Noah Cicero
Noah Cicero (born 1980) is an American novelist, essayist, playwright, short-story writer, and poet. He lives in Youngstown, Ohio, and is the author of four books of fiction:
- The Human War [2003, Fugue State Press; foreign publications include Snowbooks, London 2007; editions in Greek and German are forthcoming]
- The Condemned [2006, Six Gallery Press]
- Burning Babies [2006, Parlor Press]
- Treatise [2006]
His fiction is also anthologized in:
- The Edgier Waters [2006, Snowbooks, London]
His stories, poetry, and essays have also been published extensively, at such magazines as Scarecrow, Brittle Star, Retort, Nth Position, Black Ice, Identity Theory, Prague Literary Review and many others. He has done readings at KGB Bar in New York.[1]
His prose is spare, extreme in its directness and force, and addresses with brutal Absurdist humor the day-to-day lives of urban-wasteland characters who are painfully aware of the futility of their existence. He notably depicts crumbling urban America, in particular the bars and strip clubs of Youngstown, with a bleak black humor. The work, while highly accessible, is imbued with political critique and an existential examination of reality. He has cited Sartre, Hemingway and Beckett as central influences.[2]
His essays are both political and philosophical in nature, sometimes using the tools of psychology and philosophy to crucify those political leaders or followers he sees as acting in bad faith. Some of these essays have been written in collaboration with Ohio journalist Bernice Mullins.
He is a co-editor of 3:AM Magazine.
Notes
- ^ KGB Bar review
- ^ Interview with Tao Lin
- Review of Treatise
- Reviews of The Human War