Demon Box (book)

Demon Box is a 1986 collection of works by Ken Kesey. The book includes nonfiction and fiction short stories as well as some of Kesey's essays.[1]

Demon Box

Hardcover edition
Author	Ken Kesey
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Fiction and non-fiction
Publisher	Viking Press
Publication date	1986
Media type	Print
ISBN	9780140085303
OCLC	911911149
Dewey Decimal	813.54
LC Class	PS3561.E667

Background

Kesey explained why the collection of semi-autobiographical essays was titled Demon Box: "When Viking was bringing it out," he said, "they were desperate for something to call it. I told them, 'Don't call it anything .' It isn't a novel; it isn't an autobiography; it isn't journalism; I think of it as a box in which all this stuff goes."[2] To his publisher, Kesey started calling the book a "box novel," a new form of literature. "If I were to think of it as a (traditional) novel, I would have joined it together and had a gradual progression of thematic movement and character change through it, but I didn't want to do that."[2] Kesey also explained he considered the idea of publishing the essays in pamphlet form, then putting the pamphlets in a box and selling the box.[2]

References

1. Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher. "Books of the Times; Demon Box". The New York Times (August 4, 1986). Retrieved on February 25, 2008.
2. Donovan, Dianne (1986-09-24). "Author Ken Kesey at Home on Farm With 'Demon Box'". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-02-12.