Book · 1992 · Fiction, short stories (single author)
Jesus' son
Why people recommend it
Jesus' Son is a potent and slender 1992 short story collection by Denis Johnson that portrays the chaotic, gritty lives of marginal figures through the perspective of an unreliable narrator. On The Book Review podcast, John Williams mentioned rereading the book to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary, while Greg Cowles recommended the collection as the author's primary story output alongside another work. John Williams also highlighted praise from Tommy Orange, who stated that reading a newer book took him in the exact same way Denis Johnson's collection did, noting that it is hard to think of higher praise for any short story writer. Maria Russo and Greg Coles later invoked the collection during separate podcast discussions to compare its distinct cultural breakthrough and stylistic impact against other literary works, such as Denis Johnson's subsequent novel Resuscitation of a Hanged Man. These repeated critical references demonstrate the enduring benchmark status that the collection holds within contemporary short fiction discussions, serving frequently as a standard of raw intensity and literary excellence for newer generations of writers and reviewers.
Who recommended it
- John Williams Recommended
- Greg Cowles Recommended
- Maria Russo Discussed
- Greg Coles Discussed
John Williams — 2 mentions
“first on a quick note I've been rereading Dennis Johnson's Jesus's son uh a very slender but very potent collection of short stories from 1992 cuz it's celebrating its 25th anniversary”
“Tommy orange said of the collection that it took me in the same way Dennis Johnson's Jesus's son did when I first read it and it's hard to think of higher praise than that for a short story writer”
Greg Cowles — 1 mention
“when we talk about books that they can't buy yet I thought that instead I would um talk about his first Story collection and only other Story collection besides less of the seid and it's the 1990 collection Jesus's son”
Maria Russo — 1 mention
“and they're just like Jesus's son”
Greg Coles — 1 mention
“and I also see why it didn't break through the way that Jesus's son did”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
- A Spy Among Friends Kim Philby And The Great Betrayal
- A god in ruins
- American prison
- Amity and Prosperity
- Angels
- Angle of repose
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“Yeah, there's a new biography of Dennis Johnson, the writer of Jesus Son and other books. It's not a great biography, but it's good enough.”
“Jesus's son”
“I've read Jesus's son of course and his other Story collection the postumus largess of the sea madeen and his debut novel angels”