Denis Johnson has always had a knack for portraying the seedy side of America in a beautiful, fluent way. Perhaps it's his experience, perhaps his poetry skills, or maybe it's a combination of both. Regardless, Johnson's non-fiction collection of essays Seek (Harper 2002) is stands apart from most essay collections in a variety of ways that benefit readers.
The Underside
It seems almost as if Johnson is drawn to the types of people that most Americans have never met and perhaps have never even thought existed anywhere in the world. Christian bikers, Liberian warlords, gold-prospectors and more dominate the stories contained in this collection.
Poetic Writing
Most of Johnson's loyal readers know very little about his poetry collections, which makes them seem almost like nothing more than practice for his fiction and non-fiction. Obviously, some might disagree, but it's obvious with this collection that one of Johnson's best skills is his ability to write with such beauty that he can disarm even the most vicious characters who may appear in his essays. His writing changes slightly from essay to essay, depending on the subject matter, and when needed Johnson can inject humor as well.
Touchy Subjects
Johnson's writing doesn't shy away from subjects that are controversial or dangerous, and oftentimes he finds himself an unwilling character inside his essays. In the case of the Liberian dictator, it's clear Johnson is expected to be afraid, to act in a certain way, and in order to accurately portray "what happened" he finds himself center stage inside his essay. Every single essay demands Johnson approach slightly differently. His stories about the west includes a fantastic portrait of a right-wing militia that neither magnifies nor diminishes its anti-government positions as well as its activities and prejudices.
A Christian Touch
Even with all of its positives, it's hard not to sense Johnson's Christian touch throughout, and it would be interesting to see how this collection of essays might have turned out from the perspective of an agnostic or atheist version of Johnson. Still, it's possible that Johnson's religious leanings are one of the reasons he's able to capture the feelings of each complex individual, especially those who may not necessarily be the most pious.
Non-Fiction Accessible to Everyone
It's clear from the first few stories that Seek should be guaranteed reprints on a regular basis. This is the type of book that provides readers with intimate portraits of complex subjects who are normally invisible in everyday life for 99 percent of the world population. But these subjects exist and will continue to exist, and Johnson has taken time out of his busy schedule to find them, write about them. He's done every reader a favor.
Ken Brosky - Ken Brosky's first novel was published in fall 2007. He has more than a dozen short stories published in magazines including Skyline and ...
