J.H. Abbot's 'In the Belly of the Beast'

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Anyone remember this story? This guy with a SERIOUS anger problem who's spent about 40 years in solitary writes a book, gist of which is a) all of society is corrupt and everybody in it should be destroyed, and b) he's the man to do it as his code of honour requires him to kill anybody who he doesn't like. So on the basis of writing this, some bright spark decides it would be a good idea to let him out! I mean, WTF? Norman Mailer is fantastic and three of his books are in my all-time top five but I think he would admit that there was a serious failure of judgement there!

― dave q, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Reason I bring this up, I glanced at the 'all-time fave books' thread and while this book is far from classic (quel surprise, as it was probably written on contraband toilet paper or something), it definitely made an impression - as in, I read it while quite young and subsequently decided that maybe a life of crime wasn't what I was cut out for

― dave q, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Didn't Abbot stab a waiter or something abt five secs after he was released? Is he still alive? Norm is notably silent on the matter...

It's been years since I read ITBOTB, but I think I found it a bit overblown at the time - like I was annoyed that a crim cld have a 'poetic soul' or something. Dunno if I'd like it any better now - think I'd still prefer the blank 'documentary' prose style of 'the Executioner's Song' (Mailer's best nov by a mile) or Edward Bunker's 'No Beast so Fierce'.

― Andrew L, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

abbot features in nicola barker's "five miles from outer hope"

― mark s, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The title of my favourite Anthrax song!

― jel --, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ok Sarte did this with Genet. Lets talk about this parrells

― anthony, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There's a brilliant erm satire on the ex-con (...woops) writer as liberal id in Bruce Wagner's 'Force Majeur'.

― ds, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Genet: good writer who could change the focus and intensity of his prose. Abbott: one speed (breakneck), and clearly heavily edited (maybe with a less exploitative editor, he would have been a bit better). Mailer: asshole.

Abbott hanged himself in February up at Wende. The story of his three days of freedom (publishing fetes, fancy restaurants, and a stabbing at a cafe) is an even more harrowing expose of tony liberals and their causes celebres than Tom Wolfe's account of Leonard Bernstein's cocktail party for the Black Panthers .

― Benjamin, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

tom wolfe = bigger asshole than mailer, even, and WAY WORSE writer

― mark s, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom Wolfe never stabbed his wife.

― rosemary, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.