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Monster in a Box

By: Spalding Gray
Narrated by: Spalding Gray
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Publisher's summary

When Spalding Gray first arrived in New York City in 1959, it was to become a writer of great sprawling novels. He got sidetracked into the theater for 30 years until one day his literary agent said, "I think you've got a novel inside you." Instead of elective surgery, Spalding sat down to write if he could, or pace floors in different cities plumbing the depths of writer's block if he couldn't. In this recording, Gray, now one of America's premiere monologists, performs Monster in a Box, the story of one man's struggle against publication, the writing of a 1900-page manuscript that became the much smaller Impossible Vacation. Gray recounts the horrors of putting one word after another, and another, and another...
Recording (P)1996 by Audio Literature
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Critic reviews

"The nation's outstanding storyteller." (The Los Angeles Times)

What listeners say about Monster in a Box

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Vintage Spaulding Gray

Any additional comments?

If you like Spalding Gray's other work (Swimming to Cambodia being his best known) you will very likely enjoy this. A great performance that moves between deftly between light and dark and has plenty of enjoyable twists and turns.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of the great's great performances.

Spalding Gray was in a league of his own. Highly recommend to fans and newcomers alike.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Improved sound!

One great feature of audible is that if you've purchased this already, you get to download this <b>hugely</b> improved version!

I can only hope they do the same for "Terrors of Pleasure."

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Oh Spalding! I miss you so much!!

I first saw Spalding Gray in person doing his "Personal History of American Theater" piece in Charlottesville, Va. In the early 80's. Wow. I thought. That guy is amazing. And I listened and I watched over his amazing career of sharing himself with us. And laughed and cried and loved him. Get this audio book. It's Spald...he lives!! I love him.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Wonderful content, poor audio

Spalding, as usual is brilliant, but if you are sensitive to audio quality you might want to pass on this one.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Shallow and Pretensious, Occasionaly Amusing

The monologue is a series of remembrances about the speaker being nuerotic and a shamelessly poor workman. 3/8, do not recommend

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