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شبهای وحشی: داستان روزهای آخر زندگی امیلی دیکینسون، مارک تواین، ارنست همینگوی، ادگار الن پو
مترجم در توضیح این کتاب گفته است: «اوتس در این کتاب که نامش را از شعری از امیلی دیکینسون وام گرفته، روایتی تخیلی و خلاقانه اما درعینحال پایبند به واقعیتهای زندگی چند نویسندهی آمریکایی مانند امیلی دیکینسون، ادگار آلنپو، مارک توآین و ارنست همینگوی را ارائه میکند.» ای. دیکینسون رپلیلوکس یا بدل امیلی دیکینسون، پدربزرگ کلمنس و فرشتهماهی، پاپا در کچام و پو بعد مرگ یا فانوس دریایی عنوان داستانهای این مجموعه است. در بخشی از داستان اول کتاب میخوانیم: «زن شاعر را غافلگیر کرد، در یکی از حالهای حزن و اندیشه با مجلد نازکی از اشعار امیلی برونته روی پایش نشسته بود کنار پنجرههای آفتابگیر. چشمهای تیرهی شیشهایاش را محتاطانه بالا آورد و با انگشتهای لاغرش چیزی را که شبیه چند خط شعر بود زیر کتاب قایم کرد. امیلی پیراهن سفید پلیسهای به تن داشت که به او هالهای اثیری و روحانی میداد. روی این پیراهن پیشبندی بسته بود. زن متوجه شد که در گرمای تابستان چندتا از دکمههای پیراهن پردکمهاش را باز کرده. امیلی زیرلب چیزی شبیه پاسخی مودبانه زمزمه کرد و زن شعرهایش را به او داد، رفت نزدیکتر و منتظر شد تا شاعر در سکوت آنها را بخواند. قلب زن از دلهره تند میزد و لب زیریش میلرزید. مادلین کریم چه جسارتی کرده بود، شعرهایش را داده امیلی دیکینسون نامیرا بخواند. واکنشش طبیعی بود.»
167 pages, رقعی
Published January 1, 2017
60 people are currently reading
1424 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Carol Oates
859 books9,694 followersJoyce Carol Oates is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels Black Water (1992), What I Lived For (1994), and Blonde (2000), and her short story collections The Wheel of Love (1970) and Lovely, Dark, Deep: Stories (2014) were each finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. She has won many awards for her writing, including the National Book Award, for her novel Them (1969), two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize (2019).
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
October 26, 2020
After a long hiatus from JCO and then finishing her Cardiff, by the Sea: Four Novellas of Suspense, I thought I’d be done with her for another longish while. But her writing wormed its way into my brain (not a pretty metaphor, but appropriate for this collection, I think) and I remembered this title that had caught my eye when it was published.
I’ve read other JCO stories based on the lives of other famous writers in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? and found them fascinating, so this seemed a safe bet for me. And it was for the most part, though here, with one exception, the stories are extrapolated from the actual last days and/or last writings of its famous writers. The story of the lone woman writer in the collection, Dickinson, is not at all about her “last days” but extends into the future; the 'replicant' is arguably not like Dickinson at all, except superficially, which fits the story's theme of male power.
The Poe story is amazingly like his style and veers into a bizarre ending, one even more so than his own stories, but it nevertheless works. One of the most jarring things about the Twain story is how unlike his literary style are the letters Oates writes on his behalf; they're based on his real-life correspondence with his “angelfish” (he called them surrogate granddaughters, but he was only interested in a particular age group). As usual with JCO, she doesn’t turn away from 'down and dirty' elements and this is most evident in the genteel James’s volunteering at a hospital. She describes what his stories never would. She is interested in emphasizing what made these men human, not what made them literary gods. The only story I didn’t completely engage with was Hemingway’s, which is probably because I feel the same about most of his writing.
The title of the collection, of course, refers to a line in a Dickinson poem, but it is used ironically. In no way do these stories deal with “wild nights.” If anything, they're all about the loneliness at the core of every human being.
I’ve read other JCO stories based on the lives of other famous writers in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? and found them fascinating, so this seemed a safe bet for me. And it was for the most part, though here, with one exception, the stories are extrapolated from the actual last days and/or last writings of its famous writers. The story of the lone woman writer in the collection, Dickinson, is not at all about her “last days” but extends into the future; the 'replicant' is arguably not like Dickinson at all, except superficially, which fits the story's theme of male power.
The Poe story is amazingly like his style and veers into a bizarre ending, one even more so than his own stories, but it nevertheless works. One of the most jarring things about the Twain story is how unlike his literary style are the letters Oates writes on his behalf; they're based on his real-life correspondence with his “angelfish” (he called them surrogate granddaughters, but he was only interested in a particular age group). As usual with JCO, she doesn’t turn away from 'down and dirty' elements and this is most evident in the genteel James’s volunteering at a hospital. She describes what his stories never would. She is interested in emphasizing what made these men human, not what made them literary gods. The only story I didn’t completely engage with was Hemingway’s, which is probably because I feel the same about most of his writing.
The title of the collection, of course, refers to a line in a Dickinson poem, but it is used ironically. In no way do these stories deal with “wild nights.” If anything, they're all about the loneliness at the core of every human being.
May 7, 2025
This was a very compelling and sometimes unsettling selection of five stories by Oates about the fictionalized last days of Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Henry James, and Ernest Hemingway. The first two stories about Poe and Dickinson could have been written for episodes of the Twilight Zone.
The Poe story is told through his diary and takes place on an island off the coast of Chile after his death in Baltimore. He is the keeper of a lighthouse on the island and his patron is a Dr. Shaw who has also done studies on the effects of isolation on animals. As time passes, Poe slowly goes mad as he thinks of his losses in life and he devolves into some kind of hybrid monster from his imagination.
The story about Dickinson was also very bizarre but I thought it was probably the best and most interesting of the five. This one is a futuristic tale where people are able to purchase replicants of famous people. A couple decides to buy a Dickinson "Repliluxe" primarily because the wife is a self-proclaimed poet wanting the input of the great writer. Of course, things don't really go as planned and the Emily bot has a mind of her own.
The Twain story tells of his later life and his apparent obsession with young girls. He "collected" a bevy of girls under age sixteen which he called his "angelfish." One of these girls ends up being obsessed with Twain but when she turns sixteen, Twain ignores her leading to some dire consequences. I had not heard of this before but apparently Twain really did have a passion for young girls (See this article from the Paris Review).
The Henry James story tells of his later life during WWI where he visits a hospital in London to provide solace to wounded soldiers. The story tends to show his leanings toward young boys and his homosexual tendencies. I don't really know much about James and his writings that I have attempted reading were always a little ponderous to me but this was an interesting look at the horrors of war in the face of the wounded.
Then the final story about Hemingway takes place during his last days in Ketchum, Idaho, where he is contemplating suicide. This was a rather harsh look at the author and especially his feelings about women.
I have read several of Oates story collections as well as her novels and I continue to think that she is an amazing writer and one of the greats. This was another very interesting and compelling collection that I would recommend.
The Poe story is told through his diary and takes place on an island off the coast of Chile after his death in Baltimore. He is the keeper of a lighthouse on the island and his patron is a Dr. Shaw who has also done studies on the effects of isolation on animals. As time passes, Poe slowly goes mad as he thinks of his losses in life and he devolves into some kind of hybrid monster from his imagination.
The story about Dickinson was also very bizarre but I thought it was probably the best and most interesting of the five. This one is a futuristic tale where people are able to purchase replicants of famous people. A couple decides to buy a Dickinson "Repliluxe" primarily because the wife is a self-proclaimed poet wanting the input of the great writer. Of course, things don't really go as planned and the Emily bot has a mind of her own.
The Twain story tells of his later life and his apparent obsession with young girls. He "collected" a bevy of girls under age sixteen which he called his "angelfish." One of these girls ends up being obsessed with Twain but when she turns sixteen, Twain ignores her leading to some dire consequences. I had not heard of this before but apparently Twain really did have a passion for young girls (See this article from the Paris Review).
The Henry James story tells of his later life during WWI where he visits a hospital in London to provide solace to wounded soldiers. The story tends to show his leanings toward young boys and his homosexual tendencies. I don't really know much about James and his writings that I have attempted reading were always a little ponderous to me but this was an interesting look at the horrors of war in the face of the wounded.
Then the final story about Hemingway takes place during his last days in Ketchum, Idaho, where he is contemplating suicide. This was a rather harsh look at the author and especially his feelings about women.
I have read several of Oates story collections as well as her novels and I continue to think that she is an amazing writer and one of the greats. This was another very interesting and compelling collection that I would recommend.
May 9, 2023
یه رابطۀ عشق و نفرتی بین من و خانم اوتس هست؛ هم ازش چیزهایی خوندم که گفتم وای مغزم، این دیگه چی بود؟! هم چیزهایی خوندم که گفتم آخه چرا باید یکی اینو بنویسه؟
شبهای وحشی جزو دستۀ دوم بود.
داستان امیلی دیکینسون رو بیشتر دوست داشتم، تنها داستانی بود که میتونم اونقدر بیرحم دربارهش حرف نزنم. یه فاز علمیتخیلیای داشت که توی کارهای اوتس ندیده بودم، به نظرم جسارتش برای متفاوت نوشتن جای تحسین داشت. خیلی هم به حال و هوای اخبار مربوط به تکنولوژی الان نزدیکه، اصن ایدهش دور از ذهن نبود. داستان مارک تواین هم بد نبود، دو تای دیگه رو بهزور خوندم.
مشکل اصلی من با اوتس اینه که احساس میکنم نمیتونه کم بنویسه. پر از اطناب و حواسپرتیه بعضی از داستانهاش، کلاً هم داستانکوتاههاش خیلی کوتاه شاید حساب نشن. داستان واقعاً کوتاهاش شاید ده صفحه هشت صفحه باشه تا جایی که من دیدم. خیلی البته ازش نخوندم. نه که داستانکوتاه نتونه مثلاً چهل صفحه باشه؛ بیشتر منظورم اینه که اگر اوتس چهل صفحه بنویسه، میتونی ده صفحهشو حذف کنی مثلاً.
اما شخصیتاً دوستش دارم و یه جاهایی خیلی چیزی ازش یاد گرفتم. برای همین بازم سراغ ایشون میام. اگر کسی ازم بپرسه ولی، این کتاب رو توصیه نمیکنم.
شبهای وحشی جزو دستۀ دوم بود.
داستان امیلی دیکینسون رو بیشتر دوست داشتم، تنها داستانی بود که میتونم اونقدر بیرحم دربارهش حرف نزنم. یه فاز علمیتخیلیای داشت که توی کارهای اوتس ندیده بودم، به نظرم جسارتش برای متفاوت نوشتن جای تحسین داشت. خیلی هم به حال و هوای اخبار مربوط به تکنولوژی الان نزدیکه، اصن ایدهش دور از ذهن نبود. داستان مارک تواین هم بد نبود، دو تای دیگه رو بهزور خوندم.
مشکل اصلی من با اوتس اینه که احساس میکنم نمیتونه کم بنویسه. پر از اطناب و حواسپرتیه بعضی از داستانهاش، کلاً هم داستانکوتاههاش خیلی کوتاه شاید حساب نشن. داستان واقعاً کوتاهاش شاید ده صفحه هشت صفحه باشه تا جایی که من دیدم. خیلی البته ازش نخوندم. نه که داستانکوتاه نتونه مثلاً چهل صفحه باشه؛ بیشتر منظورم اینه که اگر اوتس چهل صفحه بنویسه، میتونی ده صفحهشو حذف کنی مثلاً.
اما شخصیتاً دوستش دارم و یه جاهایی خیلی چیزی ازش یاد گرفتم. برای همین بازم سراغ ایشون میام. اگر کسی ازم بپرسه ولی، این کتاب رو توصیه نمیکنم.
November 18, 2021
Amerkalı yazar Joyce Carol Oates, beş öykü yazmış, öykülerinin kahramanları kendisi gibi Amerikalı, önemli hatta efsanevi yazarlar. Kim bunlar; Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Henry James ve Ernest Hemingway.
Kitabın adı kitabı kesinlikle yansıtmıyor çünkü “Vahşi Geceler” E. Dickinson’un bir şiirinin adı, bu yazara ait bilimkurgu benzeri hikaye ise kitabın en zayıf hikayesi bence. Beş yazarın yaşanmamış ama yaşanabilecek beş öyküsü kitabın esası.
Oates’in mizahi ve ısırgan dilinden tüm yazarlar nasibini almış. Beş yazarın da ömürlerinin sonları oldukça gerçeğe yakın, akıcı ve dinamik bir anlatımla okuyucuya sunulmuş. Yani kurgulama çok başarılı, özellikle H. James ve M. Twain’inki gülerken hüzünlendiren cinsten öyküler, benim favorim bu ikisi oldu. E. A. Poe ise kendisi gibi tuhaf bir öyküyle yer almış kitapta ama bu tuhaflık Oates’in kafasından çıkmış değil, bizzat Poe’nin ölümünden sonra bulunan elyazısı ile yazılmış bir nottan esinlenmiş.
