The Beast God Forgot to Invent: Novellas by…

The Beast God Forgot to Invent: Novellas (edition 2001)

by Jim Harrison

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Fiction. Literature. Short Stories. HTML:*An unforgettable collection of novellas from the author of Legends of the Fall* explores the line between civilization and the "wild men."** Jim Harrison is an American master. The Beast God Forgot to Invent offers stories of culture and wildness, of men and beasts and where they overlap. A wealthy man retired to the Michigan woods narrates the tale of a younger man decivilized by brain damage. A Michigan Indian wanders Los Angeles, hobnobbing with starlets and screenwriters while he tracks an ersatz Native-American activist who stole his bearskin. An aging alpha canine, the author of three dozen throwaway biographies, eats dinner with the ex-wife of his overheated youth, and must confront the man he used to be. "Harrison's intricate symbolism and scathing observations of urban foibles, his sly humor and vibrant language remind readers that he is one of our most talented chroniclers of the masculine psyche, intellectual or not." �Publishers Weekly.… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	yellowdogcafe
Title:	The Beast God Forgot to Invent: Novellas
Authors:	Jim Harrison
Info:	Grove Press (2001), Paperback, 288 pages
Collections:	Your library
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The Beast God Forgot to Invent: Novellas by Jim Harrison

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Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)

I know I've read this but don't seem to remember anything about it, so I'll have to read it again.

feralcatbob | Dec 22, 2020 |

This is a collection of three superb stories.....Harrison has such an incredible command of language. He says so much in a simple sentence....paragraphs are wonders of thought. I love the writers style...and I plan to read his works. I am recommending this book to all my avid reader friends. Jim Harrison is in the league of John Irving.....great American literature. (

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rexmedford | Feb 24, 2012 |

Good first sentence: "The danger of civilization, of course, is that you will piss away your life on nonsense." The first three words are italicized for unclear reasons; I mean, I could understand emphasizing "The" or "danger" or even "The danger" but why "of?" Maybe it is just a typo.

kenmueller40 | Sep 29, 2008 |

An uneven trio of novellas from an author proclaimed as an American master in the jacket blurbs. I can't agree, after this book, although I did quite like the middle story, about a an itinerant Indian from Michigan who travels to the mythical land of Los Angeles in search of his stolen bearskin. An intriguing and often clever sendup of Hollywood as seen through the eyes of a true outsider. The other two are less engaging, and often annoying. In both cases, the main character is an older man of letters, self-involved, whiny and noncaring about the needs and feelings of others. Sort of reminds me of John Updyke's Becht character, another one I have no liking for, and no desire to read further about. Not badly written, just no characters who redeem the effort of reading about them. (

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burnit99 | Jan 29, 2007 |

Three novella's, The Beast God Forgot to Invent, Westward Ho, and I Forgot to Go to Spain are interesting, entertaining and well written. They show, once again, Harrison's penchant for creating characters that are out of the main stream and often have no regard for money, whether overly rich or overly poor. (

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JBreedlove | Nov 29, 2006 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Harrison, Jim	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Chatham, Russell	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Matthieussent, Brice	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

Christian Bourgois, Fictives

Flammarion, 10/18 (1682)

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Independent Publisher Book Awards (Gold – General Fiction – 2001)

Distinctions

Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Fiction – 2000)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

En route vers l'Ouest

Original title

The Beast God Forgot to Invent

Alternative titles

Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

En route vers l'Ouest - La bête que Dieu oublia d'inventer - J'ai oublié d'aller en Espagne

Wesward Ho - The beast God forgot to invent - I forgot to go to Spain

Original publication date

2000 (1e édition originale américaine)

2000-04-22 (1e traduction et édition française, Fictives, Christian Bourgeois)

2001 (Réédition française, 10/18)

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Disambiguation notice

Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Notes :
Contient les 3 nouvelles :
- En route vers l'Ouest
- La bête que Dieu oublia d'inventer
- J'ai oublié d'aller en Espagne

Publisher's editors

Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Brice Matthieussent (Directeur de collection "Fictives")

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Original language

Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Anglais (Etats-Unis)

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▾Book descriptions

Fiction. Literature. Short Stories. HTML:An unforgettable collection of novellas from the author of Legends of the Fall explores the line between civilization and the "wild men."

Jim Harrison is an American master. The Beast God Forgot to Invent offers stories of culture and wildness, of men and beasts and where they overlap. A wealthy man retired to the Michigan woods narrates the tale of a younger man decivilized by brain damage. A Michigan Indian wanders Los Angeles, hobnobbing with starlets and screenwriters while he tracks an ersatz Native-American activist who stole his bearskin. An aging alpha canine, the author of three dozen throwaway biographies, eats dinner with the ex-wife of his overheated youth, and must confront the man he used to be.

"Harrison's intricate symbolism and scathing observations of urban foibles, his sly humor and vibrant language remind readers that he is one of our most talented chroniclers of the masculine psyche, intellectual or not." �Publishers Weekly.

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