Ugly Man: Stories (P.S.) (edition 2009)

This is the first work by Dennis Cooper I have ever read and I think what has struck me most about it is how Cooper manages to make material I would normally think of as something I’d have no interest in reading about into fiction that is completely readable and, yes, even enjoyable. I can see where the topics and means and portrayals and blah blah blah would make some of the more sensitive readers around here uncomfortable, and I’m most certainly not saying that this is a book that everybody will appreciate in the same way I have. But all of that being said, I thought it was great, I had a great time reading it, and I will definitely be looking to read more Cooper in the future. ( )

"...when you're not the one getting murdered, murder's the ultimate interesting thing."

Reading Dennis Cooper is akin to being high on drugs. Indeed, drugs are a common theme in Cooper's collection, Ugly Man. So is sex. And violence. And murder. And...humor. Yes, humor. As Cooper said in an interview, Ugly Man is his break from the seriousness of his writing, as seen in his George Miles novels; he intended to be a funny way of looking at the serious stuff.

Try not to laugh at "Santa Claus vs. Johnny Crawford," a flash story of only a paragraph about the title character, who finds out his father is actually Santa Claus. Or "The Anal-Retentive Line Editor," an erotic story with side notes from a magazine editor with a snobby attitude. Or "The Fifteen Worst Russian Gay Porn Web Site," less of a story, than a list of actual websites.

Unlike other writers, these stories seem to have no real purpose other than to just exist. Take for, example, "The Fifteen Worst Russian Gay Porn Web Sites," a story that simply lists and describes. It doesn't qualify as any type of traditional story, yet it's here to make us wonder why it's here. The same can apply to "The Noll Dynasty," which has the same structure and uses the same nonfictional details.

Cooper unabashfully blends fiction and nonfiction to mold his prose. The first story, "Jerk," is based on Dean Corll. "The Worst (1960-1971)" undoubtedly takes inspiration from Cooper's life, at least some of the tragic parts (in the P.S. interview, we learn that his mother did become an alcoholic, his parents did have a bitter divorce). Tragedy is in fact part of the humor in these stories: the looming thoughts of death, existential questions, mediation on violence as a form of art or a way of preparation for the biggest act of violence (death). While all the characters are distinct, all are concerned with the question of: if life is a series of tragedies, what is death? Cooper never gives us one answer. Like the way he mixes fiction and nonfiction, humor and tradgey, Cooper is not about straight answers.

Perhaps the best story here is the highly experimental "Oliver Twink" written only with dialogue in an almost poem-like fashion. Here, Cooper displays his unwillingness to tell us anything directly. Instead, there's arguing, there're disagreements over motives, there are knives in involved, low self-esteem, and love--indeed this story is a love story of sorts, full of the complexity that is human experience.

And Cooper does just that here: he shows human complexity. Cooper proves that he is not only a experimentalist, but a stylistic genius, and a keen observer of human thought--the only qualifer here is "outsider." Cooper is undoubtedly an outsider. Screw Chuck Palahniuk's brand of transgression, here is the king of transgressive fciton: he takes readers to the edge of comfortablity and drops them where they don't necessarily want to be taken. Admittedly, Cooper's work is not for everyone. Yet for anyone willing, Cooper is a(n acid) trip worth taking, or at least something you will remember. ( )

The Short of It:

WTF?

My Thoughts:

Ugly Man is a collection of short stories. When I say short, I mean short! Some are just a paragraph or two and most are just a few pages long. The stories center around these themes: sex, death and homosexuality...and then more sex and then more death and then toss in some gore for good measure and you've got an idea of what's contained between the covers.

When I read the first story I was shocked! I gasped out loud. Then when I read the next story I shuddered and then slammed it closed. Then somewhere around the fourth I began to look forward to it and that is when I realized that I must be a twisted *uck because how could anyone in her right mind get into this??

These stories include such things as an abusive Santa, a line editor that is a bit anal-retentive (and I mean that in the truest sense of the word), cats being beaten to death and Cooper even includes a list of the worst Russian porn sites. How thoughtful!

If you can deal with the shock value, there is humor. Here is an sample from Santa Claus vs. Johnny Crawford:

"Johnny's psychiatrist gives him troubling news: Generous, gift-giving Santa Claus is in fact his sexually abusive father. Wracked with disbelief, Johnny runs outside and has a nervous breakdown."

I laughed my ass off at that.

There is quite a bit of foul language and crude humor. Definitely not a book for everyone but some may find it interesting. Next time you swing by a bookstore I dare you to give it a looksie. ( )

The flaw in Cooper's new collection of short stories lies in that there isn't anything here that this controversial author has not put out before. Even the stories herein are all very similar, but I could care less! I don't know what makes this so effective, but Cooper pulls it off. Where contents are repetitive, the form in which they are presented is refreshingly unique and experimental. As always, the author borders on the extreme, almost illegal, and does so with a familiarity that is frightening and fascinating at the same time.

My favorite selections include: Oliver Twink, Ugly Man, The Ash Gray Proclamation, The Hostage Drama, and The Anal-Retentive Line Editor (most hilarious!).

Disappointments: Santa Claus vs. Johnny Crawford, and The Guro Artists (could have been so much more).

Cooper fans won't be disappointed! ( )