Kitabı çok sevdim, öneririm.
Kitabın adı kitabı kesinlikle yansıtmıyor çünkü “Vahşi Geceler” E. Dickinson’un bir şiirinin adı, bu yazara ait bilimkurgu benzeri hikaye ise kitabın en zayıf hikayesi bence. Beş yazarın yaşanmamış ama yaşanabilecek beş öyküsü kitabın esası.
Oates’in mizahi ve ısırgan dilinden tüm yazarlar nasibini almış. Beş yazarın da ömürlerinin sonları oldukça gerçeğe yakın, akıcı ve dinamik bir anlatımla okuyucuya sunulmuş. Yani kurgulama çok başarılı, özellikle H. James ve M. Twain’inki gülerken hüzünlendiren cinsten öyküler, benim favorim bu ikisi oldu. E. A. Poe ise kendisi gibi tuhaf bir öyküyle yer almış kitapta ama bu tuhaflık Oates’in kafasından çıkmış değil, bizzat Poe’nin ölümünden sonra bulunan elyazısı ile yazılmış bir nottan esinlenmiş.
Kitabı çok sevdim, öneririm.
July 15, 2008
"Wild Nights" hardly describes the tone of this latest Oates fiction. She takes her title from a very uncharacteristic poem by Emily Dickinson which first of all cannot be sung to "The Yellow Rose of Texas." Secondly, the poem's theme is unbridled passion as if Em slipped out (metaphorically) from behind her Amherst hedges to imagine such a relationship.
The books is comprised of stories about the last days of Poe, Dickenson, Mark Twain and Papa Hemingway. Oates knows and likely reveres all the afore-mentioned authors. She not only pierces to the heart of their characters but does a drop-dead perfect imitation of each of their eccentric styles. Hemingway's chapter is like an episode from SNL until it gets deadly serious.
I fear the stigma of "spoiler," so I will avoid giving specific details. How about twenty-five words or less about each piece. That should titillate but leave the reader still panting.
POE POSTHUMOUS OR THE LIGHT HOUSE: Mr.Creepy is back in this story told when Poe chooses to live alone with a terrier as a lighthouse keeper. Some details made me retch. Those with weak stomachs have been warned.
EDickensonRepliLuxe. Hang on, Dear Reader: she of the bun meets science fiction. This story is beyond funny.
GRANDPA CLEMENS AND ANGEL FISH. Who would have thought that Sam Clemens was such a perv? Yet, how could he help it with that upbringing?
THE MASTER AT ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL. This story really hurt. And Henry does damage to a cat on top of everything else. My lips are sealed; suffice it to say Henry volunteers to help the wounded and dying young men in a London hospital during WW I.
PAPA AT KETCHUM 1961. Never having loved any of his novels except the Big Fish story, and always despising his macho man persona, it was difficult to generate much feeling for him.....but the way Oates tells it brings you right into that Idaho farm on that fateful July morning.
Do you like being totally knocked out by a writer. Put up yer chin.
The books is comprised of stories about the last days of Poe, Dickenson, Mark Twain and Papa Hemingway. Oates knows and likely reveres all the afore-mentioned authors. She not only pierces to the heart of their characters but does a drop-dead perfect imitation of each of their eccentric styles. Hemingway's chapter is like an episode from SNL until it gets deadly serious.
I fear the stigma of "spoiler," so I will avoid giving specific details. How about twenty-five words or less about each piece. That should titillate but leave the reader still panting.
POE POSTHUMOUS OR THE LIGHT HOUSE: Mr.Creepy is back in this story told when Poe chooses to live alone with a terrier as a lighthouse keeper. Some details made me retch. Those with weak stomachs have been warned.
EDickensonRepliLuxe. Hang on, Dear Reader: she of the bun meets science fiction. This story is beyond funny.
GRANDPA CLEMENS AND ANGEL FISH. Who would have thought that Sam Clemens was such a perv? Yet, how could he help it with that upbringing?
THE MASTER AT ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL. This story really hurt. And Henry does damage to a cat on top of everything else. My lips are sealed; suffice it to say Henry volunteers to help the wounded and dying young men in a London hospital during WW I.
PAPA AT KETCHUM 1961. Never having loved any of his novels except the Big Fish story, and always despising his macho man persona, it was difficult to generate much feeling for him.....but the way Oates tells it brings you right into that Idaho farm on that fateful July morning.
Do you like being totally knocked out by a writer. Put up yer chin.
April 27, 2008
Joyce Carol Oates and I have an odd relationship—purely literary, of course. Many times her works have left me quite satisfied. Others have been disappointing. I know this is not a so much a reflection of her talent; rather, it is her push (a need?) to publish what seems like a million books in her lifetime. When an author is churning out five books a year, the reader should expect it to be hit-or-miss. Yet, I come back for more. For all the nights I’ve spent awake mulling over lackluster tales, I keep returning in the hopes of stories that will keep make my nights wild with excitement.
So what book could be more perfect than Wild Nights!, a collection of five stories that tell of the last days of five literary giants—Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Henry James, and Ernest Hemingway? I was captivated with the concept when I first heard of it, and, to date, it is the only Oates book I have read immediately after publication. Yet, through the entire book, I was prepared for disappointment, so that when it came along, I was able to brush it aside and enjoy Wild Nights! for its better qualities.
Unfortunately, the biggest disappointment is the concept itself. The publishers knew what they were doing by adding the tagline "Stories about the last days of…" It certainly worked on me: I was captivated, even though I have yet to develop an appreciation for Twain and am not the slighest bit familiar with Henry James. Be advised, however, that these five stories are not necessarily depicting "the last days" of the aforementioned authors. They’re not always even depicting the authors themselves. Now that’s disappointing!
My hope with the Poe story was that it would speculate as to what happened to the influential writer whose death remains a mystery today. Immediately, one sees this is not the case, however, as the tale begins with the day Poe died and carries on for many months afterwards as he performs his duties as sole occupant of a Chilean lighthouse. Not what I had expected, but more than acceptable as it carried a Poe-esque theme and tone throughout its entirity.
For Dickinson, I had considered a moving tale which pondered the poet’s seclusion, heartache, and obsession with death. Oates, instead, weaves together "EDickinsonRepliLuxe", the story of a 21st-century couple who purchases a mechanical reproduction of the author herself. What does this have to do with the last days of Emily
Dickinson, or even Dickinson herself, you ask? Absolutely nothing. The android doesn’t even give us much of a glimpse into the author.
