What do you think?
Rate this book
Dangerous Men
An old cowboy stares into the eyes of his dead wife and remembers a time before he knew her; a photojournalist and his terminally ill wife enjoy one last night together under the hunter’s moon; a family wait for their son to return home from the civil war in Bosnia; and a dying man takes violent revenge against the people who ruined his life. Crisp, heartfelt and clear-eyed, Katakis’s debut short story collection bears comparison with those of the great American writers and demonstrates the enduring power of love in even the cruellest of environments.
"Dangerous Men is mesmerizing. These are wonderful, devastating stories, filled with dread and death, yet suffused with decency and love. I loved it.” Ken Burns
"Very violent and immensely readable, both deeply sad and deeply cathartic” Henry Marsh
"Highly recommended for Steinbeck readers and others safe-sheltering from the dangerous men in Washington, D.C." Steinbeck Now
"A work of great sensitivity and lyrical beauty." Raja Shehadeh
"Dangerous Men is mesmerizing. These are wonderful, devastating stories, filled with dread and death, yet suffused with decency and love. I loved it.” Ken Burns
"Very violent and immensely readable, both deeply sad and deeply cathartic” Henry Marsh
"Highly recommended for Steinbeck readers and others safe-sheltering from the dangerous men in Washington, D.C." Steinbeck Now
"A work of great sensitivity and lyrical beauty." Raja Shehadeh
80 pages, Hardcover
Published January 12, 2021
1 person is currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Michael Katakis
12 books32 followersKatakis was born in Chicago in 1952. His father emigrated from Greece to the United States shortly after World War II. His mother was the daughter of Greek immigrants.
Writer and photographer Michael Katakis has been writing about and photographing a wide range of cultures and geographic locations for the past thirty five years. He has traveled extensively throughout the People’s Republic of China, West Africa, Cuba, Hungary, Morocco, Turkey, the United States, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, Italy, Greece, England, France and Spain to name a few.
Michael’s books include Photographs and Words’ with Kris Hardin (British Library 2011).
His other books include; Traveller: Observations From an American in Exile (Scribner, New York 2009), The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Crown, New York 1988) which is a two year study of the emotional impact the memorial has had on its visitors. Sacred Trusts: Essays on Stewardship and Responsibility (Mercury House, San Francisco 1993). Excavating Voices: Listening to Photographs of Native Americans (University Museum Publications, University of Pennsylvania 1998) and the limited edition book, Despatches ( Foolscap Press, Santa Cruz, California 2008) which a number of institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and Stanford University have acquired for their special collections.
In 2011 Michael Katakis’s exhibition opened at the British Library’s Folio Gallery to coincide with the publication of his, and Dr. Kris Hardin’s book, Photographs and Words (British Library Publications, 2011).
Michael Katakis and Dr. Hardin were presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth by Baroness Blackstone, Chairman of the British Library, on 10 November 2011.
In 2012 Katakis was invited, by Michael Palin, President of the Royal Geographical Society, to speak to the Society.
Michael Katakis was appointed Ambassador for the British Library and elected Director of Americans for the British Library in 2012.
In 1999 he was elected ‘Fellow’ of the Royal Geographical Society and in 2001 his, and Kris Hardin’s exhibition, A Time and Place Before War, opened at the Geographical Society in London.
Amnesty International chose Michael’s work from Sierra Leone for the cover of their international calendar (1990) and for the book, Thoughts on Human Dignity and Freedom, with a foreword by Arthur Miller (Universe Books, 1991).
Writer and photographer Michael Katakis has been writing about and photographing a wide range of cultures and geographic locations for the past thirty five years. He has traveled extensively throughout the People’s Republic of China, West Africa, Cuba, Hungary, Morocco, Turkey, the United States, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, Italy, Greece, England, France and Spain to name a few.
Michael’s books include Photographs and Words’ with Kris Hardin (British Library 2011).
His other books include; Traveller: Observations From an American in Exile (Scribner, New York 2009), The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Crown, New York 1988) which is a two year study of the emotional impact the memorial has had on its visitors. Sacred Trusts: Essays on Stewardship and Responsibility (Mercury House, San Francisco 1993). Excavating Voices: Listening to Photographs of Native Americans (University Museum Publications, University of Pennsylvania 1998) and the limited edition book, Despatches ( Foolscap Press, Santa Cruz, California 2008) which a number of institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and Stanford University have acquired for their special collections.
In 2011 Michael Katakis’s exhibition opened at the British Library’s Folio Gallery to coincide with the publication of his, and Dr. Kris Hardin’s book, Photographs and Words (British Library Publications, 2011).
Michael Katakis and Dr. Hardin were presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth by Baroness Blackstone, Chairman of the British Library, on 10 November 2011.
In 2012 Katakis was invited, by Michael Palin, President of the Royal Geographical Society, to speak to the Society.
Michael Katakis was appointed Ambassador for the British Library and elected Director of Americans for the British Library in 2012.
In 1999 he was elected ‘Fellow’ of the Royal Geographical Society and in 2001 his, and Kris Hardin’s exhibition, A Time and Place Before War, opened at the Geographical Society in London.
Amnesty International chose Michael’s work from Sierra Leone for the cover of their international calendar (1990) and for the book, Thoughts on Human Dignity and Freedom, with a foreword by Arthur Miller (Universe Books, 1991).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 14, 2021
Spare and unrelentingly brutal, with a definite nod to Steinbeck. A beautiful, short read.
August 18, 2020
A wonderful read. A beautiful study of love, loss, remorse and acceptance. It evokes in the reader just about every emotion on the spectrum as you immerse yourself in its rich, concise text.
March 4, 2021
An amazing book, covering sorrow, guilt, pain, revenge and love. Though a short book, it made me slow down with every detail and word. Small town and painful memories, quite a lovely book indeed.
September 2, 2021
Very short story. But my favorite book I’ve read this year.
September 7, 2022
What an incredible collection of short stories! I definitely recommend and cannot wait to read more from this author!
December 25, 2022
Unflinchingly brutal and precise, we are drawn into the physically expansive and emotionally stifling Montana landscape and the 'dangerous men' who inhabit it. We see the depths of depravity - those who are haunted by their desicions and those who face their immorality without remorse. In large part, the role of women is used to construct the character of men using the lenses through which various men view their wives, daughters and women in general. Bringing this striking narrative together is starkly heart wrenching writing.
The men who are not dangerous are broken by those who are, and ultimately all are swept up into this tale of sorrow, loss, and vengeance, but ultimately love; what lengths man will go to in the name of those he has loved and lost.
The men who are not dangerous are broken by those who are, and ultimately all are swept up into this tale of sorrow, loss, and vengeance, but ultimately love; what lengths man will go to in the name of those he has loved and lost.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews