Mere Anarchy


Mere Anarchy is an anthology of short essays written by Woody Allen. The book was initially published on 5 July 2007 by Ebury Press. The book is a collection of 18 tales, 10 of which were previously released in The New Yorker. This is Allen's first collection in 25 years.

Reception

In The New York Times, Janet Maslin noted that Allen's "writing style remains impervious to the changing world around him," conceding that the older essays "outshine" the newer ones, but emphasizing that the newer ones "hold their own", and assessing the collection as "nostalgically enjoyable" and "timelessly bright". In the Guardian, however, Adam Mars-Jones called its content "perfunctory" and "lazy riffs and lame parodies do more to annoy than entertain", while faulting Allen's use of a "facetious linguistic register" and "comedy names". A reviewer of Publishers Weekly commented "While this collection doesn't quite measure up to Allen's Without Feathers, there are pieces here - for instance, the report on Mickey Mouse's testimony at the Michael Eisner/Michael Ovitz trial - that will put a rictus on your kisser." Tasha Robinson of The A.V. Club wrote "At its best, Mere Anarchy is absurd fun, but even Allen's best at this point is only meant for those familiar with, and predisposed to love, his intensely quirky style."

Contents

  1. To Err Is Human; To Float, Divine
  2. Tandoori Ransom
  3. Sam, You Made the Pants Too Fragrant
  4. This Nib for Hire
  5. Calisthenics, Poison Ivy, Final Cut
  6. Nanny Dearest
  7. How Deadly Your Taste Buds, My Sweet
  8. Glory Hallelujah, Sold!
  9. Caution, Falling Moguls
  10. The Rejection
  11. Sing, You Sacher Tortes
  12. On a Bad Day You Can See Forever
  13. Attention Geniuses: Cash Only
  14. Strung Out
  15. Above The Law, Below the Box Springs
  16. Thus Ate Zarathustra
  17. Surprise Rocks Disney Trial
  18. Pinchuck's Law