Considered one of the 100 best fiction books in the English language by Time magazine, the cult film success starring Jack Nicholson arrives on Amarcord.
"Tinkling, tinkling, tinkling little fingers… [...] one flew east, one flew west, and one flew out, a fly over the nest…" This is the sound of the popular nursery rhyme that the electrical impulses intonate in the head of Bromden, the narrator of this unusual adventure. Known as Chief Bromden, he is a tall, quiet mixed-race Indian, a war hero, and an inmate in a psychiatric hospital in the United States. His days are spent endlessly sweeping the ward and dealing with memories and hallucinatory episodes triggered by the repeated abuse of the staff led by the head nurse, Miss Ratched. The days are white, the nights indifferent.
But something changes with the arrival of a new figure, Mr. R.P. McMurphy—a convicted criminal, gambling addict, and completely insubordinate. From their very first encounter, McMurphy and Miss Ratched clash, and this antagonism, carried forward by Chief Bromden's narrative, becomes not only a grand allegory for the clash of cultural, moral, and ethical forces of the 1960s, but also for good and evil themselves as universal and nuanced notions.
Ken Kesey's writing is dynamic. It's no wonder that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was adapted for the screen in 1975, earning the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director for Miloš Forman, Best Actor for Jack Nicholson, and Best Actress for Louise Fletcher. By exposing the experiences of several men in a psychiatric ward to the world, Kesey sparked the interest of many in the topic of mental health and the diverse meanings of freedom. Undoubtedly, a rebellious classic of 20th-century literature.
This edition features a new introduction by Natalia Timerman and a foreword by Joel Birman, both award-winning psychoanalysts and writers.
“A work of great literary merit […]. What Mr. Kesey has done in his unconventional novel is to transform the inmate ward of a mental hospital into an allegory about good and evil.” – The New York Times
"A brilliant literary debut [...]. A powerful and heartwarming story about the nature of good and evil in human beings. Kesey has made his book a cry of protest against the rules of a mediocre society and those who enforce them." – Time
"The ultimate triumph of these men, at the cost of terrible sacrifices, sends chills down the spines of all who read it. The scenes in this novel have a cinematic vividness." – The Washington Post
"A spectacular book [...]. The characters are original and real [...]. This is a statement against the growing control over human beings and their minds, although it is not a pamphlet. Nor does the author forget that there is a fine line between tragedy and comedy." – Houston Chronicle
