The First Bad Man
Miranda July
“If you were wise enough to know that this life would consist mostly of letting go of things you wanted, then why not get good at the letting go, rather than the trying to have?”
Available as Paperback, eBook, Downloadable audio, Paperback
A stunning New York Times bestseller novel from award-winning writer, filmmaker and artist Miranda July
A Guardian literary highlight
A Huffington Post ‘One to Watch’
‘Astounding’ LENA DUNHAM, creator of Girls and author of Not That Kind of Girl
‘The First Bad Man brings together all of July’s talents - it’s a book that must be read, a book that must be purchased - in duplicate - one for you, one for a friend. Don’t think you can loan this book - you’ll never get it back’ A. M. HOMES, author of This Book Will Save Your Life and May We Be Forgiven
The first novel by the filmmaker, artist and bestselling author Miranda July confirms her as a spectacularly original, iconic, and important voice today, and a writer for all time. The First Bad Man is dazzling and unforgettable.
“The novel exploded my expectations and became unlike anything I’ve ever read … hilarious … A wry, smart companion on any day. It’s warm, it has a heartbeat and a pulse. This is a book that is painfully alive”
the New York Times Book Review
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“Astounding … she will make you laugh, cringe and recognise yourself in a woman you never planned to be … Never has a novel spoken so deeply to my sexuality, my spirituality, my secret self. I know I am not alone”
Lena Dunham
“I am in awe of Miranda July … The First Bad Man brings together all of July’s talents - it’s a book that must be read, a book that must be purchased - in duplicate - one for you, one for a friend. Don’t think you can loan this book - you’ll never get it back”
A. M. Homes
author Of This Book Will Save Your Life And May We Be Forgiven
“Miranda July’s heroine in this unforgettable novel is one of the most original, most confounding and strangely sympathetic characters … This novel is almost impossible to put down, and confirms July as a novelist of the first order”
Dave Eggers
“July’s storytelling skills crackle to life”
new York Times
Miranda July
Miranda July is a writer, filmmaker and artist. Her most recent book is The First Bad Man, a novel. July’s collection of stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You, won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and has been published in 23 countries. Her writing has appeared in the Paris Review, Harper’s, and the New Yorker; It Chooses You was her first book of non-fiction. She wrote, directed and starred in The Future and Me and You and Everyone We Know, which won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and a Special Jury Prize at Sundance. In 2020 she debuted her third feature film, Kajillionaire. July lives in Los Angeles.
