The Hunger Artist
A Novel
Look Away.
In a sold-out arena at the height of her fame, The Hunger Artist took the stage before a wine dark sea of ravenous faces. She was meant to untie her robe, expose her emancipated body, and silently join the musty straw strewn across the floor of her heavy iron cage.
Instead, the Hunger Artist approached a microphone and did the unthinkable.
She spoke.
She asked you, pleaded with you, to look away.
And you hated her for it.
Now, the man who knew her best has decided to break his silence and set the record straight on The Hunger Artist. Featuring exclusive journal entries from the artist herself, this is the only true and authorized account of The Hunger Artist’s rise to fame, fall from grace, and the real meaning of her controversial art.
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A Novel by Danny Judge
Currently Seeking Representation
From the Hunger Artist's journals:
A diary, it's been said, is the lowest form of literature. But that's perfectly fitting, because I am the lowest form of lifeform practicing the lowest form not merely of literature but of all art: Hunger.
Additional Information
for Literary Agents, Editors, and Curious Strangers.
Hook:
Similar to the concept at the center of the Franz Kafka short story on which the novel is based, the central hook of The Hunger Artist is an image: a mysterious woman sitting cross-legged and silent in a large iron cage, performing supernaturally long fasts in complete silence.
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Word Count:
Approximately 80,000
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Publishing Category
Adult Literary Fiction / Epistolary / Experimental / Metafictional
Status:
The manuscript is 100% complete.
Special Features:
The Hunger Artist is a unique blend of experimental form and mainstream accessibility. Due to its unique premise, the novel features no chapter or paragraph breaks. The main author makes errors and has trouble with certain sequences, experiencing vulnerability, self-doubt, and anxiety to which many readers (and writers, for that matter) will relate. It features a unique introduction from the manuscript’s “Transcriptionist” and “Editor” which hooked my beta readers immediately.
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Audience:
Readers drawn to strong female characters, epistolary fiction, provocative book club fiction, fiction with experimental and metafictional elements, psychologically driven fiction, voice-driven fiction, and unreliable narration.
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Comp Titles:
Tell Me How This Ends by Jo Leevers
(Lake Union Publishing, 2023)
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The Appeal by Janice Hallett
(Atria Books, 2022)
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Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
(Pantheon, 2020)
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Brief Synopsis:
The Hunger Artist rose to fame sitting calmly in an iron cage strewn with dusty straw. Performed in complete silence, her supernaturally long fasts captivated millions. A divided public consumed her livestreams and flooded social media with debates and interpretations of her provocative art. Then one night, standing alone on a shadowy stage in a packed auditorium, the Hunger Artist did the unthinkable. She approached a microphone and spoke. Everything changed. When she died weeks later, she died a pariah. A false prophet. A fraud.
Four years later, relying on firsthand knowledge and exclusive access to her private journals, her grieving former manager is finally ready to set the record straight on her life and legacy. Complicating matters, he intends to do so while embarking on an ill-advised fast of his own. He will write his manuscript in the style of her journals: unpolished, unadorned, and uncorrupted by nourishment of his body and mind.
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But when it becomes clear he is not built to endure hunger like she was, time becomes a factor. How long can he imitate her grueling art form, and how much is he willing to sacrifice to tell The Hunger Artist's story the way he believes she would want it told?
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Status on January 17, 2025:
In-Progress Partial Requests: 0
In-Progress Full Requests: 3
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Available:
Samples, Full Synopsis, Full Manuscript
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Contact:
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From the Hunger Artist's journals:
Who knows how many words I have left. So to me, you see, the diary is forgivable. Besides, it brings me closer to you. Sometimes my low art is beautiful. At least to me.
The Hunger Artist will be my debut novel. My short fiction has appeared in Litro, The Boiler Journal, Lunch Ticket, and many other magazines. I'm the Founding Editor of Wallstrait, A Journal of Hard-to-Define Fiction. I've been nominated for several awards, including two Pushcarts. I graduated from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, and currently live in the Midwest with my wife and son. I work as a Marketing Director and enjoy fishing—but not eating fish. I throw em all back.​
The Hunger Artist is a strange little book with very sharp hooks, and I look forward to finding the right home for it.
About Danny Judge
From the Hunger Artist's journals:
There is nothing in life about which you cannot learn to think differently, including the end of it. My feverish dreams will stop soon. I am terrified of that yellow envelope.
The Hunger Artist: A Novel by Danny Judge
Currently Seeking Representation
© 2024 The Hunger Artist: A Novel by Danny Judge
Silhouette graphic designed by Adam Mlcoch