Paperback

The Magic Christian (Paperback)

A satire of the tackier underbelly of the American dream, which became a cult film starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr.

Guy Grand is the last of the big spenders, an eccentric billionaire determined to create disorder and willing to pay anything to prove his theory that there is nothing so degrading that someone won't do it for money. Guy Grand leads a life full of madcap schemes and practical jokes, all showing that everyone has their price and that he is willing to pay it.
A satire of America's obsession with money, TV, guns and sex, The Magic Christian is hilarious and wickedly original. One of the most cruelly revealing books about modern life ever written, this was Terry Southern's masterpiece.
The Magic Christian was turned into one of the great cult movies starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr.

Publication date: 30/09/2010

£10.00

ISBN: 9780285638792

Imprint: Souvenir Press

Subject: Fiction

Reviews for The Magic Christian

'Terry Southern writes a mean, coolly deliberate, and murderous prose.'

Norman Mailer

'An enormously funny and satisfying satire.'

Spectator

'An authentic artist, a true original.'

Guardian

'As hilarious as a book can be... The Magic Christian is one of those books that has long warranted a reissue and now that it s here you should all make haste and snap one up... A rare gem, one to be sought out and one to be held dear.'

Bookmunch

Terry Southern

Terry Southern (May 1, 1924 – October 29, 1995) was an American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and university lecturer, noted for his distinctive satirical style. Part of the Paris postwar literary movement in the 1950s and a companion to Beat writers in Greenwich Village, Southern was also at the center of Swinging London in the 1960s and helped to change the style and substance of American films in the 1970s. He briefly wrote for Saturday Night Live in the 1980s.

Southern's dark and often absurdist style of satire helped to define the sensibilities of several generations of writers, readers, directors and film goers. He is credited by journalist Tom Wolfe as having invented New Journalism with the publication of "Twirling at Ole Miss" in Esquire in February 1963. Southern's reputation was established with the publication of his comic novels Candy and The Magic Christian and through his gift for writing memorable film dialogue as evident in Dr. Strangelove, The Loved One, The Cincinnati Kid, and The Magic Christian. His work on Easy Rider helped create the independent film movement of the 1970s.