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John Reed (novelist)
Encyclopedia
John Reed is an American novelist. He is the author of four novels: A Still Small Voice (2000), Snowball's Chance
(2002) with a preface by Alexander Cockburn
, The Whole (2005), and All the World's a Grave: A New Play by William Shakespeare (2008). His fifth book, Tales of Woe (2010), is a collection of twenty-five stories, chronicling true stories of abject misery.
, Reed is the son of artist David Reed
and Judy Rifka
. He attended Hampshire College
, and received a Masters in Fine Art in Creative Writing from Columbia University
. He teaches at The New School
.
Reed was an early contributor to, and subsequently an editor with, Open City
, a New York literary journal published by Robert Bingham, who later founded the book series.
and The Brooklyn Rail
. "Americans are extremely sophisticated in terms of narrative forms," said Reed in an interview. "We see it in commercials, we see it on TV, we see it in movies. But the narrative forms we're talking about are three acts, five acts, depending on how you want to look at it. They're all based on a Christian model of sin, suffering, redemption; which is not a large model."
2000, Delta 2001), Reed’s first novel, is a historical novel based on the life of a girl growing up in Kentucky from 1850-1870.
(Roof Books 2002/2003), Reed’s second novel was a controversial send-up of George Orwell
’s Animal Farm
, and ended in a cataclysmic attack on the “Twin Mills” (reminiscent of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center
). It became a bestseller in the field of books by independent literary publishers.
and was released in 2005 by MTV Books (Simon & Schuster). The novel described a gigantic hole that appears in the middle of the country, which engulfs four states.
, King Lear
, Macbeth
, Othello
, Romeo & Juliet and Henry V
. In the "literary trick" (as described by Page Six of The New York Post) Shakespeare's lines are rearranged into a wholly new story, in which Prince Hamlet of Denmark goes to war to claim his bride and the daughter of King Lear, Juliet. Upon a triumphant return home, Hamlet discovers that his mother has murdered his father, and married Macbeth. Visited by his father's ghost, and goaded by the opportunistic Lieutenant Iago, Hamlet is driven mad by the erroneous belief that Juliet is having an affair with General Romeo.
Snowball's Chance
Snowball's Chance, is a parody of George Orwell's Animal Farm written by John Reed, in which Snowball the pig returns to the Manor Farm after many years' absence, to install capitalism — which proves to have its own pitfalls.- Background :...
(2002) with a preface by Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Claud Cockburn is an American political journalist. Cockburn was brought up in Ireland but has lived and worked in the United States since 1972. Together with Jeffrey St. Clair, he edits the political newsletter CounterPunch...
, The Whole (2005), and All the World's a Grave: A New Play by William Shakespeare (2008). His fifth book, Tales of Woe (2010), is a collection of twenty-five stories, chronicling true stories of abject misery.
Biography
Born in 1969 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Reed is the son of artist David Reed
David Reed (artist)
David Reed is a contemporary American conceptual and visual artist.-Art:David Reed is known as a colorist and for creating long, narrow abstract paintings on canvas that are hung either lengthwise or vertically and feature several images resembling enlarged photographs of swirling brushstrokes...
and Judy Rifka
Judy Rifka
Judy Rifka, an American artist, first emerged in the 1970s as a painter and video artist, and is associated with Colab, Tribeca, the Lower East Side arts scene of that period, and such artists as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard, John Ahearn, Richard Mock, Ron Gorchov, Becky Howland, Keith...
. He attended Hampshire College
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
, and received a Masters in Fine Art in Creative Writing from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He teaches at The New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
.
Reed was an early contributor to, and subsequently an editor with, Open City
Open City (magazine)
Open City Magazine and Books was a New York City based magazine and book publisher that features many first-time writers alongside those who are well known. The editors are Thomas Beller and Joanna Yas. It is published by a nonprofit organization, Open City, Inc. Open City Magazine is released...
, a New York literary journal published by Robert Bingham, who later founded the book series.
Works
He is affiliated with the New York PressNew York Press
New York Press was a free alternative weekly in New York City, that was published from 1988 to 2011. During its lifetime, it was the main competitor to the Village Voice...
and The Brooklyn Rail
The Brooklyn Rail
The Brooklyn Rail is a political, artistic and literary magazine based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Coverage includes political andliterary essays, art criticism, interviews, original fiction and poetry, and reviews....
. "Americans are extremely sophisticated in terms of narrative forms," said Reed in an interview. "We see it in commercials, we see it on TV, we see it in movies. But the narrative forms we're talking about are three acts, five acts, depending on how you want to look at it. They're all based on a Christian model of sin, suffering, redemption; which is not a large model."
A Still Small Voice
A Still Small Voice (DelacorteDelacorte
The word Delacorte can refer to:*Delacorte Press, a Random House related publisher.*Delacorte Theater, a theater in Manhattan's Central Park.*George T. Delacorte Jr., founder of the Dell Publishing Company....
2000, Delta 2001), Reed’s first novel, is a historical novel based on the life of a girl growing up in Kentucky from 1850-1870.
Snowball's Chance
Snowball's ChanceSnowball's Chance
Snowball's Chance, is a parody of George Orwell's Animal Farm written by John Reed, in which Snowball the pig returns to the Manor Farm after many years' absence, to install capitalism — which proves to have its own pitfalls.- Background :...
(Roof Books 2002/2003), Reed’s second novel was a controversial send-up of George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
’s Animal Farm
Animal Farm
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II...
, and ended in a cataclysmic attack on the “Twin Mills” (reminiscent of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
). It became a bestseller in the field of books by independent literary publishers.
The Whole, or, Duh Whole
The Whole, Reed’s third novel, parodied MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and was released in 2005 by MTV Books (Simon & Schuster). The novel described a gigantic hole that appears in the middle of the country, which engulfs four states.
All the World's a Grave
Reed, in a new work, returns to the overhaul of canonical English writers in All the World's a Grave, fall 2008, Penguin Books. The work, subtitled "A New Play by William Shakespeare", is a tragedy in five acts, a "mash-up" constructed of lines drawn from five Shakespeare tragedies and one Shakespeare history; HamletHamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
, Romeo & Juliet and Henry V
Henry V (play)
Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
. In the "literary trick" (as described by Page Six of The New York Post) Shakespeare's lines are rearranged into a wholly new story, in which Prince Hamlet of Denmark goes to war to claim his bride and the daughter of King Lear, Juliet. Upon a triumphant return home, Hamlet discovers that his mother has murdered his father, and married Macbeth. Visited by his father's ghost, and goaded by the opportunistic Lieutenant Iago, Hamlet is driven mad by the erroneous belief that Juliet is having an affair with General Romeo.
External links
- John Reed's website
- All the World's a Grave, book website.
- Kill the beavers!, The Daily Telegraph, November 22, 2002.
- John Reed: Saint George and the Damn Truth, Moby Lives, Nove,ber 10, 2003.
- John Reed: The Whole, an excerpt, Brooklyn Rail, January 2005.
- Dinitia Smith: A Pig Returns to the Farm, Thumbing His Snout at Orwell, The New York Times, November 25, 2002.
- Cathy Young: Blaming the Victim, Reason.com, December 3, 2002.
- Andrea Scrima: Review of Tales of Woe, Rumpus, November 16, 2010.
- Interview with Arthur Phillips on rewriting Shakespeare