The Knockout Artist

Author: Crews, Harry

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Published on 31 October 2024 by Penguin Books Ltd (Penguin Classics) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback / softback | 272 pages
196 x 130 x 15 | 194g

A favourite of long-time Harry Crews fans, The Knockout Artist (1988) portrays Eugene Talmadge Biggs, a young boxer from rural Georgia whose champion rise is diverted by a vulnerability, or gift, for knocking himself unconscious.

As he begins to exploit his talents, the notorious Knockout Artist journeys into the New Orleans underworld and meets characters who have long since checked their morals at the door. The unforgettable climax shows Crews at his virtuoso best, when Eugene confronts his truth, and sets out to claim his freedom and win his own self-respect.