The Agony and the Eggplant: Daniel Pinkwater's Heroic Struggles in the Name of YA Literature

By Walter Hogan

The Agony and the Eggplant is the first book-length study of author, illustrator, and radio personality, Daniel Pinkwater. Pinkwater began writing and illustrating children's books in 1970 and has been a prolific author for three decades. He has written over 70 books altogether: more than fifty picture books, a dozen books for middle-grade or intermediate readers, half a dozen books for adolescents, an adult novel, and several books of nonfiction.

Pinkwater is a humorist, and many of his stories involve science fiction or fantasy themes. He is often compared with Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut; his style is often likened to Monty Python and Mad magazine. Pinkwater's fiction has often been described as "wacky" and "zany;" The Agony and the Eggplant will go beyond those cliches to place Pinkwater as a classical satirist, an American humorist, and a master of children's literature. Sprinkled with quotes and observations from Pinkwater, Hogan gives us a highly entertaining look at the man responsible for some of the most unique young adult fiction on the market.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810839946
• ISBN13: 9780810839946
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Daniel Pinkwater's writings

Thorough summary of Pinkwater's writings, along with biographical information.The field of humor philosophy is also covered.