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Ed McClanahan, a native of northeastern Kentucky, is the author of several books, including The Natural Man and Famous People I Have Known. He is the recipient of a Wallace Stegner Fellowship, two Yaddo fellowships, and an Al Smith Fellowship. He has taught at Oregon State University, Stanford, the University of Kentucky, the University of Montana, and Northern Kentucky University. He lives in Kentucky with his wife.
Praise for Not Even Immortality Lasts Forever
“Moving . . . McClanahan . . . lures the reader—with his trademark
jocularity and bountiful prose—through the wistful banalities of a
midcentury, middle–American boyhood. His anecdotes wind together,
flowing almost associatively . . . The book, taken as a whole,
performs a genuinely beautiful act of post hoc portraiture,
eventually building into a protracted study of McClanahan's
relationship with the erosive nature of time and the happy–sad
miracles of memory. How much is fiction? How much is memoir? Who
cares: It's joyous.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Entertaining . . . McClanahan’s rich material, ready wit, and
unique turns of phrase hold interest. This will satisfy his fans.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Former Merry Prankster McClanahan has earned a respectable
following for his mischievous wordplay and oblique storytelling . .
. Fascinating . . . His conversational style and frank humor imbue
these pieces with wisdom and charm.” —Booklist
“This book is all over the map—in the best possible ways. Long
admirers of McClanahan don't want McClanahan Bound. We want him, as
here, available in all his florid, wide–ranging, unpredictable,
savvy, and sassy (and, I'm sorry, yes, extremely humane) abundance.
Somewhere in him resides the restless, extravagant spirit of Mark
Twain.” —Richard Ford
“I happened to be waiting in a federal jury room when I started
reading Ed McClanahan’s latest accounts ranging from his childhood
escapades, his many friendships, and most certainly the appealing
characters of his hometown. This would not be recommended reading
in that setting, as I couldn’t help but chuckle on almost every
page . . . McClanahan notes that these stories are 'mostly true,'
and we all know that the truth is stranger than fiction. But, a
clever storyteller can embellish a memoir with a few fictional
details that vary from audience to audience and achieve delightful
entertainment. Of all of the 642 residents of Brooksville,
Kentucky, McClanahan is likely the most famous, but his tales about
the basketball coach, the drug store clerk, as well as friends and
family, elevate the ordinary events of their lives into
extraordinary, memorable stories . . . Has McClanahan led a more
colorful life than the rest of us? Or does he paint the ordinary
life with technicolor details? Either way, you will laugh.” —Lizz
Taylor, Poor Richard’s Books, FRANK.
“I’m sorry, all you lovers of The Natural Man et al., but Not Even
Immortality Lasts Forever may be Ed McClanahan’s best book yet.
Never again can I say that I don’t laugh out loud—or walk around
reciting to the closest human—while reading a book. McClanahan has
cornered the market in self–deprecation. This memoir belongs on the
same shelf as Nordan’s Boy with Loaded Gun and the works of David
Sedaris. What a great, comical joyride by a large–hearted man.”
—George Singleton, author of Staff Picks
“To tell about his early years in Kentucky, Ed McClanahan has
channeled the voice of Mark Twain and propelled us off to military
camp and Southern Gentlemen's college (you will want to read this
book just to find out what he did with the dress code there) and
even to an extravagant launching party of his parents’ houseboat.
From tall tale to artful hyperbole, the verbal wizardry in this
fabulous book is tops. McClanahan always has a blast with words,
running the language around in circles. He can’t just say 'a humble
abode' when 'a humble ensquatment' will do. So much here is fresh
and invigorating—and often tender and sweet. His portrayal of his
father is especially touching. And there are dogs. I will treasure
this memoir forever. It’s immortal!” —Bobbie Ann Mason, author of
In Country and The Girl in the Blue Beret
“This is McClanahan at his best . . . McClanahan, a member of the
Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, has a way with words that never
fails to tickle readers’ funny bones.” —Carnegie Center staff and
friends, Smiley Pete Publishing
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