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I'm Not Scared of You or Anything
ReLit Long Shortlist, 2015
Finalist, Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction
Winner, National Magazine Award, Silver Medal for Humour (for the story "It Seems Like Sex is a Weird Thing That Used to Happen to Me," from I'm Not Scared of You or Anything )
The characters in I’m not Scared of You or Anything are invigilators, fake martial arts experts, buskers, competitive pillow fighters, drug runners, and, of course, grad students. This collection of comedic short stories and exploratory texts is the ninth book by the critically acclaimed and award-winning author Jon Paul Fiorentino. Deftly illustrated by Maryanna Hardy, these texts ask important questions, How does a mild mannered loser navigate the bureaucratic terrain of exam supervision? What happens when you replace the text of Christian Archie comics with the text of Hélène Cixous? And, most important of all, what would it be like if
Mr. Spock was a character in the HBO series Girls ?
Illustrated throughout by the wonderful, full colour artwork of Maryanna Hardy!
Most Anticipated Fiction selection, 49th Shelf
Book of the Week, Librairie Drawn & Quarterly Bookstore
Praise for I’m Not Scared of You or Anything :
"This book leapt up out of the box. It is an outrageously funny book—deadpan. The prose is sharply sliced, clean, and precise. Fiorentino is a master stylist writing from a broad range of interest, drawing on a well of compassion."
—The Hugh MacLennan Award for Fiction Jury
“I’m sure something scares Jon Paul Fiorentino, and maybe it drives him toward the deadpan magic he wields so masterfully in these pages. This is a daring and funny collection.”
—Sam Lipsyte
"Jon Paul Fiorentino writes the thoughts that we all might have, especially those of us who are loners, losers, or social misfits of one sort or another, using them to create surreal little worlds that show what it might be like to actually live them out. If you’ve ever suspected that the veil between the ordinary and the surreal was very thin—that just a small step to the left would take you to a place where things are not quite what they seem—then these stories, with their touch of absurd humor shrouded in darkness and often hazed over by drugs, drink, or mental illness, may be just what you’re looking for."
— Foreword Reviews
"Fiorentino smartly and brightly facilitates the reader’s journey into his mind. He has a talent for pointing to profound topics on being and belonging, evoking empathy in the reader, and getting a laugh at the same time. The author does as Andy Kaufman did when, performing as Mighty Mouse, he said, 'I’m not sure if you’re laughing at me or with me.' And everybody really laughed."
— The Montreal Review of Books
"Perhaps this is a glimpse at what the Internet would be like if people were much smarter, much funnier, and not horrible. You don’t have to like short stories to like I’m Not Scared of You or Anything . Anyone who has a pulse and a healthy love of chaos will get something out of this." (5 out of 5)
— The Other Press
Finalist, Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction
Winner, National Magazine Award, Silver Medal for Humour (for the story "It Seems Like Sex is a Weird Thing That Used to Happen to Me," from I'm Not Scared of You or Anything )
The characters in I’m not Scared of You or Anything are invigilators, fake martial arts experts, buskers, competitive pillow fighters, drug runners, and, of course, grad students. This collection of comedic short stories and exploratory texts is the ninth book by the critically acclaimed and award-winning author Jon Paul Fiorentino. Deftly illustrated by Maryanna Hardy, these texts ask important questions, How does a mild mannered loser navigate the bureaucratic terrain of exam supervision? What happens when you replace the text of Christian Archie comics with the text of Hélène Cixous? And, most important of all, what would it be like if
Mr. Spock was a character in the HBO series Girls ?
Illustrated throughout by the wonderful, full colour artwork of Maryanna Hardy!
Most Anticipated Fiction selection, 49th Shelf
Book of the Week, Librairie Drawn & Quarterly Bookstore
Praise for I’m Not Scared of You or Anything :
"This book leapt up out of the box. It is an outrageously funny book—deadpan. The prose is sharply sliced, clean, and precise. Fiorentino is a master stylist writing from a broad range of interest, drawing on a well of compassion."
—The Hugh MacLennan Award for Fiction Jury
“I’m sure something scares Jon Paul Fiorentino, and maybe it drives him toward the deadpan magic he wields so masterfully in these pages. This is a daring and funny collection.”
—Sam Lipsyte
"Jon Paul Fiorentino writes the thoughts that we all might have, especially those of us who are loners, losers, or social misfits of one sort or another, using them to create surreal little worlds that show what it might be like to actually live them out. If you’ve ever suspected that the veil between the ordinary and the surreal was very thin—that just a small step to the left would take you to a place where things are not quite what they seem—then these stories, with their touch of absurd humor shrouded in darkness and often hazed over by drugs, drink, or mental illness, may be just what you’re looking for."
