Brock Clarke

Green Apple Books is excited to host author Brock Clarke as we celebrate the release of his novel Happiest People in the World. The event will take place in the Granny Smith Room at the Green Apple Main Store at 7pm. Facebook RSVP requested but not required Take the format of a spy thriller, shape it around real-life incidents involving international terrorism, leaven it with dark, dry humor, toss in a love rectangle, give everybody a gun, and let everything play out in the outer reaches of upstate New York—there you have an idea of Brock Clarke’s new novel, The happiest people in the world. Who are “The happiest people in the world”? Theoretically, it’s all the people who live in Denmark, the country that gave the world Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales and the open-face sandwich. But Denmark is also where some political cartoonists got into very unhappy trouble when they attempted to depict Muhammad in their drawings, which prompted protests, arson, and even assassination attempts. Imagine, then, that one of those cartoonists, given protection through the CIA, is relocated to a small town in upstate New York where he is given a job as a high school guidance counselor. Once there, he manages to fall in love with the wife of the high school principal, who himself is trying to get over the effects of a misguided love affair with the very CIA agent who sent the cartoonist to him. Imagine also that virtually every other person in this tiny town is a CIA operative. The result is a darkly funny tale of paranoia and the all-American obsession with security and the conspiracies that threaten it, written in a tone that is simultaneously filled with wonder and anger in almost equal parts. Brock Clarke is the author of An arsonist's guide to writers' homes in New England, which was a national bestseller and has appeared in a dozen foreign editions, and three other books. He lives in Portland, Maine, and teaches creative writing at Bowdoin College. Find him online at www.brockclarke.com.

Location: Street: Granny Smith Room Additional: 506 Clement St. City: San Francisco, Province: California Postal Code: 94118-2324 Country: United States (afegit de IndieBound)… (més)

Scott Onak hosts authors Brock Clarke and Miriam Toews in literary conversation as they discuss their newest books, The happiest people in the world and All My Puny Sorrows.

Scott Onak received his MFA in Fiction from the University of Idaho. His stories have been published in Mid-American Review and Willow Springs, and his book reviews appear on The Rumpus. He teaches creative writing at StoryStudio Chicago and the University of Chicago Graham School of Continuing Studies.

A master of sharp, insightful satire, Brock Clarke's new novel takes a decidedly subversive look at American culture while pushing the limits of the absurd and hilarious. Take the format of a spy thriller, shape it around real-life incidents involving international terrorism, leaven it with dark, dry humor, toss in a love rectangle, give everybody a gun, and let everything play out in the outer reaches of upstate New York – there you have an idea of The happiest people in the world.

Miriam Toews is a Canadian writer of Mennonite descent. She grew up in Steinbach, Manitoba and has lived in Montreal and London, before settling in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 2007 she made her screen debut in the Mexican film "Luz silenciosa" directed by Carlos Reygadas, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The book, Irma Voth, was released in April 2011. Her latest book, All My Puny Sorrows, comes out in the US on Nov 18 (so get it early, tonight!).

Location: Street: 4736-38 N Lincoln Ave City: Chicago, Province: Illinois Postal Code: 60625 Country: United States (afegit de IndieBound)… (més)

The happiest people in the world by Brock Clarke Tuesday, November 4th, 7:00pm at Longfellow Books

Take the format of a spy thriller, shape it around real-life incidents involving international terrorism, leaven it with dark, dry humor, toss in a love rectangle, give everybody a gun, and let everything play out in the outer reaches of upstate New York—there you have an idea of Brock Clarke’s new novel, The happiest people in the world.

Who are “The happiest people in the world”? Theoretically, it’s all the people who live in Denmark, the country that gave the world Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales and the open-face sandwich. But Denmark is also where some political cartoonists got into very unhappy trouble when they attempted to depict Muhammad in their drawings, which prompted protests, arson, and even assassination attempts.

Imagine, then, that one of those cartoonists, given protection through the CIA, is relocated to a small town in upstate New York where he is given a job as a high school guidance counselor. Once there, he manages to fall in love with the wife of the high school principal, who himself is trying to get over the effects of a misguided love affair with the very CIA agent who sent the cartoonist to him. Imagine also that virtually every other person in this tiny town is a CIA operative.

The result is a darkly funny tale of paranoia and the all-American obsession with security and the conspiracies that threaten it, written in a tone that is simultaneously filled with wonder and anger in almost equal parts. "Clarke dazzles with a dizzying study in extremes, cruising at warp speed between bleak and optimistic, laugh-out-loud funny and unbearable sadness. His comedy of errors is impossible to put down.” -Publishers Weekly

“This novel, good lord, is his best one yet. Brock Clarke portrays, with terrifying accuracy, the lives of people who constantly ruin things without ever quite understanding why or how, which eventually gives way to a strange kind of invulnerability. There is no writer who does this better than he does, creating that wonderful mixture of unexpected, sharp comedy and genuine empathy. The Danes may be The happiest people in the world, but you can easily join those ranks simply by reading this amazing book.” -Kevin Wilson, author of The Family Fang “Brock Clarke’s hilarious new novel starts out in rural Denmark, then takes us someplace really foreign and utterly weird: upstate New York. The parallel universe Clarke creates there is both our world and not, and like his baffled, yearning characters, we navigate it with surprise and wonder.” -Richard Russo, author of Elsewhere Brock Clarke is the author of Exley and An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England, which was a national bestseller and has appeared in a dozen foreign editions, and three other books. He lives in Portland, Maine, and teaches creative writing at Bowdoin College. Join us for a reading with one of our favorite Maine literary talents , ask your questions and get your books signed!

