Böcker av Peter Cherches

This episodic novel chronicles the trials and tribulations of Peter Cherches, an obscure Brooklyn writer who suffers the slings and arrows of outrageous tormentors, most notably his next-door neighbor. Cherches's world is overrun with doppelgängers, doppelgängers' doppelgängers, malevolent technology, masks, doubts, and unreliable mirrors. Think of this as a kinder and gentler Book of Job, with New York attitude and borscht belt humor, as well as echoes of Kafka, Borges, and Serling. Rarely has one man's misery been so much fun.

Things known and unknown. Story as thing. The soul of things. The essence of narrative. Bare bones. Blind alleys. Unanswered questions. And poems, a few pantoums and haiku too. Forty things by Peter Cherches.

In the spring of 2020, shortly after he had started wearing a face mask outside his home, Peter Cherches began writing about masks, literally the face of COVID-19. These 16 stories, written between April and December of that year, capture the surreal experience of living through a global pandemic and all its attendant challenges-personal, political, and social. This small volume is both a mask-muffled cry and a full-throated belly laugh. Reactions are to be expected, and are no cause for concern.

In these mini memoirs, Peter Cherches revisits musical experiences, pleasures, and obsessions that have punctuated his life. A singer and lyricist as well as "one of the innovators of the short short story" (Publishers Weekly), Cherches writes here from the perspective of a voracious listener for whom music is a constant companion. Whether reminiscing about the joys of musical discovery or paying tribute to musicians who have inspired him, Cherches shares his passions with verve and wit. From an early baptism in Beatlemania, to adolescent encounters with free jazz, to expeditions for local musical treasures around the world, this collection of singles in prose is a testament to the sustaining power of music in our lives.

Whistler's Mother's Son collects over 100 prose pieces of varying length and styles-from minimalism to satire to noir to children's tale to abstraction to surrealism. The cast of characters includes Hamlet, Gertrude Stein, Fred Flintstone, Mr. Mondrian, a man with two mustaches, and an eternally confused Peter Cherches.

There's a thin line between memoir and fiction, and Peter Cherches walks it in Autobiography Without Words. We follow the main character through the adventures of life, from childhood crimes and punishments to trips to India and Mars. This book will break your heart, mess with your head and have you rolling on the floor, all at once.

Fiction. The five sequences of LIFT YOUR RIGHT ARM are minimalist novels of sorts--thought- provoking, mostly deadpan prose that is often darkly humorous. From the stark relationship studies of "Bagatelles" and "Dirty Windows" to the wry observations of "Mr. Deadman" and "A Certain Clarence," the stars of these pieces are Peter Cherches' unique takes on Everyman and Everywoman--dead or alive--navigating a world in which very little is what it seems.