The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing

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The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing is a novel written by Marilyn Durham which was first copywritten 1972. The novel utilizes much symbolism, and has been called by many famous scholars "one of the deepest books of our time" (Jene 18). The book is famous for the original forward which was written by Durham's greatest friend, Billy Bowman (after whom the protagonist is named). The forward to this American societal masterpiece-- which was, ironically, never realeased within the book due to the deepness of the matters it deals with-- frequently mentions "pawns" and "kings" within the "societal castle." This forward can be found in the newer copies of this book, though they have been greatly changed by newer editors to keep the forward from becoming banned altogether.

The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing reached fame when John Lennon first began to spread the knowledge it holds around to the public; it was rumored to have inspired The Beatles' widely (but formerly enigmaticly) symbolic song "Three Cool Cats," as well as the instrumental masterpiece known as "Cat Call," which was never released due to the controversy of the subliminal messages which The Beatles whispered underneath the sounds of the instruments. Lennon said in an interview in 1979 that it contained the secrets and truths of life which he had found through reading Durham's The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing.

The book ends with the crestfallen finding of a character named Willard Crocker's body, arms stretched upward, towards the Heavens. This famous passage is said to be the most controversial and symbolic part of this work of literature, and is deeply respected by avid readers and philosophers across the world.