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Wallow: stories, rumors and other theatrics
Have you ever thought about quitting your job, leaving it all behind, running away to Europe, to find yourself? Ever been to Prague and considered, just for a second, what it would be like to stay?
WALLOW depicts the plight of Steve, a self-obsessed romantic in the self-induced exile of Prague's expat community. Newly divorced from both the love of his life and his yuppie-dom on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Steve finds himself broke, alone, and smack dab in the middle of his quarter-life crisis. To get through it, he is going to have to give up a few of his favorite delusions. Before he does, Steve takes a moment to bask in the cold sun of Self.
WARNING: Includes episodes of profanity and sexually explicit language.
The Prague Post had this to say: "WALLOW reads like a travelogue from the author's fractured internal landscape, exploring heartbreak and alienation."
This connected collection of short stories, poems, unsent letters and journal excerpts come together to describe a twenty-something man's coming to terms with his life after divorce. Set both in New York City and Prague, the book is divided into seven sections, taking the reader through a fractured landscape of loss, self-pity, self-discovery and ultimately hope.
From the back cover of the print edition:
Something unchangeable changed.
Usually he wouldn’t notice. It gets louder. Louder.
A crack resounds deep in his jawbone. There is a falling away.
A back tooth splits on a fault.
Fragments bob around his mouth.
He can’t locate to spit. He’s afraid to swallow.
WALLOW
WALLOW depicts the plight of Steve, a self-obsessed romantic in the self-induced exile of Prague's expat community. Newly divorced from both the love of his life and his yuppie-dom on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Steve finds himself broke, alone, and smack dab in the middle of his quarter-life crisis. To get through it, he is going to have to give up a few of his favorite delusions. Before he does, Steve takes a moment to bask in the cold sun of Self.
WARNING: Includes episodes of profanity and sexually explicit language.
The Prague Post had this to say: "WALLOW reads like a travelogue from the author's fractured internal landscape, exploring heartbreak and alienation."
This connected collection of short stories, poems, unsent letters and journal excerpts come together to describe a twenty-something man's coming to terms with his life after divorce. Set both in New York City and Prague, the book is divided into seven sections, taking the reader through a fractured landscape of loss, self-pity, self-discovery and ultimately hope.
From the back cover of the print edition:
Something unchangeable changed.
Usually he wouldn’t notice. It gets louder. Louder.
A crack resounds deep in his jawbone. There is a falling away.
A back tooth splits on a fault.
Fragments bob around his mouth.
He can’t locate to spit. He’s afraid to swallow.
WALLOW
181 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 1999
1 person is currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Rick Pryll
9 books14 followersRick Pryll is an award-winning author and poet living in Charlotte since 2002. Most recently, he won 2nd place in the 2022 Ruth Moose Flash Fiction Awards. His latest novel, La Chimere of Prague (Foolishness Press, 2020), ranked as high as #1 on Amazon in the Psychological Literary category.
His previous book, The Chimera of Prague (Foolishness Press, 2017) was selected as the winner of the 2018 New York Festival of Books in the Romance category.
First published to the web in 1994, his hyperfiction short story “LIES” has garnered praise from the Wall Street Journal, SHIFT magazine, and several other publications in print and online. It is cited in more than seven books and has been translated into Spanish and Chinese.
From 1996 to 2002 Rick lived in Prague. While there he published two books including Displaced (Foolishness Press, 1998) and Wallow (Foolishness Press, 1999). His stories and poems have been featured on the pages of Think, Optimism, Ekleksographia, Prometheus Dreaming, and The Esthetic Apostle.
Rick attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering by submitting a novella as his thesis. In 1991, he won MIT's Robert A. Boit Prize for Best Short Story.
Rick was born on the shores of Lake Erie. From the age of three, he grew up in Batavia, New York and graduated from Pembroke Central High School.
He lives with his wife, 2018 ArtPop Charlotte artist, Holly Spruck HMCAS, his two kids, two cats and a puppy.