At this point, I had thrown what few expectation I had away. I knew before reading it that the story of Twain would have nothing to do with his birth and death coinciding with Haley’s comet like I had entertained before taking the collection home from the library. It didn’t. And it didn’t have anything to do with his death. This story was however about the author and even took place at a late point in his life, which I guess falls into the vague misnomer of "last days." "Grandpa Clemens & Angelfish, 1906" gives insight into a part of Twain’s life that I had known nothing of. It was equally suspenseful and tender and stood out as the collection’s best.
Of the authors, Henry James was the only I had read no works of; other than faint name recognition, I knew nothing of him. James’ "last days" peer into his time spent volunteering at a London hospital during World War I. It carried over a certain feeling that the Twain story had in it’s eery sentimentality. This one, however, seemed to carry on a bit too long and by the end, I just wasn’t as interested as I was the first half.
The final tale regarded Hemingway, the writer whose life ended in the stereotypical author way. Surprisingly at this point in the book, "Papa at Ketchum, 1961" begins immediately with a shotgun pointed to Hemingway’s head. Could this truly be a story about the author’s "last days?" Here again, Oates effectively uses the writer’s style which may be jarring to the reader unfamiliar with Hemingway. (He liked pronouns. He liked them very much. You could say he loved them. Except he loved many things. Like short sentences.) Of course this story wouldn’t fit in to this collection if it just told a straight forth narrative of Hemingway’s death, and so Oates digresses on other paths which I will not reveal.
If I were unfamiliar with Joyce Carol Oates, I would’ve thrown this book across the room. I would have felt lied to. Disappointed. It’s not what one should expect. Those familiar with Oates, however, probably will expect it. And they’ll equally expect that though this book, like any of Oates’ many books couldn’t possibly be bad, it very likely is not that good, either.
So what book could be more perfect than Wild Nights!, a collection of five stories that tell of the last days of five literary giants—Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Henry James, and Ernest Hemingway? I was captivated with the concept when I first heard of it, and, to date, it is the only Oates book I have read immediately after publication. Yet, through the entire book, I was prepared for disappointment, so that when it came along, I was able to brush it aside and enjoy Wild Nights! for its better qualities.
Unfortunately, the biggest disappointment is the concept itself. The publishers knew what they were doing by adding the tagline "Stories about the last days of…" It certainly worked on me: I was captivated, even though I have yet to develop an appreciation for Twain and am not the slighest bit familiar with Henry James. Be advised, however, that these five stories are not necessarily depicting "the last days" of the aforementioned authors. They’re not always even depicting the authors themselves. Now that’s disappointing!
My hope with the Poe story was that it would speculate as to what happened to the influential writer whose death remains a mystery today. Immediately, one sees this is not the case, however, as the tale begins with the day Poe died and carries on for many months afterwards as he performs his duties as sole occupant of a Chilean lighthouse. Not what I had expected, but more than acceptable as it carried a Poe-esque theme and tone throughout its entirity.
For Dickinson, I had considered a moving tale which pondered the poet’s seclusion, heartache, and obsession with death. Oates, instead, weaves together "EDickinsonRepliLuxe", the story of a 21st-century couple who purchases a mechanical reproduction of the author herself. What does this have to do with the last days of Emily
Dickinson, or even Dickinson herself, you ask? Absolutely nothing. The android doesn’t even give us much of a glimpse into the author.
At this point, I had thrown what few expectation I had away. I knew before reading it that the story of Twain would have nothing to do with his birth and death coinciding with Haley’s comet like I had entertained before taking the collection home from the library. It didn’t. And it didn’t have anything to do with his death. This story was however about the author and even took place at a late point in his life, which I guess falls into the vague misnomer of "last days." "Grandpa Clemens & Angelfish, 1906" gives insight into a part of Twain’s life that I had known nothing of. It was equally suspenseful and tender and stood out as the collection’s best.
Of the authors, Henry James was the only I had read no works of; other than faint name recognition, I knew nothing of him. James’ "last days" peer into his time spent volunteering at a London hospital during World War I. It carried over a certain feeling that the Twain story had in it’s eery sentimentality. This one, however, seemed to carry on a bit too long and by the end, I just wasn’t as interested as I was the first half.
The final tale regarded Hemingway, the writer whose life ended in the stereotypical author way. Surprisingly at this point in the book, "Papa at Ketchum, 1961" begins immediately with a shotgun pointed to Hemingway’s head. Could this truly be a story about the author’s "last days?" Here again, Oates effectively uses the writer’s style which may be jarring to the reader unfamiliar with Hemingway. (He liked pronouns. He liked them very much. You could say he loved them. Except he loved many things. Like short sentences.) Of course this story wouldn’t fit in to this collection if it just told a straight forth narrative of Hemingway’s death, and so Oates digresses on other paths which I will not reveal.
If I were unfamiliar with Joyce Carol Oates, I would’ve thrown this book across the room. I would have felt lied to. Disappointed. It’s not what one should expect. Those familiar with Oates, however, probably will expect it. And they’ll equally expect that though this book, like any of Oates’ many books couldn’t possibly be bad, it very likely is not that good, either.
November 13, 2018
Yazarı yıllardır okumak istiyor fakat bir türlü fırsat bulamıyordum. Yaz aylarında Neil Gaiman derlemesi Öyküler’deki en sevdiğim öykülerden birisi kendisine ait olunca ve bu kitabını da Kadıköy’de 5 TL’ye bulunca alıp hemen okudum. Kitap beş uzun öyküden oluşuyor. Yazar, Amerikan edebiyatının ustaları diyebileceğimiz beş büyük yazarın ömrünün son günlerini değişik türlerde kurgulayarak anlatmış. Yazarın dili ve kitabın çevirisi oldukça iyi, akıcı. Emily Dickinson’ın bir robot olarak kurgulandığı bilimkurgumsu öyküyü çok sevemedim. Keza Ernest Hemingway’in son günlerini anlatan öykü de vasattı bence. İçlerinde en sevdiklerim ise Henry James ile Mark Twain öyküleri oldu. Oldukça ilgi çekici ve dinamik bir kurgusu vardı bu öykülerin. Poe ile ilgili öykü ise Poe gibi tuhaf ve tekinsizdi
May 6, 2020
Woah! This book is disturbing if I stop to think about it and delightful if I don’t. Oates weaves stories about the five authors listed on the cover, mostly using some facts about their last years/days. And she’s wicked and irreverent about it. She mad at the mens and their bullshit and pulls no punches. This was such a smart and sharp witted read that gave no fucks. It was particularly delightful after some insipid fiction and earnestly sincere if helpful self-help I was reading alongside it. My second Oates, I believe, and I’ll be reading more.
