Woody Allen – The short funny and intelligent man obsessed with sex. Always struck me as a pretentious prig who could be grudgingly admired for a few of his films – a nod here and there for his audacity, if nothing else, at choice of subject matter and interpretation. Until.. until – I wrapped my hands around his writing. Clean bowled !
Woody Allen’s Complete Prose is an unambiguous work of a genius – proud, daring and completely irreverent. Here is the title of one of many brilliant pieces – “If the Impressionists had been dentists”, where Vincent (of the Gogh fame) is a Dentist writing a series of emotional letters to Theo ( a direct reference to Vincent’s younger art dealing brother). I cannot do it justice without an extract –
” Dear Theo,
Once again I am in need of funds. I know what a burden I must be to you, but who can I turn to ? I need money for materials! I am working almost exclusively with dental floss now, improvising as I go along, and the results are exciting! God ! I have not even a penny left and had to anesthetize the patient by reading him some Drieser. Help. ”
Absolute must for your loo library. Warning: Consume in small doses – the brain OD’s on sarcasm and wit after a couple of pieces.
