Books by Denis Johnson

A classic of Twentieth-Century American Literature from one of America's greatest living writers.

An epic in miniature: a gripping tale of a man's disintegration and his country's transformation, from the National Book Award-winning author of Tree of Smoke.

Hailed by the New York Times as "wildly ambitious" and "the sort of book that a young Herman Melville might have written had he lived today and studied such disparate works as the Bible, 'The Wasteland,' Fahrenheit 451, and Dog Soldiers, screened Star Wars and Apocalypse Now several times, dropped a lot of acid and listened to hours of Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones," Fiskadoro is a stunning novel of an all-too-possible tomorrow. Deeply moving and provacative, Fiskadoro brilliantly presents the sweeping and heartbreaking tale of the survivors of a devastating nuclear war and their attempts to breaking tale of the survivors of a devastating nuclear war and their attempts to salvage remnants of the old world and rebuild their culture.

The Largesse of the Sea Maiden is the long-awaited new story collection from Denis Johnson, author of the groundbreaking, highly acclaimed Jesus' Son.

Raymond Carver said of The Incognito Lounge, Denis Johnsons third and most widely acclaimed book of verse: The subject matter is harrowingly convincing, is nothing less than a close examination of the darker side of human conduct. Why do we act this way? Johnson asks. How should we act? His best poems are examples of what the finest poetry can do: bring us closer to ourselves and at the same time put us in touch with something larger.

He must find Michael Adriko - maverick, warrior, and the man who has saved Nair's life three times and risked it many more. But on this new level - espionage, state secrets, treason - their loyalties will be tested to the limit.

And they wait - for the Cubans to come, for the Quarantine to be lifted, for the god Quetzalcoatl, the god Bob Marley, the god Jesus to return and build their kingdoms. From the author of

Jimmy Luntz owes money to a man called Juarez. Trouble is, Juarez isn't the most patient of men. And when he gets bored of waiting, he sends someone round to collect. Luntz doesn't actually plan to shoot the guy, but the way he sees it, it's shoot or be shot. Either way, though, Luntz is out of his league, and he knows it: nobody messes with Juarez -- or, at least, nobody messes with Juarez and lives to tell the tale. Against all the odds, however, it seems that somebody up there is looking out for Luntz, if only he can keep his cool. A story of mistaken identity, blackmail and murder, of bent judges, wronged alcoholics and colostomy bags, Nobody Move is No Country for Old Men as written by Denis Johnson. Praise for Denis Johnson's previous novel, Tree of Smoke, which won the US National Book Award 2007: 'A Catch-22 for our times' Alan Warner, Observer 'A heart-stopping reminder of what fiction can do' Sunday Telegraph

Tree of Smoke - the name given to a 'psy op' that might or might not be hypothetical and might or might not be officially sanctioned - is Denis Johnson's most gripping, visionary and ambitious work to date. Set in south-east Asia and the US, and spanning two decades, it ostensibly tells the story of Skip Sands, a CIA spy who may or may not be engaged in psychological operations against the Viet Cong -- but also takes the reader on a surreal yet vivid journey, dipping in and out of characters' lives to reveal fundamental truths at the heart of the human condition. 'A Catch-22 for our times' Alan Warner, Books of the Year, Observer 'The God I want to believe in has a voice and a sense of humour like Denis Johnson's' Jonathan Franzen 'An epic of drenched sensuality and absurdly chewable dialogue, as though Don DeLillo and Joseph Heller had collaborated on a Vietnam war novel' Steven Poole, Books of the Year, New Statesman

Part political inquiry, part travel journal, part-self exploration, "Seek" is a collection of essays by an award-winning novelist out to explore himself and his life in the company of those who live on the edges of society. His travels take him from hippy conventions to war-torn Liberia

Michael Reed is a man going through the motions, numbed by the death of his wife and child. But when events force him to act as if he cares, he begins to find people who - against all expectation - help him through his private labyrinth.

Provincetown, Cape Cod: the last outpost of civilisation, the end of the earth. In the confused aftermath of a failed suicide attempt, Leonard English - pursuing a vague vision of redemption and an even vaguer offer of employment - finds himself in a Cape resort populated by religious zealots and promiscuous transvestites.

Jamie has ditched her husband and is running away with her two baby girls. Bill is dreaming of making it big in a life of crime. They meet on a Greyhound bus and decide to team up.

A collection of linked stories narrated by a recovering alcoholic and heroin addict, "Jesus' Son" is a disturbing portrayal of loneliness and hope. He travels through an American underworld of burnt-out sports stars, hospital waiting rooms, doomed relationships and senseless violence.

"Træet af røg" er et gigantisk Vietnamkrigs-epos, der skildrer en gruppe menneskers indre dæmoner, drømme og visioner under en håbløs krig. Hovedfiguren er den forholdsvis uerfarne CIA-agent William "Skip" Sands, som er udsendt for at udføre psykologiske operationer mod Vietcong. Han er ansat under "Obersten", Francis X. Sands, som tillige er hans onkel. Skip har kun et vagt begreb om, hvad hans præcise funktion er, og har svært ved at gennemskue de egentlige motiver for CIA‘s engagement i krigen. Han holdes skjult i et stort hus midt i junglen, hvorfra han afventer ordrer fra højere sted, alt imens han lever under et alias og forelsker sig i sygeplejersken Kathy, hvis mand er blevet kidnappet og formodentlig dræbt. Som dagene og årene går, bliver den afsondrede tilværelse midt i junglen mere og mere surrealistisk for alle parter. Krigen går ind under huden på dem, og skillelinjen mellem information, fordrejning af fakta og virkelighed er sløret til ukendelighed."Træet af røg" skriver sig ind i traditionen for Den Store Amerikanske Roman, og Denis Johnson er af sine forfatterkolleger blevet sammenlignet med store amerikanske stemmer som Mark Twain, Walt Whitman og Joseph Conrad. Da romanen udkom i USA i 2007, blev den af anmelderne udråbt til "årets bog" i alle toneangivende aviser The New York Times, Time, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle ... "En født klassiker" – New York Times"Nærmest umulig at lægge fra sig ..."– The New York Times Book Review"Den Gud, jeg ønsker at tro på, har en stemme og en humoristisk sans som Denis Johnsons."– Jonathan Franzen, forfatteren til "Korrektioner""En fantastisk kraftfuld og stilistisk gennemført roman." – Philip Roth, forfatteren til "En menneskelig plet"Denis Johnson (1949-2017) var en amerikansk forfatter, der har skrevet bøger i flere forskellige genrer. Hans samling af historier "Jesus‘s Son" bliver betragtet som en moderne klassiker. Med modtagelsen af National Book Award for "Træet af røg" er han slået igennem til et større publikum.