Gates of Eden (short story collection) explained

Gates of Eden
Author:	Ethan Coen
Genre:	Short stories
Published:	1998
Publisher:	William Morrow and Company
Pages:	261 pp
Country:	United States
Language:	English

Gates of Eden is a collection of short stories written by Ethan Coen, first published in 1998.^{[1] [2] [3]}

The title comes from one of the stories in the book with reference to the biblical Garden of Eden. The stories within the book range from traditional fiction to stories formatted like a radio script.

There is an abridged version on audiobook which includes 11 of the 14 stories read by actors, many of whom have starred in Coen brothers films.^{[4] [5] [6]}

One story in the collection was adapted into a short film, A Fever in the Blood, released in 2002 and directed by Andrew Pulver.^[7]

Reception

Gates of Eden was well reviewed for its combination of strong dialogue, effective comedy, and darker, often violent subject matter―elements Coen was known for in his films.^[8] Several stories also focus on Jewish characters growing up near Minneapolis, where Coen is from, which a New York Times reviewer suspected of "being at least grounded in autobiography."

Stories

• "Destiny"
• "The Old Country"
• "Cosa Minapolidan"
• "Hector Berlioz, Private Investigator"
• "Have You Ever Been to Electric Ladyland"
• "A Morty Story"
• "A Fever in the Blood"
• "The Boys"
• "Johnnie Ga-Botz"
• "I Killed Phil Shapiro"
• "It Is an Ancient Mariner"
• "Gates of Eden"
• "The Old Boys"
• "Red Wing"

Audiobook

• "It is an Ancient Mariner", read by John Goodman
• "Cosa Minapolidan", read by John Turturro
• "Have You Ever Been to Electric Ladyland", read by Steve Buscemi
• "Destiny", read by Matt Dillon
• "The Old Country", read by Liev Schreiber
• "Gates of Eden", read by William H. Macy
• "I Killed Phil Shapiro", read by Ben Stiller
• "A Fever in the Blood", read by Steve Buscemi
• "A Morty Story", read by Liev Schreiber
• "The Boys", read by John Turturro
• "Red Wing", read by Bain Boehlke

Notes and References

1. Web site: The New York Times. BOOKS OF THE TIMES; Shadowy Snapshots of a Nightmare Dreamscape. Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher. December 17, 1998.
2. Book: Ethan Coen

   . Gates of Eden. Coen, Ethan. Ethan Coen. 1998. William Morrow and Company. 9780061684883.

3. Web site: Gates of Eden. The New York Times. December 20, 1998. Lindquist, Mark.
4. Book: 2014. Rowman & Littlefield. The Coen Brothers Encyclopedia. King, Lynnea Chapman. Rowman & Littlefield . 9780810885776.
5. Web site: Interview: Ethan Coen. Phipps, Keith. December 2, 1998. The A.V. Club.
6. Web site: Ethan Coen – Gates Of Eden. Discogs.
7. Web site: Night Flight. Ethan Coen's "A Fever In The Blood": A darkly comic noir-ish short film by filmmaker Andrew Pulver. Thomas, Bryan. October 30, 2015. October 31, 2015. August 10, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160810024940/http://nightflight.com/ethan-coens-a-fever-in-the-blood-a-darkly-comic-noir-ish-short-film-by-filmmaker-andrew-pulver/. dead.
8. Web site: Bowman . Jayne . Ethan Coen's 'Eden' is a fun, wisecracking collection . CNN . 31 January 2024.