''Another Bullshit Night in Suck City'' is a

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...

by playwright and poet

Nick Flynn Nick Flynn (born January 26, 1960) is an American writer, playwright, and poet. His writing is characterized by lyric, distilled moments, which blur the boundaries of various genres. Many of his books are structured using a collage technique, wh ...

, describing Flynn's reunion with his estranged father, Jonathan, an alcoholic resident of the

homeless shelter Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service agency which provide temporary residence for homeless individuals and families. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while simultaneously r ...

where Nick was a

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

in the late 1980s. The title refers to Jonathan's description of homeless life in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. It was published by W. W. Norton in September 2004.

Reception

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' described it as "biting", and noted that "(a)lthough (the book is) depressing", it is not "hopeless", because Flynn — unlike his father — was able to "write well". ANOTHER BULLSHIT NIGHT IN SUCK CITY: A Memoir
reviewed in ''

''; published June 21, 2004; retrieved November 16, 2017 At ''

the Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Christopher Priest commended Flynn for the book's "impressionistic, fragmentary" style that "actually seems to capture the banal, confusing mind of a homeless drunkard", but said that despite Flynn's skill, its subject "remains banal, depressing and sordid".Poor lore
by Christopher Priest, in ''

''; published April 2, 2005; retrieved November 16, 2017 The memoir earned Flynn a 2004 award from

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internationa ...

, was shortlisted for the

Prix Femina The Prix Femina is a French literary prize created in 1904 by 22 writers for the magazine '' La Vie heureuse'' (today known as '' Femina''). The prize is decided each year by an exclusively female jury. They reward French-language works written ...

, and has been translated into fifteen languages.

Film adaptation

In 2007,

Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

acquired the rights to produce a movie adaptation of the memoir, Filming began in the summer of 2010 with Paul Weitz as director, and starring

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

as Jonathan and

Paul Dano Paul Franklin Dano (; born June 19, 1984) is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway before making his film debut in ''The Newcomers'' (2000). He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in '' L.I.E.' ...

as Nick. The film, titled ''

Being Flynn ''Being Flynn'' is a 2012 American drama film written and directed by Paul Weitz and starring Robert De Niro, Julianne Moore and Paul Dano, released in select theatres in the United States on March 2, 2012. It was based on '' Another Bullshit Nigh ...

'', was released on March 2, 2012. In 2013,

W.W. Norton W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly ''The Norton Ant ...

published "The Reenactments", Flynn's memoir about his experiences during the making of the film adaptation.The Reenactments
/ref>

References

{{Reflist

External links

Being Flynn, film trailer
2004 non-fiction books American memoirs Memoirs adapted into films W. W. Norton & Company books