Charles Willeford's varied, colourful life informs his tongue-in-cheek attitude towards the violence, treachery and plain craziness evident in his four novels in this second omnibus. The Woman Chaser allows its hero, Richard Hudson, womaniser and used car salesman, to play skilfully on all the vulnerabilities of men and women . . . but not without a comeuppance. Cockfighter is the least likely pulp novel of these: it is a masterpiece, a portrait of silent, passionate masculinity set against the underbelly of the rural ...
Read More
Charles Willeford's varied, colourful life informs his tongue-in-cheek attitude towards the violence, treachery and plain craziness evident in his four novels in this second omnibus. The Woman Chaser allows its hero, Richard Hudson, womaniser and used car salesman, to play skilfully on all the vulnerabilities of men and women . . . but not without a comeuppance. Cockfighter is the least likely pulp novel of these: it is a masterpiece, a portrait of silent, passionate masculinity set against the underbelly of the rural South of the early 1960s. The Burnt Orange Heresy is a long satire on art, art criticism and collecting, and reflects Willeford's favourite pastime. The Machine in Ward Eleven collects six stories that display the madness that lies at the heart of politics, as Willeford lays bare the American Dream.
Read Less
