In 2002, Doug Nufer wrote a story narrated by a tout, who proposed a novel way to beat the races. It was so absurd and ludicrous it gave him an idea. So Nufer went to Emerald Downs, home of thoroughbred racing in the Northwest. There, he split himself into three characters modeled on the heteronyms of Fernando Pessoa. Using a money management plan from a James Kelman short story, Nufer gave these characters money and set them free to gamble. He returned to the track every week for a full season, and his characters/heteronyms continued to bet, with real money and in the name of art. At the end of the season, he had pages of data in the form of a wagering diary, the outcome of a literary experiment that formed the basis of a literal experimental novel.
By Kelman Out of Pessoa is released as a second edition, in both open access and print editions, as part of the punctum Special Collections project.
Gerg Bem, Review of Doug Nufer, By Kelman Out of Pessoa, Rain Taxi, Fall 2011.
Jim Feast, “Sui Generis,” The Brooklyn Rail, February 2012.
Joe Milazzo, Review of Doug Nufer, By Kelman Out of Pessoa, Giant Reader, January 7, 2013.
Doug Nufer is the author of various novels and poetry collections, including Rotalever Revelator (Sagging Meniscus, 2020), The Me Theme (Sagging Meniscus, 2016), Lifeline Rule (Spuyten Duyvil, 2015), Lounge Acts (Insert Blanc, 2013), By Kelman Out of Pessoa (Les Figues, 2011), We Were Werewolves (Make Now, 2008), The Mudflat Man/The River Boys (soultheft records, 2006), On the Roast (Chiasmus, 2004), Negativeland (Autonomedia, 2004), and Never Again (Black Square, 2004). He sells wine in Seattle. Photo credit: Scott Martin.
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