Augusten Burroughs & Chuck Palahnuik on “Gladiator”
Posted in Book on February 17th by Dan.
One of my favorite writers Augusten Burroughs of "Running With Scissors" fame had this to say about my book Gladiator – A True Story of Roids, Rage and Redemption.
“Dan Clark possesses the emotional honesty, humility and depth together with the innate literary talent and stylistic sensibility to execute this memoir with stunning eloquence and power. His lean, muscular prose never wavers off course as it leads us through his unspeakable loss, overwhelming success and ultimately into a kind of acceptance and redemption. As readers, we are fortunate that not all talented writers march automatically through grad school and into publication; some first become comics and undertakers and whalers and American Gladiators.”
-AUGUSTEN BURROUGHS
I'm pretty stunned and honored to say the least. I've been a fan of his from day one.
Another one of my favorite writer's Chuck Palahnuik, "Fight Club" and "Choke" author said this about Gladiator:
"Clark played the character “Nitro” on the television series American Gladiators, and if you read only one book on vacation this year, this has to be it. After a dark childhood, steroids launch the author into a new life as a national celebrity built from mountains of chemically enhanced muscle. The dream falls apart as he sprouts breasts he can’t conceal inside his skimpy spandex costume, then suffers high colonics in order to pass mandatory drug tests. Of course, there’s redemption, but not before a ton of laughs
– CHUCK PALAHNIUK
Only Chuck could would find this book a ton of laughs. But the recommendation of "if you read only one book on vacation this year, this has to be it" is fantastic. I'll take it.
A funny story. I remember when I finished the book and my editor at Simon and Schuster, Brant Rumble said, "I love your lean, sparse style."
My response, "Damn it. I used all the big words I know."
He also said my book was "fucking triumphant."
Hard words to live up to.
Hard words to believe.
I still struggle with it. But maybe… just maybe… it's not so bad.
Dan Clark
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Da*n it Dan, when are you going to realize those who have read Gladiator, including book critics, aren't blowing smoke up your backside? You don't have to live up to the " f***ing triumphant" statement from your editor, because you already did the hard part when you put pen to paper and wrote your memoirs (none of which I personally found funny, but that's the way critiques are, all highly subjective of what one reads). Gladiator is that GREAT, YOU are an AUTHOR. Don't struggle with believing the compliments, Own Them!