John McGroarty

Homo Sacer John McGroarty

HOMO SACER & OTHER STORIES is John McGroarty's second collection of short stories to be published by McStorytellers. His first collection, EVERYWHERE & OTHER STORIES, showcased the versatility of his writing, that ability to switch effortlessly between moods and styles - from Glaswegian wryness to intense desolation to madcap comedy. These latest stories demonstrate an equally important facet of his work - that of unconventionality. As a writer, John McGroarty doesn't follow the crowd; he stands out from it. His stories are often approached out of left field. They are unexpected, brave and different. Here we have McGroarty, the mimic, daring to inhabit the wildly contrasting personas of a Russian émigré in "An Authentic Act", a crazed young American bestseller in "Beautiful Souls", an illiterate Trump acolyte in "The Diary of a Deleted Person" and a gumshoe Siamese triplet in "Triple Indemnity". Here also we have McGroarty, the satirist, bravely sending up daytime television in "Queen Victoria", spoofing sci-fi in "Homo Sacer" (the collection's eponymous tale) and taking huge swipes at the literati in "The Magog Prize for Literature". These and the rest of the stories making up the collection attest to McGroarty's outlaw status. He is a writer apart. He is homo sacer.