Geek love by katherine dunn july 25 september 1, 2016. Its the tale of a circus sideshow called the binewski carnival fabulon that hits hard. The unsettling awesomeness of katherine dunns geek love. The epic saga of the binewskis, a family of circus freaks, and the tragic fate of their traveling sideshow, geek love was a finalist for the. At that point, she still lived in arkansas, and id just come through on tour with a. Signed katherine dunn, geek love, first edition first. Pdf geek love book by katherine dunn free download 348. Dunn also wrote nonfiction, particularly about boxing, but geek love, a cult classic, remains her most widely read book. Dunn published parts of the novel in mississippi mud book of days. She is also the author of the novels attic 1970 and truck 1971.
But for this and all the rest, there is no one to blame but myself. After a stint training on the trapeze cut short following a fall that broke her nose and collarbones, lil married aloysius binewski, owner of the carnival. Her fatheraloysius, or aland motherlillian lil, lily, or crystal lildeliberately bred their children to be carnival freaks through the. In katherine dunns, geek love, the extreme reproductive method is practiced between the al and lily couple, who are parents of the binewski family, trying to make deformed babies in order to have them perform at a circus. Dunn, 70, died from complications from lung cancer. The dust jacket is protected in a removable clear cover. The signature is a wonderful example, executed in felt tip marker on the title page. Read katherine dunns provocative, inventive, funny, gristly and hugely compelling. Recommendations everything music movies tv shows books authors games podcasts. Crystal lil, the mother, used to be a geek, biting the heads from chickens.
The book, which told the story of a house full of circus sideshow performers, was a finalist for the national book award and became a bestseller. Geek love a group reading of geek love by katherine dunn. Before geek love, katherine dunn gave us attic the. Geek love is the story of the binewskis, a carny family whose mater and paterfamilias set out. The book is katherine dunns geek love, a dazzling oddball. People who like geek love book by katherine dunn h. But what, then, is novelist katherine dunns reason for creating this improbable family. On katherine dunns geek love from the perspective of the.
The author, who died wednesday, also wrote a spectacular essay on feminism and the rise of. The introduction, discussion questions, suggested reading list, and author biography that follow are designed to enhance your groups reading of katherine dunn s geek love. Katherine dunn began writing the comic novel geek love in the late 1970s after her young son refused to join her on a stroll through the famous hybrid rose garden in portland, ore. Geek love is narrated by a character named olympia binewski as she recalls the early days of traveling in a circus with her family. Parents al and lil binewski deliberately genetically engineer their children to have rare disabilities and mutations, creating a. National book award finalist here is the unforgettable story of the binewskis, a circus geek family whose matriarch and patriarch have bred their own exhibit of human oddities with the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopes. Katherine dunn, famous for her 1989 novel geek love, died thursday at home in portland, ore. Katherine dunn, quote from geek love how deep and sticky is the darkness of childhood, how rigid the blades of infant evil, which is unadulterated, unrestrained by the convenient cushions of age and its civilizing anesthesia. Katherine dunn was a novelist and boxing journalist who lived and worked in oregon. Buy geek love abacus books new ed by dunn, katherine isbn.
It still stings to have jettisoned the grand attila venture, smashed it against that negligent g. I first read katherine dunn s 1989 novel geek love several years ago on the recommendation of my friend robin. Geek love quotes on ableism, normalcy, and parenting. Geek love by katherine dunn 1989, hardcover for sale. Its abou tthe binewskis, a carny family whose mater and paterfamilias set outwith the help of amphetamine. Similar books like geek love recommends music, movies.
Katherine dunn is an awardwinning boxing journalist whose work has appeared in many publications, including esquire, ko magazine, the new york times sunday magazine, playboy, the ring, sports illustrated, and vogue. Geek love summary geek love is a novel by katherine dunn about olympia binewski, whose parents operate a traveling freak show featuring olympia and her siblings. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 348 pages and is available in paperback format. A close reading of the novel reveals opportunities to. The book is katherine dunn s geek love, a dazzling oddball masterpiece published 25 years ago this month. Couples strolling out of the dark at the films end are mesmerized, still. Geek love is a cruel joke turned into a sensitive novel, but a sensitive novel played for laughs. On katherine dunn s geek love from the perspective of the gaze. The novel is structured as a memoir written by olympia oly binewski, an albino hunchback dwarf, as she chronicles. The recent movie tank girl was adapted from a british underground. Free download or read online geek love pdf epub book. Katherine dunn was a novelist and journalist known for her boxing reporting and her bestselling novel geek love, a finalist for the bram.
His talk, her teeth the narrator of the story, olympia oly binewski, describes her life growing up in a traveling carnival, the binewski fabulon. Katherine dunn is best known for her beloved novel geek love, which was a finalist for the national book award in 1989. Aside from being a powerful exploration of freakdom, the novel is also the chronicle of a family that is, in. The marvelous grotesquerie of katherine dunns geek love book. March 27, 1989 like a collaboration between john irving and david lynch, this audaciously conceived, sometimes shocking tale of love and hubris in a carnival family exerts the same mesmeric fascination as the freaks it depicts, despite essential structural flaws. Geek love is a rare piece of fiction, one that lives up to its highest praise and proves wrong its detractors.
Geek love is a novel by katherine dunn, published completely by alfred a. Before geek love, katherine dunn gave us attic the atlantic. Here is the unforgettable story of the binewskis, a circusgeek family whose matriarch and patriarch. For the weirdos of the world, katherine dunns cult classic geek love. Their offspring include arturo the aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of. Its abou tthe binewskis, a carny family whose mater and paterfamilias set outwith the help of. Geek love is the story of the binewskis, a carny family whose mater and paterfamilias set outwith the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopesto breed their own exhibit of human oddities. Katherine dunn s polarizing 1989 novel geek love, which was nominated for the national book award, tells the story of an unconventional family. This is a signed first edition, first printing of the late katherine dunn s cult classic, geek love. Like they thought to use and shame me but i win out by nature, because a true freak cannot be made.
Meet olympia binewski, the bald albino hunchbacked dwarf. The first edition of the novel was published in march 11th 1989, and was written by katherine dunn. The epic saga of the binewskis, a family of circus freaks, and the tragic fate of their. Katherine dunn, the original freakmother, makes muses of monstrosity in her 1989 masterpiece, about a bizarrely geek inspired, traveling circus family, born of the stale kernels of boxing reports and advice columnsa celebration of human adaptability transparented into a thrilling.
Katherine dunn explores all of these questions and more with a refreshing candor and a remarkable amount of compassion. Katherine dunn geek love collection at lewis and clark college. Olympia is an albino hunchback dwarf, and was always considered the runt of her family, her handicaps not considered to be as bankable as her more spectacularly mutated siblings. Discussion of themes and motifs in katherine dunn s geek love. For the weirdos of the world, katherine dunn s cult classic geek love was a gateway drug of a novel. The marvelous grotesquerie of katherine dunns geek love. The novel is structured as a memoir written by olympia oly binewski, an albino hunchback dwarf, as she chronicles the bizarre story of her family of carnival freaks. Theres arturo the aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of genghis khan.
She is the author of three novels, including geek love, which was a finalist for the national book award. The main characters of this fiction, horror story are olympia oly binewski, arturo arty binewski. Katherine dunn geek love collection at lewis and clark college opens this week. Geek love forces a movie into your head while you read it, rose says.
499 1264 322 591 400 717 1500 777 955 252 752 271 409 1403 467 153 927 558 1127 412 1383 23 1160 38 427 1309 13 834 201 1116