May 27, 2009
Wow. That is an incredibly sexy poem by Emily D. (any relation to Angie D.?)
***
So, in "Poe Posthumous; or, The Light-House" E.A.P. is - ding-ding - (or is that tap-tap?) a lighthouse keeper. ...I'd be fired if that were my job. A meditation on loneliness and fear. And what do they lead to? They are the tributaries of madness. Like, you know, being buried alive only without the scent of cheap pine. At any rate: a masterful Lovecraftian pastiche that positions Oates as the High Priestess of American Gothic. Seriously. Just. You. Watch: Knock-knock. Who's there? High Priestess of American Gothic. High Priestess - Joyce Carol Oates, as I live in breathe! Get your bony ass in here out of the rain. Where are you going? Where, for that matter, have you been?
"EDickinsonRepliLuxe" positions Oates as the High Priestess of Suburban Science Fiction with this remix of Philip K. Dick and/or Ray Bradbury. Except Oates brings a dark, deafening shriek of realism (attempted rape) to a genre (robot-as-family-surrogate) often prone to crippling melancholy ("Life...life was life and...and was much better when grandma was alive. Let's buy a robot of her.").
"Grandpa Clemens & Angelfish, 1906" was...what. the. fuck? But it's true. It's true: http://www.twainquotes.com/angelfish/...
“The Master at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, 1914-1916" suggests that Oates has a desire to stick a bony knuckle or two between the ribs of Henry James...and twist. James, as a character in the story, is nothing more than a blood-and-pus worshipping cryptosexual who turns his stint at a war hospital into an opportunity to get all Leaves of Grass on the wounded.
"Papa at Ketchum, 1961" - good stuff.
***
Notes...
Not one sunshine story about the last days (or final incarnation, as in the case of Dickinson)...Oates treats with an almost passionate cruelty these four American writers to a posthumous graveside service. An autopsy of the remains - - -
The four deaths...reflect...the authors' respective fictions. In this collection, they died as they wrote. Not, necessarily, as they lived.
Is this what the universe visits upon an artist? An afterlife that matches their innerlife?
***
So, in "Poe Posthumous; or, The Light-House" E.A.P. is - ding-ding - (or is that tap-tap?) a lighthouse keeper. ...I'd be fired if that were my job. A meditation on loneliness and fear. And what do they lead to? They are the tributaries of madness. Like, you know, being buried alive only without the scent of cheap pine. At any rate: a masterful Lovecraftian pastiche that positions Oates as the High Priestess of American Gothic. Seriously. Just. You. Watch: Knock-knock. Who's there? High Priestess of American Gothic. High Priestess - Joyce Carol Oates, as I live in breathe! Get your bony ass in here out of the rain. Where are you going? Where, for that matter, have you been?
"EDickinsonRepliLuxe" positions Oates as the High Priestess of Suburban Science Fiction with this remix of Philip K. Dick and/or Ray Bradbury. Except Oates brings a dark, deafening shriek of realism (attempted rape) to a genre (robot-as-family-surrogate) often prone to crippling melancholy ("Life...life was life and...and was much better when grandma was alive. Let's buy a robot of her.").
"Grandpa Clemens & Angelfish, 1906" was...what. the. fuck? But it's true. It's true: http://www.twainquotes.com/angelfish/...
“The Master at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, 1914-1916" suggests that Oates has a desire to stick a bony knuckle or two between the ribs of Henry James...and twist. James, as a character in the story, is nothing more than a blood-and-pus worshipping cryptosexual who turns his stint at a war hospital into an opportunity to get all Leaves of Grass on the wounded.
"Papa at Ketchum, 1961" - good stuff.
***
Notes...
Not one sunshine story about the last days (or final incarnation, as in the case of Dickinson)...Oates treats with an almost passionate cruelty these four American writers to a posthumous graveside service. An autopsy of the remains - - -
The four deaths...reflect...the authors' respective fictions. In this collection, they died as they wrote. Not, necessarily, as they lived.
Is this what the universe visits upon an artist? An afterlife that matches their innerlife?
January 31, 2020
Loved it, loved it, loved it! Especially the story about Emily in her post-human existence, and the one about Poe.
It was also great that the author definitely does not shy away from the more unpalatable aspects in the lives of Twain or Hemingway (the source of many mixed feelings we all have about them, right?).
Joyce Carol Oates is a master of style and narrative power. I'm so looking forward to reading more from her.
Also, I'm very much into reading fiction about classical authors lately (like The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis which I read last year, but now I will be concentrating more on this niche. Almost done with The Hours as well.
It was also great that the author definitely does not shy away from the more unpalatable aspects in the lives of Twain or Hemingway (the source of many mixed feelings we all have about them, right?).
Joyce Carol Oates is a master of style and narrative power. I'm so looking forward to reading more from her.
Also, I'm very much into reading fiction about classical authors lately (like The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis which I read last year, but now I will be concentrating more on this niche. Almost done with The Hours as well.
July 16, 2015
THIS BOOK IS BANANAS. B-A-N-A-N-A-S! I gave this book three stars. Three? Even now I'm second-guessing myself on this rating. Needless to say I had incredibly mixed reactions about this book and am completely unsure how to rate it. I think objectively this book is probably terrible? It basically goes completely off the rails. On the other hand, I honestly love that JCO just rips the legacy of these literary giants to pieces (#NOHEROES). I guess even though the execution was pretty bad I liked the concept? Which leads to my rating. I honestly wouldn't recommend this, just lie in a beach chair and imagine Edgar Allen Poe having imaginary sex with some kind of amphibious sea monster and you'll get the best parts out of it.
August 6, 2012
Eerie short stories of the last days of the lives of Poe, Dickinson, Twain, James, and Hemingway. This is my first read by Oates and I have to say that despite the morbid, disturbing stories, I was mesmerized by her writing.
November 22, 2022
Did you know that Edgar Allan Poe manned a lighthouse off the coast of Chile; that Emily Dickinson in real life was an odd, inward-looking young woman; that Mark Twain liked little girls aged 10 to 16; that Henry James was a volunteer in a London hospital assisting the wounded of the Great War; and that Ernest Hemingway at the end of his life saw his death everywhere?
Not really. These are all riffs perpetrated by Joyce Carol Oates in Wild Nights!: Stories About the Last Days of Poe, Dickinson, Twain, James, and Hemingway. Think of it as alternative biography.
I am always amazed that -- in her prolific bibliography -- there are so many excellent books. With the exception of the Poe and Dickinson stories, the vignettes presented are plausible. Poe's is not, as he did not live in happy domesticity with a sea monster; and there never really was an Emily Dickinson robot that people could purchase for their homes. Each of the stories is based on some fictional, biographical, or other fragment that suggests the possibility that Oates's riff is not entirely beyond possibility.
