Why read The Set-Up?

Book cover of The Set-Up

Book description

Written in 1928, The Set-Up is a long narrative poem about the boxing underworld - a hard-boiled tragedy told in syncopated rhyming couplets. When the work was first published it made the bestseller list, and in 1949 it was turned into an award-winning film featuring Robert Ryan and Audrey Totter.…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Set-Up as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Yahya El-Droubie

Author

I originally read a tattered 1928 edition of The Set-Up three decades ago. It's a hard-boiled tragedy told in syncopated rhyming couplets. It is a brute of a novel and a lost literary gem that has left an indelible mark on me.

The story's enduring power was so great that in 1949, it was transformed into an award-winning film, a noir classic featuring the talents of Robert Ryan and Audrey Totter. It is great to see the book is back in print, accompanied by the striking illustrations of Dutch comic artist Erik Kriek.

Re-reading it, this boxing tale of…

From Yahya's 3 favorite reads in 2023.