And the Ass Saw the Angel
Encyclopedia
And the Ass Saw the Angel is the first novel by the musician and singer Nick Cave
, originally published in 1989 by Black Spring Press in the United Kingdom
and Harper Collins in the United States
. It was re-published in 2003 by 2.13.61
(ISBN 1-880985-72-1). A luxury "collector's edition" was released, in the summer of 2007, by Black Spring Press
.
With its Southern Gothic
setting, critics have compared it favorably with novels by American authors William Faulkner
and Flannery O'Connor
.
Cave's second novel, The Death of Bunny Munro
, was published in September, 2009.
, and fanaticism, Euchrid will exact his terrible vengeance on the people who have made his life one of nearly unrelenting pain.
(From Her to Eternity
, The Firstborn Is Dead
and Your Funeral... My Trial
), are extensions of the ideas represented in the novel.
The title comes from the Bible
, the Book of Numbers
22:23, where Balaam
does not see the angel of the Lord but his donkey does.
One particularly present theme is Man's inhumanity to man
and their innate ability to fear what they do not understand. Euchrid is constantly under siege from those who perceive difference as a threat. The only other character to see Euchrid as something more than a dumb beast is Beth (and to a certain extent, her mother). Though Beth is taken into the fold by the Ukulites, she too is different from the rest. There is a strange transference of thought throughout the novel; her difference is seen by the community as godly, while Beth sees Euchrid as godly.
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, originally published in 1989 by Black Spring Press in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Harper Collins in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was re-published in 2003 by 2.13.61
2.13.61
2.13.61, Inc. is a publisher and record company founded by musician Henry Rollins and named after his birthday . The company has released albums by the Rollins Band, all of Rollins's spoken-word work, and numerous books....
(ISBN 1-880985-72-1). A luxury "collector's edition" was released, in the summer of 2007, by Black Spring Press
Black Spring Press
Black Spring Press is an independent English publishing house, founded in 1985. The initial published works were lyric and poetry collections by musicians Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen. They have also published Off the Road by Carolyn Cassady, and Nick Cave's debut novel And the Ass Saw the Angel...
.
With its Southern Gothic
Southern Gothic
Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction unique to American literature that takes place exclusively in the American South. It resembles its parent genre in that it relies on supernatural, ironic, or unusual events to guide the plot...
setting, critics have compared it favorably with novels by American authors William Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
and Flannery O'Connor
Flannery O'Connor
Mary Flannery O'Connor was an American novelist, short-story writer and essayist. An important voice in American literature, O'Connor wrote two novels and 32 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries...
.
Cave's second novel, The Death of Bunny Munro
The Death of Bunny Munro
The Death of Bunny Munro is the second novel written by Nick Cave, best known as the lead singer of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. His first novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel, was published in 1989....
, was published in September, 2009.
Plot
And the Ass Saw the Angel tells the story of Euchrid Eucrow, a mute born to an abusive drunken mother and a father obsessed with cruel traps and animal torture. His father's dangerous traps, greasy and vile, just might maim or kill an unwary person. The ultimate outcast, scorned even among outsiders, in a valley of fanatically religious Ukulites, Euchrid bears his mother's beatings, his father's inturned indifference, and the hatred and loathing of an entire town. Euchrid's increasingly fractured mind teems with words and horrible angelic visions, narrated by his silent Southern drawl. (To wit, Cave phonetically renders the boy-narrator's "I" as "Ah.") Raised to inevitable madness in this world of inbreeding, moonshineMoonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
, and fanaticism, Euchrid will exact his terrible vengeance on the people who have made his life one of nearly unrelenting pain.
Major themes
The lyrics of some of the songs from the first few albums of Nick Cave and the Bad SeedsNick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
(From Her to Eternity
From Her to Eternity
From Her to Eternity is the debut album released by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in 1984. The title is a pun on the book/movie From Here to Eternity.-Background and production:...
, The Firstborn Is Dead
The Firstborn Is Dead
The Firstborn Is Dead is the second studio album released by the post-punk band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was first released in 1985. On this record, singer Nick Cave continued his fascination with the American South, with its references to Elvis Presley and bluesmen like Blind Lemon Jefferson...
and Your Funeral... My Trial
Your Funeral... My Trial
-Personnel:#"Sad Waters"#*Nick Cave – vocals, Hammond, harmonica#*Blixa Bargeld – guitar#*Mick Harvey – bass, rhythm guitar, drums#"The Carny"#*Nick Cave – vocals, harmonica#*Blixa Bargeld – guitar, other voice...
), are extensions of the ideas represented in the novel.
The title comes from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, the Book of Numbers
Book of Numbers
The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....
22:23, where Balaam
Balaam
Balaam is a diviner in the Torah, his story occurring towards the end of the Book of Numbers. The etymology of his name is uncertain, and discussed below. Every ancient reference to Balaam considers him a non-Israelite, a prophet, and the son of Beor, though Beor is not so clearly identified...
does not see the angel of the Lord but his donkey does.
One particularly present theme is Man's inhumanity to man
Man's inhumanity to man
The phrase "Man's inhumanity to man" is first documented in my balls]] poem called Man was made to mourn: A Dirge in 1784. It is possible that Burns reworded a similar quote from Samuel von Pufendorf who in 1673 wrote, "More inhumanity has been done by man himself than any other of nature's...
and their innate ability to fear what they do not understand. Euchrid is constantly under siege from those who perceive difference as a threat. The only other character to see Euchrid as something more than a dumb beast is Beth (and to a certain extent, her mother). Though Beth is taken into the fold by the Ukulites, she too is different from the rest. There is a strange transference of thought throughout the novel; her difference is seen by the community as godly, while Beth sees Euchrid as godly.
Publication history
- 1989, UK, Black Spring PressBlack Spring PressBlack Spring Press is an independent English publishing house, founded in 1985. The initial published works were lyric and poetry collections by musicians Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen. They have also published Off the Road by Carolyn Cassady, and Nick Cave's debut novel And the Ass Saw the Angel...
, ISBN 0-948238-03-8, 24 Aug 1989, hardcover, 272 pp - 1989, USA, HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, ISBN 0-06-016491-3, September 1990, hardcover - 1992, USA, HarperPaperbacks, ISBN 0-06-109091-3, July 1992, paperback, 400 pp
- 2001, UK, PenguinPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, ISBN 0-14-029455-4, 22 Feb 2001, paperback (new edition), 320 pp - 2003, USA, 2.13.612.13.612.13.61, Inc. is a publisher and record company founded by musician Henry Rollins and named after his birthday . The company has released albums by the Rollins Band, all of Rollins's spoken-word work, and numerous books....
, ISBN 1-880985-72-1, March 26, 2003, paperback (2nd edition), 320 pp - 2009, AUS, PenguinPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, ISBN 13 978-0-141-04561-0, 29 June 2009, paperback, 324 pp
Readings
Cave did many public readings before and after the publication of the book, sometimes accompanied by various musicians. A selection of readings was released as a bonus 12" with the original release of the Tender Prey album: "Mah Sanctum", "Lamentation", "One Autumn" and "Animal Static". In 1998, Mute records released these same four chapters, together with music by Mick Harvey and Ed Clayton-Jones on CD as "And The Ass Saw The Angel" (EUCHRID1).External links
- Black Spring Press: Publishers of the English edition and the Collector's edition.