{"product_id":"soul-of-a-whore-and-purvis-two-plays-in-verse-9780374277963","title":"Soul of a Whore and Purvis: Two Plays in Verse","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTwo plays--hilarious and searing in equal measure--by one of our most essential and original authors \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn his poetry, short stories, novels, and plays, the National Book Award-winning author Denis Johnson has explored the story of America--especially of the West, land of self-made men and self-perpetuating myths--with searing honesty and genuine sympathy. These two plays, written in verse at once hypnotic and clear, confirm his position as one of our great verbal stylists and a literary conscience for our times.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eSoul of a Whore\u003c\/i\u003e, a lively cast of characters--faith healers, pimps, strippers, actual demons--converge, with unexpected hilarity, as Bess Cassandra awaits execution for the murder of her infant daughter. \u003ci\u003ePurvis\u003c\/i\u003e's seven reverse-chronological scenes catalog the fall and rise of Melvin Purvis, the G-man who brought down John Dillinger and Charles Arthur \"Pretty Boy\" Floyd. Johnson takes us from Washington's back rooms to a Midwestern cornfield, dramatizing the seductive allure of power and our own human capacity for both pettiness and grace. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn these furiously entertaining, occasionally terrifying works, Johnson chronicles and questions America's myths, heroes, and everyday realities with verve and elegance, revealing himself once again to be at the height of his linguistic and insightful powers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Farrar, Straus and Giroux\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/05\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780374277963\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 227\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.46lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.26h x 5.56w x 0.66d","brand":"Denis Johnson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36636615770268,"sku":"9780374277963","price":17.85,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_0456aaf0-fef7-4f1d-abb8-8eaf8474f162.jpg?v=1603842445","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/soul-of-a-whore-and-purvis-two-plays-in-verse-9780374277963","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}