The One Inside

De: Sam Shepard, Patti Smith - introduction

Narrado por: Bill Pullman, Patti Smith

The first work of long fiction from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright—a tour de force of memory, mystery, death, and life.

This searing, extraordinarily evocative narrative opens with a man in his house at dawn, surrounded by aspens, coyotes cackling in the distance as he quietly navigates the distance between present and past. More and more, memory is overtaking him: in his mind he sees himself in a movie-set trailer, his young face staring back at him in a mirror surrounded by light bulbs. In his dreams and in visions he sees his late father—sometimes in miniature, sometimes flying planes, sometimes at war. By turns, he sees the bygone America of his childhood: the farmland and the feedlots, the railyards and the diners—and, most hauntingly, his father's young girlfriend, with whom he also became involved, setting into motion a tragedy that has stayed with him. His complex interiority is filtered through views of mountains and deserts as he drives across the country, propelled by jazz, benzedrine, rock and roll, and a restlessness born out of exile. The rhythms of theater, the language of poetry, and a flinty humor combine in this stunning meditation on the nature of experience, at once celebratory, surreal, poignant, and unforgettable.


With a foreword written and read by Patti Smith

The writing and narration

I liked every sentence. I liked the narrative, the imagery, the intonation of the narrators voice, the timing and control the narrator brought to the writing. Genius.

Rather interesting connection

Between one aged man and his youth. This is more stream of consciousness or connected stories than a novel.

Good. Great at times.

Enjoyed it. Felt I needed to repeat listens. I would often fall asleep to it if I tried to listen for too long. the themes are dark and can cause worrisome dreams but once you get used to it, it's not so scary.
Excited for whatever he comes out with next.

SHEPARD GETS INSIDE

Pullman is a GREAT choice for capturing late-act Shepard's dry snarl. Patti Smith's intro is worth the price of the whole book. That Everlastingest Eulogy/Elegy for her old flame and kindred spirit is a love letter to Letters and to her Sam himself. Gabriela DeCuir 's direction is spot-on as usual and Kelly Gildea's skillful "sheparding" of the whole project is certainly in evidence.

The style of Shepard

Such an astute observer of everything whether it be of another person or a landscape. Perfect narrator. Pullman could be Shepard.