I first read this book when I was 18. Being enormously taken with it, I never returned my copy (an original hardback in paperback size with the big "A" on the front) to the university library. I ended up paying the library $272 in back dues before the university would release my diploma. It was worth every cent.To create "A," Warhol followed and tape-recorded one Factory personality, Ondine, for 24 hours. Ondine was reportedly high on amphetamines at the time, so it was a full 24 hours involving no sleep. (Ondine was also a homosexual. He speaks graphically about homosexual sex often in "A" - that is why it was branded as pornographic in its day.) "A" is simply the transcription of those 24 hours worth of audio tape. Nothing more, nothing less. The women who were hired to transcribe the tapes reportedly got bored with their jobs and started typing the material in different layouts and formats. This formatting was left in the original book.
"A" is a collaborative work (Warhol, Ondine, Ondines associates, the typists). Its pre-post-modern, if you will. And it is a splendid artifact from its time. It shouldnt be described or experienced in the context of literature and novels. It is an art piece, like any of Warhols films. One does not compare the films "Empire State Building" or "Sleep" with "Sleepless in Seattle."
If you like being a fly on the wall, "A" will please you. Its like being there. Watch for references to the introduction of Pop Tarts and the release of the first James Bond flick. If you appreciate pop art and post-modernism, youll get even more out of the book.
If youre a Warhol/Factory officianado (like me), its great fun trying to decipher the real identities of the codenamed characters. Watch the film, "I Shot Andy Warhol" after reading "A." Much of the films dialogue and situations could easily have been culled from the book.
"A" is quintessential Warhol: pop art as historical record / historical record as pop art.
Best Read with Strobe Light and Pop Rocks
Its not Clancy its Warhol