Take the format of a spy thriller, shape it around real-life incidents involving international terrorism, leaven it with dark, dry humor, toss in a love rectangle, give everybody a gun, and let everything play out in the outer reaches of upstate New York—there you have an idea of Brock Clarke’s new novel, The happiest people in the world.

Who are “The happiest people in the world”? Theoretically, it’s all the people who live in Denmark, the country that gave the world Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales and the open-face sandwich. But Denmark is also where some political cartoonists got into very unhappy trouble when they attempted to depict Muhammad in their drawings, which prompted protests, arson, and even assassination attempts.

Imagine, then, that one of those cartoonists, given protection through the CIA, is relocated to a small town in upstate New York where he is given a job as a high school guidance counselor. Once there, he manages to fall in love with the wife of the high school principal, who himself is trying to get over the effects of a misguided love affair with the very CIA agent who sent the cartoonist to him. Imagine also that virtually every other person in this tiny town is a CIA operative.

The result is a darkly funny tale of paranoia and the all-American obsession with security and the conspiracies that threaten it, written in a tone that is simultaneously filled with wonder and anger in almost equal parts. "Clarke dazzles with a dizzying study in extremes, cruising at warp speed between bleak and optimistic, laugh-out-loud funny and unbearable sadness. His comedy of errors is impossible to put down.” -Publishers Weekly

“This novel, good lord, is his best one yet. Brock Clarke portrays, with terrifying accuracy, the lives of people who constantly ruin things without ever quite understanding why or how, which eventually gives way to a strange kind of invulnerability. There is no writer who does this better than he does, creating that wonderful mixture of unexpected, sharp comedy and genuine empathy. The Danes may be The happiest people in the world, but you can easily join those ranks simply by reading this amazing book.” -Kevin Wilson, author of The Family Fang “Brock Clarke’s hilarious new novel starts out in rural Denmark, then takes us someplace really foreign and utterly weird: upstate New York. The parallel universe Clarke creates there is both our world and not, and like his baffled, yearning characters, we navigate it with surprise and wonder.” -Richard Russo, author of Elsewhere Brock Clarke is the author of Exley and An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England, which was a national bestseller and has appeared in a dozen foreign editions, and three other books. He lives in Portland, Maine, and teaches creative writing at Bowdoin College. Join us for a reading with one of our favorite Maine literary talents , ask your questions and get your books signed!

Location: Street: One Monument Way City: Portland, Province: Maine Postal Code: 04101-4078 Country: United States (afegit de IndieBound)… (més)

Brock Clarke llegeix Exley.

Clarke set the literary world aflame with his novel An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England. In his new book, darkly funny and touchingly absurd, he takes on the voice of a precocious but delusional nine-year-old who is convinced he can save his comatose (awake, but absent) father by finding the (dead) author Frederick Exley. (lemontwist)… (més)

Brock Clarke signa An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England.

A novel disguised as a memoir, a mystery cloaked in humor, and an artful piece of literature, this is the story of Sam Pulsifer who, as a teenager, accidentally torched the Emily Dickinson house, killing two people in the process. After paying his dues, he pursues a quiet life until the past comes crashing through his front door. As the homes of Robert Frost, Edith Wharton, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne go up in smoke, Sam becomes the number one suspect. Finding the real culprit seems the only way to clear his name, but sometimes there's a terrible price to pay for the truth. (archaism)… (més)

Adam Davies llegeix Mine All Mine.; Brock Clarke llegeix An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England.

Two brilliant young novelists go toe to toe in our wrestling ring of words. With his hilarious, frenetic new novel Mine All Mine, the story of a security guard out to save his livelihood and his love from a master thief, Adam Davies delivers what is is surely his best work yet. Joining him is breakout writer Brock Clarke, who scintillates with a heartfelt tale of an accidental arsonist trying to clear his name. (ablachly)… (més)

Brock Clarke

Brock Clarke will read from and sign copies of his marvelously titled novel, An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England (now available in paperback).
After spending 10 years in prison for accidentally burning down Emily Dickinson’s house and killing two people in the process, Sam Pulsifer is determined to start a new life. But when the houses of Mark Twain, Robert Frost, Edith Wharton, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne start going up in smoke, Sam's past comes back to haunt him. In this comic, literary "whodunit," Clarke manages to skewer just about everything in today's literary culture—authors, fictional memoirs and factual novels, bookstores, reading groups, English professors, and even Harry Potter. (booksense)… (més)

Brock Clarke llegeix An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England.

A typical Literary Picnic evening follows this schedule:
5:20 - 6:00 p.m. – Our Young Docents offer thorough (and often thoroughly hilarious) guided tours of Thurber House.

6:15 p.m. – Picnicking begins! Guests are welcome to pack their own picnic, or order one of our festive dinners, featuring the culinary delights of Party Panache. Don't forget to bring your lawn chairs or blankets. Alcoholic beverages are permitted.

7:00 p.m. – Our guest for the evening takes the stage. Afterward, the guest signs books in the front parlor. (stephmo)… (més)