Edisto

By Padgett Powell

Book Overview

Padgett Powellhas received the Prix de Rome of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Whiting Writer's Award, and a nomination for the National Book Award. He teaches in Gainesville, Florida, where he was born in 1952. His work has appeared inThe New Yorker,Esquire,Harper's,and many other periodicals. Simons Everson Manigault ("You say it 'Simmons.' I'm a rare one-mSimons") lives with his mother, an eccentric professor (known as the Duchess), on an isolated and undeveloped strip of South Carolina coast. Convinced that her son can be a writer of genius, the Duchess has immersed Simons in the literary classics since birth ("Like some kids swat mobiles, I was to thumb pages") and has given him free rein to gather materials in such spots as the Baby Grand, a local black nightclub. ("It was an assignment. I'm supposed to write. I'm supposed to get good at it.") Although possessed of a vocabulary and sophistication beyond his years, Simons feels the normal adolescent bewilderment about the behavior of his parents. His conventional father, the Progenitor, has recently left the family in a dispute over Simon's upbringing and has moved to nearby Hilton Head, where he would like to see his son raised among the orthodox surroundings of condominiums, country clubs, and private schools. At the book's center is Taurus, an enigmatic father-surrogate who tutors the boy in the art of watching the world without presumption. Edistois, as Walker Percy observed, "a truly remarkable first novel, both as a narrative and in its extraordinary use of language. It reminds one ofThe Catcher in the Rye, but it's better-sharper, funnier, and more poignant." "When asked for a list of the best American writers of the younger generation, I invariably put the name of Padgett Powell at the top."-Saul Bellow "[This] is distinctly a tour de force . . . I found myself increasingly charmed by the book's wit and impressed by its originality. Some turn of phrase, some flash of humor, some freshly observed detail, some accurately rendered perception of a child's pain or a child's amazement transfigures nearly every page. Powell's ear is acute: one of the pleasures of the book is his ability to catch the nuances of Southern speech, whether it is the malicious conversation of the Doctor's academic colleagues at a cocktail party or the genial banter of country folks at the fishing pier."-The New York Review of Books "A remarkable book . . . there is not a line that simply slides by; each, in one way or another, turns things to a fresh and unexpected angle. There are splendid things said."-Richard Eder,Los Angeles Times Book Review "Simons Manigault is brother to all literary adolescents-Mailer's D.J., Salinger's Holden Caufield, Joyce's Stephen Dedalus . . .Edistois a sparkling read, so full of an energetic intelligence, inventiveness, love of language, and love of people . . . Padgett Powell is an extravagantly talented writer."-Ron Loewinsohn,The New York Times Book Review "Edistois a startling book, full of new sights, sounds, and ways if feeling. Mr. Powell weaves wonderful tapestries from ordinary speech; his people, black and white, whether speaking to each other or past each other, tells us things that we never heard before. The book is subtle, daring, and brilliant."-Donald Barthelme "Sly, pungent, lyric, funny, and unlikely to be forgotten."-R. Z. Sheppard,Time "Powell creates a language that captures rhythms and reflections that are at once original and true."-Peter S. Prescott,Newsweek

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805013709
• ISBN13: 9780805013702
• Release Date: April 1985
• Publisher: Holt McDougal
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Rich language conveys a rich story

Although I first bought the current Interrogatory Mood, I wanted to start with his first novel, a classic. The language Mr. Powell uses is magical in that he can evoke the picture of Edisto as accurately as I remember from my visits. I also wanted to take a short diversion from the non-fiction I have been reading. The language he uses is rich and satisfying. And the evocative images he creates thoroughly enrich the story.

Nice work

This is a funny and sophisticated coming-of-age story. The author has an impressive command of both dialogue and unusual and telling descriptions. Simons is a remarkable, unusual, and alive boy-man. The story sparkles with youthful enthusiasm in spite of its sophistication, and despite its irony never lapses into easy cynicism. Highly recommended.

A New Classic Coming-of-Age Story

Padgett Powell has created an unforgettable character in Simons ("...it's pronounced Sim-mons. I'm a rare one-m Simons") Manigault, a 13-year-old smartass whose tenuously divorced parents want different things from him: Dad, in self-exile on Hilton Head, wants him to play baseball; Mom, a college professor the locals call The Dutchess, lets him sweat out a public school career in Edisto during the day and sneak into black roadhouses at night, all to gain "material" to become a writer. Then a mulatto process server arrives looking for the household maid's daughter, and all hell breaks loose. The maid skips and The Dutchess assigns Simons to the process server's temporary male-role-model custody. Read the rest. A great, entertaining, funny romp through the New South. Buy it or be a loser.

A beautifully told coming-of-age story

Padgett Powell has succeeded where so many other authors have failed... he writes from the point of view of a young boy, Simons Manigault, with ease and skill. Many times, when a story is told from the point of view of a child, it comes off as hokey, even fake. And even if it is good, it can rarely be maintained for an entire full-length novel. Powell can do it. Simons is a classic character, young and naive, yet inquisitive to the world of crazyness around him. I heard somewhere that this might become a movie... please do not! Why ruin a great thing? Funny, poignant, and thoughtful... this book must not be passed over!

A remarkable book. This one goes on my re-read shelf.

"Edisto is a truly remarkable first novel, both as a narrative and in its extrodinary use of lanquage. It reminds one of 'The Catcher In the Rye', but it's better- sharper, funnier, more poignant. - Walker Percy - On the basis of this review alone I decided to give this book a try since I am a great Fan of Percy. I agree with him that it reminds one of "The Catcher in The Rye", but where Holden Caufield is a lost sole in need of salvation, Simons Manigault is a young pillar of sanity in the midst of absurdity. I am a little surprised that Percy finds this book superior to "The Catcher in the Rye" since Simons Manigault shows no signs of seeking salvation or being as confused as Percy's own William Barrett. If you think "The Catcher in the Rye" deserves its reputation as an American Classic, and if you are a Walker Percy fan, then we have similar taste. You will love this book.