If you love American literature and are not afraid of having some fun with the great lights of that literature, this is the book for you!
Not really. These are all riffs perpetrated by Joyce Carol Oates in Wild Nights!: Stories About the Last Days of Poe, Dickinson, Twain, James, and Hemingway. Think of it as alternative biography.
I am always amazed that -- in her prolific bibliography -- there are so many excellent books. With the exception of the Poe and Dickinson stories, the vignettes presented are plausible. Poe's is not, as he did not live in happy domesticity with a sea monster; and there never really was an Emily Dickinson robot that people could purchase for their homes. Each of the stories is based on some fictional, biographical, or other fragment that suggests the possibility that Oates's riff is not entirely beyond possibility.
If you love American literature and are not afraid of having some fun with the great lights of that literature, this is the book for you!
February 6, 2025
Short stories about the latter years of famous authors. I was dumb enough to think I had a nonfiction book about this topic and had to sit there for just a minute or so wondering why I never knew that Poe spent some time as a lighthouse keeper in South America. He did not. My bad. The confusion was fun.
Ratings per story by fictionalized author:
Poe: 3 stars. Weird and decent.
Dickinson: 5 stars. Also weird but excellent.
Twain: 5 stars.
James: 2 stars.
Hemingway: 2 stars.
While trying to avoid spoilers, I’ll say Oates can really give a believable impression of the mind of a sexual predator. Looking forward to her fictional first person narrative of the life of Trump.
Ratings per story by fictionalized author:
Poe: 3 stars. Weird and decent.
Dickinson: 5 stars. Also weird but excellent.
Twain: 5 stars.
James: 2 stars.
Hemingway: 2 stars.
While trying to avoid spoilers, I’ll say Oates can really give a believable impression of the mind of a sexual predator. Looking forward to her fictional first person narrative of the life of Trump.
August 14, 2025
I’m just going to tell you that I truly enjoy the way JCO writes. While I am not a huge fan of the short story, I enjoyed reading it. I read a story between books. The book has a bunch of interesting comments. Read and decide for yourself.
April 11, 2020
بازیِ خوبی کرده بود با داستان زندگی همینگوی، تواین و ...
به خوندن می ارزید
به خوندن می ارزید
April 21, 2009
I tend to be much more on the same wavelength with JCO when it comes to her literary criticism and journal-writing, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect here (but then, isn't that always the case with this particular author?). The title of this collection really doesn't at all begin to adequately convey the nature of these stories: where one might expect rather benign historical sketches come these really odd, often unsettling reimaginings inspired by something connected with said author. Personal favorites were the ones centered on Emily Dickinson and Ernest Hemingway, the former for its rather disquieting vision of a possible near-future, the latter for bringing some much-needed human warmth to a literary personality I can't much abide by (from the stereotyped gruffness Oates manages to tear out several surprisingly heartbreaking moments). I tend to have a problem finishing short story collections, but all five presented here are very much worth reading.
"There is an hour when you realize: here is what you have been given. More than this, you won't receive. And what this is, what your life has come to, will be taken from you. In time."
-from "EDickinsonRepliLuxe"
"There is an hour when you realize: here is what you have been given. More than this, you won't receive. And what this is, what your life has come to, will be taken from you. In time."
-from "EDickinsonRepliLuxe"
December 4, 2012
I was really disappointed with this one. Part of it is my fault, because I thought (from the title) that this was a nonfiction book about the listed authors’ final days. Instead it’s a fictional short story collection with Oates’ imagined accounts of their later days.
Each of the five stories deals with one author. Poe’s story never seemed very focused to me. Twain’s story was incredibly creepy and I wasn’t a fan. I’m hoping Oates doesn’t believe he was actually like the way she wrote him, because her version of Twain in disturbing. James’ wasn’t bad, but again, there was no real spark. Hemingway’s story was probably the closest to reality and I think that’s why I liked it best.
The Emily Dickinson’s section isn’t actually about her at all. It’s about a live mannequin, called an EDickinsonRepliLuxe, that’s created to look and act like her. A husband and wife purchase it so they can interact with her in their own home. This story reminded me so much of Ray Bradbury’s style, particularly his short story “Marionettes, Inc.” from The Illustrated Man.
BOTTOM LINE: The whole collection is better in theory than in actuality. Skip it and find a nonfiction account about your favorite authors.
Each of the five stories deals with one author. Poe’s story never seemed very focused to me. Twain’s story was incredibly creepy and I wasn’t a fan. I’m hoping Oates doesn’t believe he was actually like the way she wrote him, because her version of Twain in disturbing. James’ wasn’t bad, but again, there was no real spark. Hemingway’s story was probably the closest to reality and I think that’s why I liked it best.
The Emily Dickinson’s section isn’t actually about her at all. It’s about a live mannequin, called an EDickinsonRepliLuxe, that’s created to look and act like her. A husband and wife purchase it so they can interact with her in their own home. This story reminded me so much of Ray Bradbury’s style, particularly his short story “Marionettes, Inc.” from The Illustrated Man.
BOTTOM LINE: The whole collection is better in theory than in actuality. Skip it and find a nonfiction account about your favorite authors.
September 4, 2011
Why do I find Joyce Carol Oates so annoying? Why does everyone but me, apparently, think she is one of America's finest living fiction writers? I hadn't read her in 30 years. Thinking that this was rather unfair, I thought I would try her again. Here are 5 stories "about the last days of Poe, Dickinson, Twain, James, and Hemingway." With a subtitle like that, of course I bit. Sadly, they are better in concept than execution. If you like stories full of excrement, blood, pus, bodily fluids, maggots, amputated limbs weeping with green scum, rotting flesh -- these are for you! If you want stories that turn on a dime from realism to phantasm, then quickly slide into madness (with the accompanying irritating textual representations of spaces and run-on sentences), these are for you! Poe living out his last days in isolation on an island with a giant eel lover, Emily Dickinson as a 21st-century robot companion, Mark Twain as a pedophile wannabe - if this sounds good, these are for you! While I have to admit that I admire the research, imagination, and sheer chutzpah that it must have taken to pen these stories, they are not for me!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2020
My thoughts on the stories (listed most liked to least):
1. Poe Posthumous--Poe writes about having sex with lizard people. You better get into it!
2. The Master at St. Bartholomew's Hospital--An adequate level of gayness. Made me feel a twinge of sympathy for Henry James, which is no easy feat.
