''Holy Tango of Literature'' is a 2004 anthology of absurdist poetry and drama in the style of various poets and playwrights, written by Francis Heaney with illustrations by Richard Thompson.Holy Tango of Literature
at ''Richard's Poor Almanac'', by Richard Thompson; published February 2, 2012; retrieved August 8, 2016 It was published by Emmis Books, after some of its content originally appeared in ''

Modern Humorist ''Modern Humorist'' was a United States–based humor webzine founded in 2000 by John Aboud and Michael Colton (who later became panelists on VH1's ''Best Week Ever''), and managed by CEO Kate Barker. Its board of directors included feature fi ...

'' in 2000 and 2001;Index of ANAGRAM
at

Heaney subsequently released it online under the

Creative Commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...

license. The content is dedicated to

anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into the phrase "nag a ram"; which ...

s (hence the title: "Holy Tango" is an anagram of "

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

"), with each work's title being an anagram of a noted poet or playwright's name. The content of the work is based on that title, and written to mimic one of the original author's most noted works. For example,

Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Society of Jesus, Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame places him among the leading English poets. His Prosody (linguistics), prosody – notably his concept of sprung ...

is anagrammed into "Kong Ran My Dealership", which parodies Hopkins' ''

The Windhover "The Windhover" is a sonnet by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889). It was written on 30 May 1877, but not published until 1914, when it was included as part of the collection ''Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins''. Hopkins dedicated the poem "To ...

'', and describes how

King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...

was hired to manage a

car dealership A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive maintena ...

Reception

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

considered it "brilliantly funny" and "terribly clever",ShelfTalker: Holy Tango of Literature
by Alison Morris, at

; published March 28, 2007; retrieved August 8, 2016 while in ''

the Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'', Sam Leith called it a "complete joy";Curiosities of literature
by Sam Leith, in ''

''; published October 9, 2010; retrieved August 8, 2016 similarly,

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

found it to be "really sharp", the last tea post
by

, at NeilGaiman.com; published June 6, 2005; retrieved August 8, 2016 and

Douglas Wolk Douglas Wolk (born 1970) is a Portland, Oregon-based author and critic. He has written about comics and popular music for publications including ''The New York Times'', ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Washington Post'', ''The Nation'', ''The New Republi ...

thought it was "awesome".boat of many crullers
by

, at lacunae.com; published February 20, 2006; retrieved August 8, 2016

References

{{reflist

External links

Text of ''Holy Tango of Literature''
2004 anthologies Poetry anthologies Parodies of literature Anagrams