— Foreword Reviews
"Fiorentino smartly and brightly facilitates the reader’s journey into his mind. He has a talent for pointing to profound topics on being and belonging, evoking empathy in the reader, and getting a laugh at the same time. The author does as Andy Kaufman did when, performing as Mighty Mouse, he said, 'I’m not sure if you’re laughing at me or with me.' And everybody really laughed."
— The Montreal Review of Books
"Perhaps this is a glimpse at what the Internet would be like if people were much smarter, much funnier, and not horrible. You don’t have to like short stories to like I’m Not Scared of You or Anything . Anyone who has a pulse and a healthy love of chaos will get something out of this." (5 out of 5)
— The Other Press
- GenresFictionShort Stories
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2014
19 people want to read
About the author
Jon Paul Fiorentino
20 books14 followersJon Paul Fiorentino is the author of I'm Not Scared of You or Anything (Anvil Press) and Needs Improvement (Coach House Books). He is also the author of the novel Stripmalling which was shortlisted for the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction, and five poetry collections, including The Theory of the Loser Class, which was shortlisted for the A. M. Klein Prize and Indexical Elegies which won the 2010 CBC Books "Bookie" Award for Best Book of Poetry.
He has written for The National Post, Walrus, Maisonneuve, sub-Terrain, The Huffington Post, The Montreal Gazette, The Barnstomer, New American Writing, Hobo, Joyland, The Capilano Review, Event, The Winnipeg Review, The Queen Street Quarterly, fillingStation, Prism International, Opium and many other publications.
He lives in Montreal, where he teaches Creative Writing at Concordia University, is the editor-in-chief of Matrix magazine, is a poetry editor for Joyland, the poetry editor for the Snare Imprint of Invisible Publishing, and the fiction editor for the Serotonin/Wayside Imprint of Insomniac Press.
He has written for The National Post, Walrus, Maisonneuve, sub-Terrain, The Huffington Post, The Montreal Gazette, The Barnstomer, New American Writing, Hobo, Joyland, The Capilano Review, Event, The Winnipeg Review, The Queen Street Quarterly, fillingStation, Prism International, Opium and many other publications.
He lives in Montreal, where he teaches Creative Writing at Concordia University, is the editor-in-chief of Matrix magazine, is a poetry editor for Joyland, the poetry editor for the Snare Imprint of Invisible Publishing, and the fiction editor for the Serotonin/Wayside Imprint of Insomniac Press.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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July 27, 2014review in the upcoming summer 2014 DIY issue of Broken Pencil.
November 7, 2014
I almost forgot how much I adore Fiorentino's writing. Almost.
July 22, 2021
I loved the writing style, with its mix of dark comedy and absurdity. May not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I could barely put it down.
May 21, 2016
I really wanted to like this more than I did in the end. The actual product is a thing of beauty, from the minimalist cover to the illustrations throughout. My issues were more with the writing and the collection of stories. To the latter point, and this is a pet peeve of mine with short fiction collections, I didn't feel much in the way of connective tissue, thematic or otherwise, between the narratives. Illustrated entries like "Critical Theory Archie" and "Mr. Spock Says Things from Episodes of Girls" were cute and well illustrated, but felt as if they belonged in a different collection altogether—similarly with "Jon Paul Fiorentino Interviews His Mother," which holds the coveted final spot in the collection and again feels entirely removed from the rest. It reminds me of Lynn Coady's Hellgoing a bit (yes, that won the Giller, but I still don't know why—The Antagonist was worlds stronger) in that this feels more like a collection of B-sides that maybe didn't fit anywhere else.
To the other point I mentioned, this is my first Fiorentino book and, well, his writing just didn't do it for me. It's not bad, but I found his humour, which is more absurdist than sarcastic, with characters often blurting out shit that anyone else would be horrified to speak aloud, simply tried too hard. It was manufactured comedy, and just didn't feel natural. But then, humour is one of the more subjective things in this world, so keep that in mind. This is a try before you buy, absolutely.
To the other point I mentioned, this is my first Fiorentino book and, well, his writing just didn't do it for me. It's not bad, but I found his humour, which is more absurdist than sarcastic, with characters often blurting out shit that anyone else would be horrified to speak aloud, simply tried too hard. It was manufactured comedy, and just didn't feel natural. But then, humour is one of the more subjective things in this world, so keep that in mind. This is a try before you buy, absolutely.
July 8, 2014
Some of the stories are a little to dark for me but over all I really enjoyed the book. The art is great as well.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews