They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They is a novel that speaks to our times: we are inundated with reality shows, where fame and fortune, tragedy and despair are brought to us on a whim and often in the public eye. The public’s livelihoods and fates are broadcast for the world to see, and this sells.

The basis for this story is concerning the promotion of a dance marathon during the Great Depression. The winner is promised cash and free food. And, unlike the many reality shows we see today, there is a realness and desperation to this contest that is quite grotesque, disturbing and bizarre. They Shoot Horses, Don’t They is very existential; it has a deeper layer of meaning beyond its basis and simple plot. Desperate times call for desperate measures, even if it is in the form of a dance marathon.

Horace McCoy was an American writer wrote hardboiled fiction set during the Great Depression. His best-known novel is They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? which was published in 1935. A peer of Woolwich, Cain and Hammett, Horace McCoy is currently enjoying something of a renaissance.

Ficção / Literatura Estrangeira / Romance