''Head in Flames'' is a

postmodern novel Postmodern literature is a form of literature that is characterized by the use of metafiction, unreliable narration, self-reflexivity, and intertextuality, and which often thematizes both historical and political issues. This style of experimenta ...

Lance Olsen Lance Olsen (born October 14, 1956) is an American writer known for his experimental, lyrical, fragmentary, cross-genre narratives that question the limits of historical knowledge. Biography Lance Olsen was born in New Jersey, United States. ...

, published by Chiasmus Press in 2009.

Plot & Structure

''Head in Flames'' is a collage novel built on a triadic structure. First

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

speaks briefly (sometimes only a sentence, sometimes a handful) in the first person in a Times font. Next Theo van Gogh does the same in the third person in Times bold. Last

Mohammed Bouyeri Mohammed Bouyeri ( ; born 8 March 1978) is a Moroccan-Dutch citizen serving a life sentence without parole at the Nieuw Vosseveld prison for the 2004 murder of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh. A member of the Hofstad Network, he was incarc ...

speaks in the second person in a Courier font. This pattern repeats for the length of the text. The effect is more musical than narrative in a conventional sense. Van Gogh finds himself standing in a field in

Auvers-sur-Oise Auvers-sur-Oise (, "Auvers-on-Oise (river), Oise") is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Val-d'Oise, on the northwestern outskirts of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. I ...

in July 1890, debating whether or not to commit suicide. Theo finds himself riding to work on the day he was assassinated in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

in November 2004 by Mohammed, an extremist outraged by the filmmaker's collaboration with controversial politician

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Ayaan Hirsi Ali (; born 13 November 1969) is a Dutch and American writer, activist, conservative thinker and former politician. She is a critic of Islam and an advocate for the rights and self-determination of Muslim women, opposing forced mar ...

on a 10-minute experimental short critiquing Muslim subjugation and abuse of women. The consequence of such a structure is a complex investigation into art's multiplicity of purpose, religion's increasingly dominant role as engine of politics and extremism in the contemporary world, the complexities involved in foreignness/assimilation, and the limits of cultural tolerance.

Reception

Rain Taxi ''Rain Taxi'' is a Minneapolis-based book review and literary organization. In addition to publishing its quarterly print edition, ''Rain Taxi'' maintains an online edition with distinct content, sponsors the Twin Cities Book Festival, hosts rea ...

'' wrote that ''Head in Flames'' is "distinguished both by its inventive, playful form and its evocative content," while ''Review of Contemporary Fiction'' called Olsen's novel "an important book" whose "structure is a tour de force of formal innovation calling to mind Pinget's ''That Voice,'' Rulfo's

Pedro Páramo ''Pedro Páramo'' is a novel by Mexican writer Juan Rulfo, first published in 1955. This novel showcases the roots of Mexican culture and its beliefs on afterlife through deeply complex characters, spirituality, and a constant transition betwee ...

, and

Julio Cortázar Julio Florencio Cortázar (26 August 1914 – 12 February 1984; ) was an Argentine and naturalised French novelist, short story writer, poet, essayist, and translator. Known as one of the founders of the Latin American Boom, Cortázar influenc ...

's ''

Hopscotch Hopscotch is a playground game in which players toss a small object, called a lagger, into numbered triangles or a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces and retrieve the object. It is a children's ...

''.... Olsen's real success lies not in his critique of the many forms of intolerance but rather in his affirmation of art as salvation."

External links

Interview (2010) with Lance Olsen about ''Head in Flames'' in ''Rain Taxi''Interview (2010) with Lance Olsen about ''Head in Flames'' in ''The Quarterly Conversation''
* ttp://www.flashpointmag.com/headinflames.htm Extended review (2009) of ''Head in Flames'' in ''FlashPoint''br>Part One of film (2009) based on Ayaan Hirsi Ali's, with Lance Olsen reading from ''Head in Flames''Part Two of film (2009) based on Ayaan Hirsi Ali's, with Lance Olsen reading from ''Head in Flames''

References

{{reflist 2009 American novels Postmodern novels Metafictional novels