3. Grandpa Clemens & Angelfish--Grizzly and unpleasant, but very compelling and sharply written.
4. Papa at Ketchum--A small (but surprising) level of gayness. If you dislike Hemingway as a person, which I do, this story won't change your mind.
5. EDickinsonRepiLuxe--Quite a disappointing read, especially given the caliber and intimacy of the other stories. Would've preferred a tale from Dickinson's point of view.
1. Poe Posthumous--Poe writes about having sex with lizard people. You better get into it!
2. The Master at St. Bartholomew's Hospital--An adequate level of gayness. Made me feel a twinge of sympathy for Henry James, which is no easy feat.
3. Grandpa Clemens & Angelfish--Grizzly and unpleasant, but very compelling and sharply written.
4. Papa at Ketchum--A small (but surprising) level of gayness. If you dislike Hemingway as a person, which I do, this story won't change your mind.
5. EDickinsonRepiLuxe--Quite a disappointing read, especially given the caliber and intimacy of the other stories. Would've preferred a tale from Dickinson's point of view.
November 18, 2020
I've tried reading Oates' novels several times, but I just couldn't get through them. Something about her style bothers me, and makes it too difficult to read. This wasn't the case here. Thoroughly enjoyed these stories about famous writers. I also liked her On Boxing. She also wrote an essay about running that I read years ago. Can't remember the name of it, but it was excellent.
Read
May 16, 2022I don't know why, but I do not like her short stories. I have only read a handful of books she's written and I am always underwhelmed. This is only the second book in about fifteen years that I haven't finished nor had the desire to. Her writing does nothing for me and I feel so alone in my dislike of her since she is such an acclaimed author. I really don't find her gothic or creepy at all. Thanks but I'll take Richard Matheson.
January 23, 2021
This is my first time Reading Oates and I have very mixed feelings. I think the moments where this book shines are wonderful, but there are elements here that are bizarre and jarring. I read the book quite quickly out of interest, but in retrospect, I would likely skip several of the stories.
Where Oates shines here is the Poe story. She does a marvelous job of capturing Poe's style and the wild, whimsical feel of the Gothic horror genre. The setting of the story was a joy and many parts of it felt like some of the stories of Lovecraft (with the race of sea creatures and gradual dissolution into madness). This story was a treat.
Dickinson was executed less smoothly. There was a lot that could have been done with the "life" of this author. Instead, Oates imagines Dickinson as a robot manakin. This might have been an interesting concept if it hadn't been done over and over again in science fiction... It felt stale here and didn't seem particularly connected to Dickinson.
The stories about Twain and James seem to be linked in a sort of critique of older men being overly sentimental. The Twain story feels like a Nabokov spinoff, but without any of the sympathy we feel for Humphrey. Clearly, there was a halfhearted attempt to make the Twain character likable by adding the backstory of a father who couldn't show love for his son, but this felt a bit underdeveloped... The James story is interesting in that it captures a vague intrigue with youths returning from war who have been seriously maimed or injured. This exploration of broken youth was interesting and there were a few moments where the homoerotic tension was developed in an interesting way. The character of James though and the degradations he goes through in the story felt a bit silly.
The last story was just bad. It might be easy for others to think that I am simply saying this because I am a man and a Hemingway apologist, but this isn't it. Certainly, I love Hemingway. I've read nearly everything he wrote, numerous biographies of his life. I know he wasn't a good man in his personal life. There is a lot that could be said about the tension between his sensitivity and his macho persona. This has all been said again and again. Certainly he had views which were not progressive. Yes, he liked short declarative sentences. What Oates has created with this story though is a cartoonish, overwrought caricature of Hemingway that I find not only childish, but offensive. I suppose the reason I didn't care for a number of these stories is that there were hints of this in the Twain and James as well. Oates must feel contempt for these writers and it comes through strongly in her writing and the situations she dreams up. Hemingway's writing is overembellished to sound like a Neanderthal. Oates' character thinks slowly about his penis, scorns women, and thinks of females repeatedly only as sexual organs (she imagines Hemingway using a more loaded term), &c. &c.
I suppose what I didn't care for really was the concept of the book. It seems a bit strange to try to capture the writers in a fictional story and to put her own ideas about who they were into their heads and mouths. It seems more understandable to write a story each in the style of the author, but having the author as the main character is something quite different. Perhaps what makes the stories disconcerting is the tension Ms. Oates must have felt writing. She clearly idolizes and worships the celebrity of these people even though for a few of them, she seems to feel a great deal of contempt. Maybe this problem of fame is at the heart of the book. Maybe Ms. Oates is pulling a page from Dante and wants to shame and degrade literary figures in her imagination. I think this dynamic felt bizarre in Dante and I find it perhaps even more bizarre here...
Where Oates shines here is the Poe story. She does a marvelous job of capturing Poe's style and the wild, whimsical feel of the Gothic horror genre. The setting of the story was a joy and many parts of it felt like some of the stories of Lovecraft (with the race of sea creatures and gradual dissolution into madness). This story was a treat.
Dickinson was executed less smoothly. There was a lot that could have been done with the "life" of this author. Instead, Oates imagines Dickinson as a robot manakin. This might have been an interesting concept if it hadn't been done over and over again in science fiction... It felt stale here and didn't seem particularly connected to Dickinson.
The stories about Twain and James seem to be linked in a sort of critique of older men being overly sentimental. The Twain story feels like a Nabokov spinoff, but without any of the sympathy we feel for Humphrey. Clearly, there was a halfhearted attempt to make the Twain character likable by adding the backstory of a father who couldn't show love for his son, but this felt a bit underdeveloped... The James story is interesting in that it captures a vague intrigue with youths returning from war who have been seriously maimed or injured. This exploration of broken youth was interesting and there were a few moments where the homoerotic tension was developed in an interesting way. The character of James though and the degradations he goes through in the story felt a bit silly.
The last story was just bad. It might be easy for others to think that I am simply saying this because I am a man and a Hemingway apologist, but this isn't it. Certainly, I love Hemingway. I've read nearly everything he wrote, numerous biographies of his life. I know he wasn't a good man in his personal life. There is a lot that could be said about the tension between his sensitivity and his macho persona. This has all been said again and again. Certainly he had views which were not progressive. Yes, he liked short declarative sentences. What Oates has created with this story though is a cartoonish, overwrought caricature of Hemingway that I find not only childish, but offensive. I suppose the reason I didn't care for a number of these stories is that there were hints of this in the Twain and James as well. Oates must feel contempt for these writers and it comes through strongly in her writing and the situations she dreams up. Hemingway's writing is overembellished to sound like a Neanderthal. Oates' character thinks slowly about his penis, scorns women, and thinks of females repeatedly only as sexual organs (she imagines Hemingway using a more loaded term), &c. &c.