His previous book, The Chimera of Prague (Foolishness Press, 2017) was selected as the winner of the 2018 New York Festival of Books in the Romance category.
First published to the web in 1994, his hyperfiction short story “LIES” has garnered praise from the Wall Street Journal, SHIFT magazine, and several other publications in print and online. It is cited in more than seven books and has been translated into Spanish and Chinese.
From 1996 to 2002 Rick lived in Prague. While there he published two books including Displaced (Foolishness Press, 1998) and Wallow (Foolishness Press, 1999). His stories and poems have been featured on the pages of Think, Optimism, Ekleksographia, Prometheus Dreaming, and The Esthetic Apostle.
Rick attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering by submitting a novella as his thesis. In 1991, he won MIT's Robert A. Boit Prize for Best Short Story.
Rick was born on the shores of Lake Erie. From the age of three, he grew up in Batavia, New York and graduated from Pembroke Central High School.
He lives with his wife, 2018 ArtPop Charlotte artist, Holly Spruck HMCAS, his two kids, two cats and a puppy.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 21, 2014
“Have you ever thought about quitting your job, leaving it all behind, running away to Europe, to find yourself? Ever been to Prague and considered, just for a second, what it would be like to stay?
“WALLOW depicts the plight of Steve, a self-obsessed romantic in the self-induced exile of Prague's expat community. Newly divorced from both the love of his life and his yuppie-dom on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Steve finds himself broke, alone, and smack dab in the middle of his quarter-life crisis. To get through it, he is going to have to give up a few of his favorite delusions. Before he does, Steve takes a moment to bask in the cold sun of Self.” From Amazon’s book description
I really wanted to like this book. As a tour guide in the ‘90s, I visited Prague so many times that my wife joked about me having another family there. The city was alive with new blood and abundant artistic energy. I met many Americans who were living in the city at the time. They were either writers, artists, English teachers, real estate developers, or a combination of those. Prague in the ‘90s has been compared to Paris in the ‘20s many times.
So the premise of “Wallow” captured my attention and I got it as a free Kindle download. But the book falls apart in many ways. It was first published in 1999 by a Prague publisher, then sometime much later in the Kindle format. This surprises me because the book reads like a non-edited first draft. At first, I looked over the typos (misspelled words, wrong word usage, sentences repeated, and so on). I can live with typos if they don’t distract from the writing as a whole. But in this case, the typos clearly got in the way of the story. Then add in the lack of continuity and inconsistencies, I found it hard to believe. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading experimental and non-linear writing. “Wallow” just doesn’t make it, though it does contain a few interesting passages that caught my attention.
I believe the author could have a good book if he would spend some time editing and proofreading it.
“WALLOW depicts the plight of Steve, a self-obsessed romantic in the self-induced exile of Prague's expat community. Newly divorced from both the love of his life and his yuppie-dom on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Steve finds himself broke, alone, and smack dab in the middle of his quarter-life crisis. To get through it, he is going to have to give up a few of his favorite delusions. Before he does, Steve takes a moment to bask in the cold sun of Self.” From Amazon’s book description
I really wanted to like this book. As a tour guide in the ‘90s, I visited Prague so many times that my wife joked about me having another family there. The city was alive with new blood and abundant artistic energy. I met many Americans who were living in the city at the time. They were either writers, artists, English teachers, real estate developers, or a combination of those. Prague in the ‘90s has been compared to Paris in the ‘20s many times.
So the premise of “Wallow” captured my attention and I got it as a free Kindle download. But the book falls apart in many ways. It was first published in 1999 by a Prague publisher, then sometime much later in the Kindle format. This surprises me because the book reads like a non-edited first draft. At first, I looked over the typos (misspelled words, wrong word usage, sentences repeated, and so on). I can live with typos if they don’t distract from the writing as a whole. But in this case, the typos clearly got in the way of the story. Then add in the lack of continuity and inconsistencies, I found it hard to believe. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading experimental and non-linear writing. “Wallow” just doesn’t make it, though it does contain a few interesting passages that caught my attention.
