About the Book

"From such cult hits as Raising Arizona (1987) and The Big Lebowski (1998) to major critical darlings Fargo (1996), No Country for Old Men (2007), and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Ethan and Joel Coen have cultivated a bleakly comical, instantly recognizable voice in modern American cinema. In The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together, film critic Adam Nayman carefully sifts through their complex cinematic universe in an effort to plot, as he puts it, "some Grand Unified Theory of Coen-ness." The book combines critical text--biography, close film analysis, and enlightening interviews with key Coen collaborators--with a visual aesthetic that honors the Coens' singular mix of darkness and levity. Featuring film stills, beautiful and evocative illustrations, punchy infographics, and hard insight, this book will be the definitive exploration of the Coen brothers' oeuvre."--Amazon.

Book Synopsis

"A great gift for any Coen fan-boy or fan-girl in your life." ―NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour

Combining critical text--biography, close film analysis, and enlightening interviews with key Coen collaborators--with a visual aesthetic that honors the Coens' singular mix of darkness and levity, The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together is film critic Adam Nayman's carefully crafted effort to plot, as he puts it, "some Grand Unified Theory of Coen-ness."

Ethan and Joel Coen have cultivated a bleakly comical, instantly recognizable voice in modern American cinema. They have given movie fans classics of all types--comedy, history, drama, romance. Their movies have a distinctive style and point of view: hilarious, sad, thoughtful, musical, sometimes all at once. When someone says a movie is Coen Brothers-like, every serious movie lover knows exactly what they mean.

Adam Nayman carefully sifts through their complex cinematic universe and covers their popular, award-winning, and unforgettable creations:

• The Big Lebowski
• Raising Arizona
• Fargo
• Inside Llewyn Davis
• O Brother, Where Art Thou
• Barton Fink
• Miller's Crossing
• Blood Simple
• The Hudsucker Proxy
• And more!

Featuring film stills, beautiful and evocative illustrations, punchy infographics, and hard insight, this is the definitive exploration of the Coen brothers' oeuvre.

"Filled with glossy, well-chosen pictures as well as thoughtful, eloquent analysis." ―Filmmaker

Review Quotes

"... film critic Adam Nayman weaves biography, critical analysis, and interviews with Coen collaborators (including longtime cinematographer Roger Deakins) to present the definitive history of the Coen brothers oeuvre."-- "Indiewire"

"...a deep dive into the Coen cinematic universe."-- "PureWow"

"...a king-sized guide to the filmmaker's offbeat oeuvre combining critical text, biography, close film analysis, and enlightening interviews with key Coen collaborators all in one big package."-- "The Playlist"

"...a marvelous mixture of well-designed coffee table book and thoughtful analysis of a filmmaking team..."-- "Flavorwire"

"...fans of Joel and Ethan Coen will appreciate this oversized guide to their offbeat oeuvre..."-- "Newsday"

"...filled with glossy, well-chosen pictures as well as thoughtful, eloquent analysis..."-- "Filmmaker Magazine"

"...it would make a great gift for any Coen fan-boy or fan-girl in your life."-- "NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour"

"...this book is sure to please the ultimate Coen brothers fan."
-- "The Wichita Eagle"

"..this detailed compendium is a cinephile's delight."
-- "BookPage"

"Packed with full page color stills, behind-the-scenes stories, interviews and insightful analysis of each film, this book will put a smile on the face of all film buffs."-- "The Detroit Free Press"

About the Author

Adam Nayman is a contributing editor for Cinema Scope and writes on film for The Ringer, Sight and Sound, Reverse Shot, and Little White Lies. He has written books on Showgirls and the films of Ben Wheatley and lectures on cinema and journalism at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University.