I suppose what I didn't care for really was the concept of the book. It seems a bit strange to try to capture the writers in a fictional story and to put her own ideas about who they were into their heads and mouths. It seems more understandable to write a story each in the style of the author, but having the author as the main character is something quite different. Perhaps what makes the stories disconcerting is the tension Ms. Oates must have felt writing. She clearly idolizes and worships the celebrity of these people even though for a few of them, she seems to feel a great deal of contempt. Maybe this problem of fame is at the heart of the book. Maybe Ms. Oates is pulling a page from Dante and wants to shame and degrade literary figures in her imagination. I think this dynamic felt bizarre in Dante and I find it perhaps even more bizarre here...
November 19, 2019
This is the third novel I've read from American author Joyce Carol Oates. Each of these 5 short stories are very well written. They're set in different places and different periods of time. Based partially on the real biography of these 5 well known American authors, Joyce added a fictive part of their biography focused on their last months/years in life. If I understood well it seems that the author imagined a fictive end of life for these authors, and a humiliating end of life as if they became a beast, a victim of a crime, or insane. The stories are well written, but I didn't understand the meaning of writing a fake and humiliating end of life for these authors. ???
Did the author want to destroy the myth of these authors?
Did she want readers to focus on their lonely deaths unknown to all while and their lives as successfull author are already known to all?
Did she want readers to see that when you take away the successfull lives as authors, these authors are just simple human beings like any others? anyone one can become a beast, a victim of a crime, a criminal, a mentally disturbed person...
What does it say about the author Joyce Carol Oates to take on these 5 authors?
I rated this book 3 stars only because the stories are very well written, but difficult to understand the meaning of it all.
Did the author want to destroy the myth of these authors?
Did she want readers to focus on their lonely deaths unknown to all while and their lives as successfull author are already known to all?
Did she want readers to see that when you take away the successfull lives as authors, these authors are just simple human beings like any others? anyone one can become a beast, a victim of a crime, a criminal, a mentally disturbed person...
What does it say about the author Joyce Carol Oates to take on these 5 authors?
I rated this book 3 stars only because the stories are very well written, but difficult to understand the meaning of it all.
February 27, 2020
Poe withdraws to an isolated lighthouse. Dickinson sort-of lives again. Twain fears his friendships might be misunderstood. James volunteers in a wartime hospital. Hemingway is his awful self, but old and in Idaho. (I don't like Hemingway.)
5 stories, very different in topic and tone, all with at least an undertone of human-nature-awfulness. I liked 4 of them, so 4 stars it is. (Is it unfair to deduct points for not liking the Hemingway story exactly because it read so convincingly like something he could have written? I'll leave that one to the philosophers.)
(PopSugar Reading Challenge 2020, "A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character" - spoilers?)
5 stories, very different in topic and tone, all with at least an undertone of human-nature-awfulness. I liked 4 of them, so 4 stars it is. (Is it unfair to deduct points for not liking the Hemingway story exactly because it read so convincingly like something he could have written? I'll leave that one to the philosophers.)
(PopSugar Reading Challenge 2020, "A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character" - spoilers?)
May 6, 2018
My favorite by far was the story about Dickinson. The one about Hemingway is genius because Oates mimics his style perfectly. The others are good, but not great.
January 18, 2026
odd little series of short stories. more horror than i expected. well written and interesting
April 11, 2021
Oates knows that authors are the rock star celebrities to people who read, and she is a kind of literary E!inside giving us some dirt and gossip, mostly just made up. It’s still good though.
October 11, 2022
I really enjoyed the Dickinson and James stories. Twain was just creepy. Poe and Hemingway boring.
November 15, 2009
Joyce Carol Oates. Wild Nights! New York: HarperCollins, 2008.
I’m not a big fan of Oates, but I did think Blackwater was brilliant and haunting, even though it was probably one of her shortest works. In Blackwater, Oates imagines the last moments of Mary Jo Kopechne (July 26, 1940 – July 18, 1969), who died in a car driven by Senator Ted Kennedy on Chappaquiddick Island. (I have nothing written about it so my guess is that I read it before I started keeping a book journal.) Wild Nights! has a hint of that same incredible imagination of hers.
If you look at the book jacket photo of Oates, you would NEVER imagine that she could write some of the stuff in Wild Nights! She looks like a homely spinster type who would never have an “impure” thought. In this book, she imagines the last days of five writers – Poe, Dickinson, Twain, James, and Hemingway. Each writer has a sleazy side, except Dickinson, who is spooky. That story too is the strangest. Oates imagines a couple buying a “repliluxe,” which is a life-like robot. In fact, it’s so life-like that people forget that they are not real. Dickinson seems so real that the husband attempts to rape the robot, which does not have a vagina. It is one very strange story.
Poe’s story is pretty strange too. He goes to an island after his wife dies to participate in an experiment of what it is like to be completely alone.
Twain and Hemingway are misogynists, sexually crude, and mean-spirited. Henry James isn’t but he is sexually repressed homosexual.
Other than Old Man and the Sea, I’ve not like Hemingway and believe the guy is so popular with men is that he is a misogynist. Gosh, I hate that he is seen as a great writer.
I’m not a big fan of Oates, but I did think Blackwater was brilliant and haunting, even though it was probably one of her shortest works. In Blackwater, Oates imagines the last moments of Mary Jo Kopechne (July 26, 1940 – July 18, 1969), who died in a car driven by Senator Ted Kennedy on Chappaquiddick Island. (I have nothing written about it so my guess is that I read it before I started keeping a book journal.) Wild Nights! has a hint of that same incredible imagination of hers.
If you look at the book jacket photo of Oates, you would NEVER imagine that she could write some of the stuff in Wild Nights! She looks like a homely spinster type who would never have an “impure” thought. In this book, she imagines the last days of five writers – Poe, Dickinson, Twain, James, and Hemingway. Each writer has a sleazy side, except Dickinson, who is spooky. That story too is the strangest. Oates imagines a couple buying a “repliluxe,” which is a life-like robot. In fact, it’s so life-like that people forget that they are not real. Dickinson seems so real that the husband attempts to rape the robot, which does not have a vagina. It is one very strange story.
Poe’s story is pretty strange too. He goes to an island after his wife dies to participate in an experiment of what it is like to be completely alone.
Twain and Hemingway are misogynists, sexually crude, and mean-spirited. Henry James isn’t but he is sexually repressed homosexual.
Other than Old Man and the Sea, I’ve not like Hemingway and believe the guy is so popular with men is that he is a misogynist. Gosh, I hate that he is seen as a great writer.
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