Second Alibi: The Banality of Life

by Jonathan Harnisch

Second Alibi: The Banality of Life is the sensational prequel to the groundbreaking Jonathan Harnisch: An Alibiography. Harnisch's The Banality of Life handles the backstory of Georgie, Ben, and Claudia, further incorporating the invisible studio audience introduced in Alibiography. Ben's confessions flourish, written once more in his noteworthy and imaginative style. Harnisch seduces the reader by presenting a genuine, eerie sense of dissociation from the story, and once again conveys the feeling of what it is truly like to be mentally ill. There's an edge to Second Alibi that is beautifully countered by the author's personal story of how his writing helps him to rise above his own disorder, while allowing the rest of the world to understand what it is like to be mentally ill and how people with schizophrenia think and see their world.

210 pages, Paperback

Published August 26, 2014

About the author

Jonathan Harnisch is an American author, artist, and filmmaker whose work confronts the human condition with fearless candor and visionary style. Blurring the boundaries between memoir and fiction, cinema and confession, Harnisch transforms psychological struggle into art that is both intimate and universal.

His body of work spans novels, screenplays, essays, and experimental films that probe trauma, identity, and resilience with disarming honesty. Critics have described his voice as raw yet lyrical, capable of exposing the fractures of modern life while revealing unexpected grace within them.

Through decades of creation, Harnisch has established a singular place in contemporary literature and independent film—one defined by emotional intelligence, formal innovation, and a relentless commitment to truth. His ongoing documentary and multi-volume life project continue to expand his exploration of perception, healing, and the blurred border between art and existence.

Harnisch’s work stands as a testament to endurance and imagination: an unflinching chronicle of pain transmuted into beauty, and of continuity, not comeback.