Newswise — Clyde Edgerton, University of North Carolina Wilmington professor of creative writing, will have his ninth novel published on Aug. 11. The Bible Salesman (Little, Brown; ISBN: 0-316-11751-X; $23.99) is the story of Preston Clearwater, a car thief who picks up hitchhiker Henry Dampier, a 19-year-old Bible salesman.
When Clearwater offers Dampier a lift on the road in post-war North Carolina, he convinces Dampier he is an FBI agent in need of an associate. Dampier joyfully seizes the opportunity to lead a double life as bible salesman and G-man.
During the hilarious adventure, Dampier's fundamentalist youth upbringing doesn't prepare him for his new life. He falls in love and questions his religious training, begins to see he's being used, realizes the fun and games are over and that he is on his own in a way he never imagined.
In a May 2008 interview, David Sedaris, author of the wildly popular best-sellers Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, told USA Today, "I read a galley recently on a trip to Greece. I howled with laughter. It's called The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton. Now I have all his previous books to enjoy, too."
Sedaris further praises the book, "How good it feels to throw back one's head and howl with a great comic novel. The 'burial tuck' alone should make The Bible Salesman a classic."
Edgerton is the author of eight previous novels, including Walking Across Egypt and Lunch at the Piccadilly. Three of his books have been made into movies - Raney, Walking Across Egypt and Killer Diller. The latter two are now available on DVD.
Raney, Walking Across Egypt, The Floatplane Notebooks, Killer Diller and Lunch at the Piccadilly have all been adapted to the stage. Edgerton's short stories and essays have been published in New York Times Magazine, Best American Short Stories, Southern Review, Oxford American and Garden & Gun, to name a few.
Edgerton's memoir, Solo: My Adventures in the Air, was honored by the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association in fall of 2006 with The Ragan Old North State Award for Non-fiction. He was first honored by the NCLHA in 1997 with the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction for Where Trouble Sleeps.
In addition to teaching and writing, Edgerton is a storyteller and musician. He has performed with Jim Watson, Mike Craver, Jack King and Matt Kendrick. Audio albums and CDs on which he has performed include Walking Across Egypt, The Devil's Dream, The Safety Patrol and Lunch at the Piccadilly.
Edgerton joined the UNC Wilmington Department of Creative Writing in 2002 as a tenured professor, after serving as a distinguished visiting professor for four years. He teaches in both the Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts programs.
Prior to joining UNCW, Edgerton taught at St. Andrews Presbyterian College and as a visiting professor at Agnes Scott College, Duke University and served as co-chair of the Eudora Welty Chair of Southern Studies at Millsaps College.
In addition to the North Carolina Awards for Literature, he is the past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Lyndhurst Fellowship and a Distinguished Alumni Award from UNC. He holds honorary doctorates from UNC-Asheville and St. Andrews Presbyterian College and is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers.
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