Devil's Own Work

The Devil's Own Work is a little jewel of a novella: polished, enticing, and beautifully crafted. A modern Faustian tale narrated by the friend of a famous writer, it is at once a straightforward mystery and a moral parable on writing and success. The plot is best left a surprise; its patient unfolding is what makes the novella irresistible. Indeed, this is a remarkably effective work considering its neglect of characterisation, for which it hasn't space. Perhaps this has something to do with Judd's writing which, stylish without wasting words, is pointed, vivid and insightful.

Its been said that the extraordinary Jack Ritchie wrote entire novels disguised as short stories. Alan Judd seems to be able to do the same thing. This story is "fat-free", stripped of all nonessentials, a taut, high grade piece of work. At 115 pages, this book can not be confused with a door stop, nor would you want to use it as such. The Devils Own Work is the story of a writer possessed, as told by his closest acquaintance (the author has no real friends--his work is all consuming). This Faustian allegory works as a deal with the Devil story and as a commentary on authorial integrity and control. Either way, it's and engaging little tome, and well worth your time.

I was lucky to find Devil's Own Work in a discount bin with Stephen King's praise, "Best novel I read this year" on it. And it was a great novella, so great I wanted to teach it in my English course. But it's out of print. There's no justice in the publishing world. This classic needs to find a reissue--fast!

A spare but meaningful read. Copies should be automatically sent to all newly-appointed 'literary darlings'. A must read for 'serious readers' as well. Do we settle for too little in the name of contemporary fiction

So you want to become a famous writer? One way to achieve this success is to sell your soul to the devil, a price not unheard of since Faust willingly paid that price in works by Marlowe and Goethe. Alan Judd's little novel, THE DEVIL'S OWN WORK, reworks the Faust legend with humor and a literary economy comparable to Hemingway. The novel is a mixture of strangeness and mystery; it was written as an homage to Ford Madox Ford and THE GOOD SOLDIER. This story explores the supernatural nature of creativity and the perils confronted an artist with more ambition than he perhaps has talent. It is a delightful tale that not only examines the nature of the creative act as well as the demon temptations to which an artist may be subjected, but also the vacuous literary elitism that often honors personalities above their literary merit. Alan Judd, author of a critically acclaimed biography on Ford Madox Ford, has also written four previous novels