I believe the author could have a good book if he would spend some time editing and proofreading it.
August 22, 2016
Literary irony, blazing sequences and a brave periscope into fear, loss and the demands of a brain and heart that refuse to let go. The writing began as a radar blip, and then delved into close encounters of human exploration.
Raw emotion throughout made this text look effortless, when in truth- simplicity is the most difficult to achieve. The unusual compilation of prose, poetry and letters unsent worked exceptionally well. Writing should be unchained and connect with us.
In a world drowning in vanilla and commercial, this writing is brilliant and brave.
Raw emotion throughout made this text look effortless, when in truth- simplicity is the most difficult to achieve. The unusual compilation of prose, poetry and letters unsent worked exceptionally well. Writing should be unchained and connect with us.
In a world drowning in vanilla and commercial, this writing is brilliant and brave.
March 22, 2017
Wallow is a compilation of poetry and short stories that explore the dark, but refreshingly honest, inner monologue and daily experiences of a man named Steve—a recently divorced American living in Prague.
What immediately struck me about this collection is the release date, in that nearly twenty years later, the impact and importance of the author’s message is more poignant than ever, resulting in the coveted “timeless” stamp on this work. A very impressive accomplishment.
The list of standout lines and story moments are vast, but a hidden gem amongst the many dragons is the poem “penny in my pocket.” As straight forward as it may initially seem, now, more than ever, the “American Dream” feels unattainable to the vast oceans of people striving to achieve it and in five simple lines Prill evokes an impactful sea of imagery in the disappointment that follows one's hard work that more often than not produces so little, resulting in a feeling of despair and isolation that touches all walks of life in so many ways.
Beyond that, the imagery throughout is rich with disdain, self-loathing, and sexual desire. All of which is explored in a raw and truthful way that I’ve grown accustomed to seeing from feminist poets, but is refreshingly unique to read from a male perspective.
Prill also does an excellent job using the glass-half-empty perspective—strikingly evident in the story “hopes and dreams”—to steer readers in contemplative directions they might not have ever considered, ultimately broadening and intensifying the meaning of otherwise commonplace events and imagery.
I highly recommend this collection to readers, aspiring poets, and writers who desperately need a break from assembly-line poetry, and anyone in need of some inspiring fresh perspectives in general.
My only disclaimer is that there are some poems that could be distressing for anyone who is experiencing PTSD due to assault or sexual violence.
That said, Wallow is an unfiltered exploration of emotional development that’s rare and striking. I look forward to following this author’s work.
5 Stars.
What immediately struck me about this collection is the release date, in that nearly twenty years later, the impact and importance of the author’s message is more poignant than ever, resulting in the coveted “timeless” stamp on this work. A very impressive accomplishment.
The list of standout lines and story moments are vast, but a hidden gem amongst the many dragons is the poem “penny in my pocket.” As straight forward as it may initially seem, now, more than ever, the “American Dream” feels unattainable to the vast oceans of people striving to achieve it and in five simple lines Prill evokes an impactful sea of imagery in the disappointment that follows one's hard work that more often than not produces so little, resulting in a feeling of despair and isolation that touches all walks of life in so many ways.
Beyond that, the imagery throughout is rich with disdain, self-loathing, and sexual desire. All of which is explored in a raw and truthful way that I’ve grown accustomed to seeing from feminist poets, but is refreshingly unique to read from a male perspective.
Prill also does an excellent job using the glass-half-empty perspective—strikingly evident in the story “hopes and dreams”—to steer readers in contemplative directions they might not have ever considered, ultimately broadening and intensifying the meaning of otherwise commonplace events and imagery.
I highly recommend this collection to readers, aspiring poets, and writers who desperately need a break from assembly-line poetry, and anyone in need of some inspiring fresh perspectives in general.
My only disclaimer is that there are some poems that could be distressing for anyone who is experiencing PTSD due to assault or sexual violence.
That said, Wallow is an unfiltered exploration of emotional development that’s rare and striking. I look forward to following this author’s work.
5 Stars.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews