, especially for one this original) is so well done I turned the last pages in amazement. And heartbreak. Ignore this book at your peril. You won't make a better purchase this year.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
A Classic from a Classic
By Ricky Hunter
I was interested in this book as I studied Classical Studies in university and I enjoy gay fiction. This seemed a fascinating combination for a book. I was more impressed than I expected to be. It was a nice spin on the many books that look at the period at the beginning of the AIDS crisis in that the reader does not immediately see the connection. The initial talk of gods and demigods and, god forbid, hemidemigods, sets one up for a different sort of story. One does not suspect that the story of the Fall of Troy can be used to show the meaning of being gay in such a contemporary way but that is the thrill of this novel. Pyrrhus and Philoctetes were superb choices to guide the reader through this novel but the joy also came from the minor characters who pop up fully formed throughout the novel, such as Admetus and Leucon. Too many gay novels contain a hero that is a beautiful and sexual god, in a metaphorical sense, that it is nice to see a novel where the hero (almost) is a god in a literal sense but somehow writtin all the more real for all of that.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
BRILLIANT!
By A Customer
"How did he do that!?" That's the thought that kept popping up in my head as I read this wonderful wonderful book.
The anachronisms are brilliantly funny & clever; Merlis is a pure genius & has written a perfect piece of literature. I highly recommend anyone to read this novel; particularly if you enjoy Greek mythology as I do... Merlis succeeds in humanizing these bigger-than-life characters...
A definite must-read!
See all 55 customer reviews...
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