"My soul would be an outlaw," begins the storyteller in this short tale of the timeless war between Conformity and Rebellion, in the guise of the Master Timekeeper (a.k.a. the Ticktockman) and the renegade Harlequin. In a completely regulated society, where being a minute late here and there shortens your life accordingly, the Ticktockman is king; Harlequin is the jellybean joker who wants to knock him from his perch. Rick Berry's dark, lush illustrations magnify the force of a story that reminds readers of the best parts of George Orwell's 1984 or Terry Gilliam's Brazil.
San Francisco Chronicle,Locus
"The categories are too small to describe Ellison. Lyric poet, satirist, explorer of odd psychological corners, moralist, purveyor of pure horror and black comedy; he is all of these and more." The San Francisco Chronicle "[Harlan Ellison] is a phenomenon, sui generis." Digby Diehl, Playboy "Jealous artists might want to, but no one paints with confidence and excitement like Rick Berry." Locus
Book Description
In 1965 Harlan Ellison introduced an unsuspecting world to The Harlequin, a non-conformist (and perpetually late) rebel in a future society where conformity and punctuality are the gods of a totalitarian world. Taking time to stop and smell the roses, The Harlequin becomes a disruptive diversion to an otherwise well-ordered, suppressed populace. And that's something their leader, The Ticktockman, can't allow. Honored with the Nebula Award for Best Short Story, "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman has become one of the most reprinted stories in the English language, with the numerous foreign translations. (Color illus.)
From the Publisher
Though it is two years late, this oversized (9"x13"), illustrated 30th anniversary edition is a fitting tribute to a funny and touching masterwork.
Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman FROM THE PUBLISHER
This award-winning tale of individual rights and freedom is as fresh and valid today as when Ellison first penned the words in 1965. The generous size, lavish paper, and splendidly surreal illustrations in this belated anniversary edition are a fitting tribute to a funny and touching work and to the most honored writer in the history of fantastic literature. Color illus.
FROM THE CRITICS
Gale Research
The moral of "`Repent, Harlequin!'" is, according to George Edgar Slusser in his book-length study, Harlan Ellison: Unrepentant Harlequin, that "the `real' men in society are not those who abdicate all freedom of judgment to serve the machine, but those who resist dehumanization through acts of conscience, no matter how small.... If such a sacrifice brings even the slightest change, it is worth it." "`Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" is one of the ten most reprinted stories in the English language.
Art & Photography
Book Info
