Men and Cartoons

By Jonathan Lethem

Book Overview

A boozy ex-military captain trapped in a mysterious vessel searches for his runaway son, an aging superhero settles into academia, and a professional dystopianist receives a visit from a suicidal sheep. Men and Cartoons contains eleven fantastical, amusing, and moving stories written in a dizzying array of styles that shows the remarkable range and power of Lethem's vision. Sometimes firmly grounded in reality, and other times spinning off into utterly original imaginary worlds, this book brings together marvelous characters with incisive social commentary and thought provoking allegories.

 A visionary and creative collection that only Jonathan Lethem could have produced, the Vintage edition features two stories not published in the hardcover edition, The Shape We're In and Interview with the Crab.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400076803
• ISBN13: 9781400076802
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

An Intriguing Blend Of Fictional Styles, But.....

"Men and Cartoons" is an all too brief, return visit to the fictional worlds created by Jonathan Lethem in his memorable novels "Motherless Brooklyn" and "Fortress of Solitude", with more than a passing nod to such classic early work from him like his literary debut "Gun, With Occasional Music". Hence it is an interesting, often fascinating, blend of literary styles from quasi-cyberpunk science fiction to hard-boiled noirish detective stories reminiscent of the best from the likes of Raymond Chandler and Elmore Leonard. However, it is not Lethem's most impressive story collection when I can find only one truly memorable tale in this terse anthology; the emotionally captivating "Super Goat Man". And yet there is another tale which almost succeeds as a work of literary art, "The Glasses", which is a fascinating glimpse into racial relations and standards of normal, mentally stable, behavior. If there is one common underlying thread which links all of these stories, then it is Lethem's ongoing fascination with Brooklyn, growing up there as adolescents in the 1970s, and a devout, almost fanatical, love for comic books. Those who are truly interested in reading some brief examples of Lethem's intriguing, often elegant, literary style won't be disappointed with this story collection.

For years, I've been yearning to read a book like this.

In the meantime, I read lots of books, year in and out, plenty of them good, some of them even great. But none were like this one, which gave me a whole new way of looking at the world and life's possibilities. Instead of a nod of recognition and a reflection of the world as it is, each story gave me a sense of "What if?" and a view of unseen parts of the human psyche. Some of these stories (The Spray, Access Fantasy) are pure fantasy but within that fantasy is more than a grain of truth about how we see ourselves, yearning for meaning, communion or just to reach beyond common sense and "reality" and into the realm of true weirdness. Lehman has a way of taking the reader there while keeping his stories somehow believable, within the bounds of their unique worlds. It is a pleasure to read a writer willing to take risks like this and to do so without pretension or pose. Loved this book!

Fantastic stories...

I am a huge Jonathan Lethem fan, and happen to believe Fortress of Solitiude was the best novel of 2003 and deserved the type of attention that Franzen's "The Corrections" received in 2001. It's all about the prose people! LEthem has a fantastic way with prose and style and it is very memorable and fun to read. His dialogue is unique and realistic and the characters are unforgettable. I had only read Lethem's previous 4 novels and so this is my first encounter with Lethem's short stories, and I loved them all. Definitely highly recommended to anyone looking for great writing. After you read this, go to your local library and get Fortress of Solitude...it will change your life.