Mulligan Stew

Gilbert Sorrentino's "Mulligan Stew" plunges readers into the chaotic and often hilarious world of avant-garde novelist Antony Lamont, as he grapples with writing a "new wave murder mystery." His personal life—a tumultuous blend of emotional and sexual frustrations—bleeds directly into his work, transforming the narrative into a dazzling, self-aware "literary stew." This groundbreaking novel is a vibrant pastiche of journal entries, erotic verse, parodies of various literary styles, personal letters, interviews, and extensive lists, mirroring James Joyce's experimental spirit. As Lamont's artistic control wanes, his characters, boldly borrowed from literary giants like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Flann O'Brien, James Joyce, and Dashiell Hammett, rebel and take on lives of their own, effectively sabotaging his carefully planned plot. The result is a relentlessly inventive and uproariously funny exploration of the creative process, the nature of fiction, and the very act of storytelling itself, defying conventional narrative structures with exuberant postmodern flair.