The Magic Christian by Terry Southern
The Magic Christian has been hailed as Terry Southern’s masterpiece and is frequently cited as one of the funniest, cruelest, and most viciously honest books about American life ever written. The last of the big spenders, eccentric billionaire Guy Grand is determined to bring chaos into the material world and will stop at nothing to make it happen. His ultimate purpose in living a life full of practical jokes and crazy schemes is to demonstrate his idea that nothing is so abhorrent or repugnant that someone won’t do it for money. Everyone has a price in Guy Grand’s world, and he is more than happy to pay it. The Magic Christian is a humorous and wickedly clever satire on America’s obsession with bigness, toughness, money, television, firearms, and sex.
The Magic Christian by Terry Southern
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Guy Grand’s amazing madness; the last of the huge spenders. I must admit that I don’t read the book with the flimsy premise that “everyone has a price”; rather, I approach it from the outrageous perspective of a wealthy man who is pushing the boundaries of polite society and demonstrating that money can buy acceptance for any ridiculous thing imaginable. Grand has no issues with anyone and appears to lack practically all genuine hostility.
It’s interesting to note that of the people he pranks, he seems to leave those of lower status than himself better off for their troubles, while those of the more high-class rubes, he leaves high and dry in bewilderment. He’s a class-conscious billionaire who loves messing with people, who, he doesn’t care about. Grand is like Jay Gatsby if he had lived to old age, alone, and without anything to occupy his time but his money and inventiveness; he is now looking for something more bizarre to amuse himself with because he is bored with the garish over-the-top parties. Despite his obnoxious conduct, Guy Grand has never harmed anyone. I believe that this book is ultimately just an underappreciated American masterpiece.
The funniest book ever written is likely The Magic Christian. Three books by the maestro of literary humour, Terry Southern, were so hilarious they’d make you want to jump out of your chair. One of the three is The Magic Christian, along with Candy and Blue Movie. The filthiest darkest humour is the only purpose of this lean, cruel text.
