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The Myth Man
A picaresque evocation of the on-the-edge avant-garde theatrical world of the 1960's follows seven-year-old Rikki as he is adopted by an eccentric gypsy-like acting troupe led by an artistic genius and her ex-drag queen brother. 15,000 first printing.
336 pages
First published January 1, 1994
8 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Swados
61 books4 followersElizabeth Swados (February 5, 1951 – January 5, 2016) was an American writer, composer, musician and theatre director. While some of her subject matter is humorous, such as her satirical look at Ronald Reagan (Rap Master Ronnie) and Doonesbury — both collaborations with Garry Trudeau — much of her work deals with darker issues such as racism, murder and mental illness.
Born February 5, 1951 in Buffalo, New York, Swados wrote about her life in her 1991 autobiography, The Four of Us, A Family Memoir, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Her father, Robert O. Swados, was a successful attorney who helped Seymour H. Knox III convert the local Buffalo Sabres hockey club into a full National Hockey League team. His autobiography, Counsel in the Crease: A Big League Player in the Hockey Wars was published by Prometheus Books in 2005.
Her mother struggled with depression, while her older brother (and only sibling) Lincoln developed schizophrenia. Her mother committed suicide in 1974, and Lincoln died in 1989. Swados suffered from depression, a condition she discussed in her book, My Depression: A Picture Book.
She studied music at Bennington College in Vermont, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973. In 1980, the Hobart and William Smith College awarded her an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters.
Swados died from complications following surgery for esophageal cancer on January 5, 2016. She was 64.
(from Wikipedia)
Born February 5, 1951 in Buffalo, New York, Swados wrote about her life in her 1991 autobiography, The Four of Us, A Family Memoir, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Her father, Robert O. Swados, was a successful attorney who helped Seymour H. Knox III convert the local Buffalo Sabres hockey club into a full National Hockey League team. His autobiography, Counsel in the Crease: A Big League Player in the Hockey Wars was published by Prometheus Books in 2005.
Her mother struggled with depression, while her older brother (and only sibling) Lincoln developed schizophrenia. Her mother committed suicide in 1974, and Lincoln died in 1989. Swados suffered from depression, a condition she discussed in her book, My Depression: A Picture Book.
She studied music at Bennington College in Vermont, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973. In 1980, the Hobart and William Smith College awarded her an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters.
Swados died from complications following surgery for esophageal cancer on January 5, 2016. She was 64.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 29, 2007
I loved a lot of this book, the writing, the imagery, several of the main characters and the humor....but also felt it kind of deteriorated into caricature and ultimately went bleak in a way that seemed a bit forced, like the author just decided to go for the dark side and in the slide down left her originality behind -- but succeeded in kind of leaving me hanging there going "Huh? Ok, whatever" instead of turning the last page and 1) sighing with satisfaction 2) wanting more 3) pondering the fate of the universe etc. etc.
Maybe it's just dated and I'm not appreciating something enough, or maybe I'm dated and likewise. Or else it just didn't satisfy the promise I thought I heard it whispering. Still glad I gave it a whirl.
Maybe it's just dated and I'm not appreciating something enough, or maybe I'm dated and likewise. Or else it just didn't satisfy the promise I thought I heard it whispering. Still glad I gave it a whirl.
Displaying 1 of 1 review