Rituals of Surgery

by Richard Selzer

Selzer's first collection of short stories (originally published in 1974) weaves together the fantastic and grotesque with surgical precision. The sense that death lurks around every corner is heightened by dark irony and wit. He brings to light the horrors of surgery while displaying overwhelming compassion for his characters, creating a provocative commentary on the human condition.

Genres: Fiction

193 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1980

Reviews

[Jacob Tilmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of medically related short stories. Selzer’s writing is beautiful and I found these stories interesting. I wouldn’t really recommend this book though because Selzer’s vulgar and crass plots in his short stories would turn off most people.

[Steve Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining tales. Early Selzer... I think his latter books are a bit more effective.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

During PA school I chanced upon Selzers works (there are several more of various quality in my opinion) and enjoyed his candid discussion of historical medicine if the form of chapter stories. Subsequent books focus on his own personal experiences. All are easy reads for folks interested in medical history and procedures.

[Bruce Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

He was a master of the medically-informed short story. Compelling, scary, literate, and funny. He fearlessly invented neologisms, created horribly flawed narrators, and sent stories crashing to messy endings.