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The Elvis Reader: Texts and Sources on the King of Rock 'N' Roll
There have been lengthy biographies, historical novels, trash fiction, and endless essays about Elvis Presley. Now Quain presents an uncompromising, astute collection of some of the greatest authors in the American literary tradition writing on Elvis the Myth, Elvis the Metaphysical, Elvis the Southerner, and Elvis the King.
344 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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July 20, 2013
A good selection of essays, providing smart commentary from every phase of Elvis's life and career, including plenty of snide reactions to him from the press during his '50s rise. The essays are divided into categories of consideration--musicality, Elvis and the South, the Elvis myth, the "metaphysical" Elvis, etc. So for serious Elvis scholars, it's a valuable collection of texts. The chapter that compares Elvis to Hitler from DeLillo's White Noise is here, as is Lester Bangs' reaction to Elvis's death: "I can guarantee you one thing: we will never again agree on anything as we agreed on Elvis. So I won't bother saying goodbye to his corpse. I will say goodbye to you."
Displaying 1 of 1 review