Lao has been acclaimed as a masterpiece of speculative fiction and influenced such writers as ray bradbury. Lao 173 the black retriever 185 the captivity 195 the door 207 the gilashrikes 215 the horsenapping of hotspur 229 the iowan curse 249 the life and death of a western. It is the urtext for all carnival, sideshow, and freakshow fantasies written in its wake. Published by bison books university of nebraska press. The circus of dr lao is very much a takeitorleaveit novel. His first novel and most famous work, the circus of dr. The novel pokes fun of people too insistent on known reality to fall victim to fakes and too stupid to realize nothing in front of them is fake. Apr 01, 2002 abalone, arizona, is a sleepy southwestern town whose chief concerns are boredom and surviving the great depression.
Theres just not much fantasy like it being written today. The circus of dr lao by charles g finney fantastic fiction. Finney was an established novelist and newspaper columnist and although much of his work might have faded into obscurity, the circus of dr lao continues to have a cult following, due in no small part to the muchloved but only loosely adapted 1964 film version the 7 faces of dr lao. Not that that mattersgiven the books short length, the lack of plot isnt much of a hindrance. Charles grandison finney was an american news editor and fantasy novelist, the greatgrandson of evangelist charles grandison finney. Winner of the award for most original novel in 1936 from the american booksellers association and subsequently made into the film the seven faces of doctor lao 1963, the circus of dr. Abalone, arizona, is a sleepy southwestern town whose chief concerns are boredom and surviving the great depressionthat is, until the circus of dr. It details the visit of a magical circus to a small town in the southwest united states, and the effects. Lao, in 1964, with tony randall starring as the eponymous doctor. When the townsfolk watch dr lao lead a parade of three carriages through the. For sardonic gaiety under fire, for the relief of a good guffaw, here is a circus of. Lao and instead of relief, the townsfolk are confronted with an array creature seemingly straight out of mythology. The old chinaman who speaks perfect english, when he wants to, who has the showmans jargon with a twist all his own, and an underlying and profound knowledge of human psychology, is a unique character. They meet laos performers, are puzzled or annoyed by them, and move on.
Circus of dr lao charles g finney 1964 paperback dream. Abalone, arizona, is a sleepy southwestern town whose chief. The circus of doctor lao is full of wit and sly humour. Finney about a man from china bringing a circus to a small arizona town in the 1920s. Published in 1935, it tells the story of a rather unusual circus coming to the town of abalone, arizona. Finney 1905 1984 charles grandison finney was an american news editor and fantasy novelist. One of the greatest fantasy novels ever written, the circus of dr lao is here. The circus of dr lao charles finny 1966 book postcard and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. It is rich with the now quaint lifestyle of rural 1930s. With an introduction by michael martone and a forward by john marco. The circus of dr lao by charles g finney book cover, description, publication history. Lao, was selected as the most original book of 1935 at the firstever national book awards. Finney 190584 was a newspaperman and writer based in arizona. Lc copy has colophon ending this copy is for the library of congress.
The menagerie have their own stories to tell, some of them in their own voices. The structure is very episodic, with little forward momentum. This book is copy 40 of 250 copies printed and is signed by. The edition is limited to one hundred and fifty copiescolophon. It gives nothing away, but offers much sustenance to those willing to take the risk of stepping into the tents housing its bizarre attractions. For those who know the circus of dr lao only through its screen adaptation in 1964 as the seven faces of dr lao scripted, it is worth pointing out, by charles beaumont, to whom ray bradbury was a mentor the novel will come as a revelation. The entire book like all of finneys writing is suffused with chinese references he served in the us army there in the 1920s. Stefan dziemianowicz david ho matthew jaffe full color images are printed on mohawk superfine. When an enigmatic little chinaman called dr lao visits the sleepy dustbowl town of abalone, arizona, and announces he is opening a circus, it immediately stirs up interest in the depressed population. Dazzling and macabre, literary and philosophical, the circus of dr. A mysterious circus comes to a western town bearing wonders and characters that entertain the inhabitants and teach valuable lessons.
As the townspeople explore the exhibits, they discover many surprising. Originally published on spaceprobe 1 03062016 back in the day, there was an urban myth that charles g. It details the visit of a magical circus to a small town in the southwest united states, and the effects that visit has on the people of the town. Lao and other improbable stories by ray bradbury, charles grandison finney, nigel kneale, e. Lao can be very hard to find, and these inexpensive good quality paperbacks from u. Expecting a sideshow spectacle, the citizens of abalone instead confront and learn profound lessons from the mythical made reala chimera, a medusa, a talking sphinx, a sea serpent, witches, the hound of the hedges, a. Lao feels more like a long short story than a short novel. For sardonic gaiety under fire, for the relief of a good guffaw, here is a circus of legendary creatures with illustrations by boris artzybasheff which is at once a play, a dream if not a nightmare, a fantasy of science fiction that is horrifying, disgusting, intriguing, scintillating.
The circus is run by a weird little chinaman and is comprised primarily of mythical beings unicorns, chimeras, mermaids, etc. Lao description finney 19051984, a proofreader for the arizona daily star, produced one of the seminal works of fantasy fiction with this depressionera story of a chinese traveling circus that magically appears in the sleepy town of abalone, arizona. Search for library items search for lists search for. A mysterious man brings a circus to a small western town. Coates, 195610, bantam books edition, mass market paperback in english. Finneys the circus of dr lao was actually written by ray bradbury under a pseudonym. Lao is an irreverent, licentious, insolent and most amusing book. Its a curious work, often quite funny, and it contains a. Although the first edition was illustrated by boris artzybasheff, many later editions omit the illustrations. Charles grandison finney was an american news editor and fantasy novelist.
The book is undoubtedly strange, but it would be a mistake to categorize it anything other than wonderful. Lao 1935 is a novel written by the american newspaperman and writer charles g. Even at the age of thirty, working on this, his first book, he was a very polished writer. Circus of dr lao george macy devotees librarything. Charles g finney abalone, arizona, is a sleepy southwestern town whose chief concerns are boredom and surviving the great depression. White, roald dahl, shirley jackson, nathaniel hawthorne, loren eiseley, oliver lafarge, henry kuttner, james h. Im frankly guessing but if i were buying, id go slow, try it on the staff, pick a few customers who combine curiosity about new metiers, a sense of humor, not too rigid a code of morality, and send them the book on trial. The circus of doctor lao is a novella written by newspaperman charles g. The film, 7 faces of dr lao fired up an already overactive imagination in my childhood so when i came across the obscure classic as john marco who pens the foreword for this book describes this. Lao is a 1964 american metrocolor fantasy comedy film directed by george pal his final directorial effort and starring tony randall. It is an adaptation of the 1935 fantasy novel the circus of dr. Publishes books and journals especially in american history, the american west, and native american studies.
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