Works
The First Book of Timothy
“An extraordinary piece of fiction. Kelley’s prose is alive to the fingertips: full of comic tonal shifts and a jazzy sense of what Wallace Stevens once called ‘the gaiety of language.’ Hardly a page goes by without an arresting image, and there are some deeply lyrical moments as well. It is one of those books that linger in the mind long after it is read.”
"I admire The First Book of Timothy a great deal. Robert Kelley is a remarkable novelist, one of the most exciting American writers that I have read for some time. His novel is full of echoes of great literary works – Gogol, Pynchon, Joyce, Svevo."
"I admire The First Book of Timothy a great deal. Robert Kelley is a remarkable novelist, one of the most exciting American writers that I have read for some time. His novel is full of echoes of great literary works – Gogol, Pynchon, Joyce, Svevo."
--Jay Parini, novelist, poet, literary critic, and biographer of Faulkner, Steinbeck and Frost [n.b. the film on the last days of Tolstoy, "The Last Station," was based on Parini’s novel of the same name; his novel about Herman Melville, The Passages of H.M., was published in 2010.]
The Mirage
"Robert Eaton Kelley’s novel, The Mirage*, is written in such a lively and involving way that I couldn't help but read and read, and I think that's his great gift. The texture of the prose is marvelous. And Kelley has such a very fetching protagonist in the mad Patrick. I love the Ireland stuff too. Bravo on a lively tale, mythic and mad, fully realized."
--Jay Parini, novelist, poet, literary critic, and biographer of Faulkner, Steinbeck and Frost [[n.b. the film on the last days of Tolstoy, "The Last Station," was based on Parini’s novel of the same name; his novel about Herman Melville, The Passages of H.M., was published in 2010.]
Shaman of the Green
"Robert Eaton Kelley's Shaman of the Green takes one on an extraordinary and thoroughly entertaining ride. His writings, which expertly explore the spirit and romance of the game, are in my humble opinion on a par with Michael Murphy and Steven Pressfield and the other great authors who have celebrated the game with their musings."
–Ben Wright, voice of golf for over 50 years, including columnist for London’s The Observer, Sunday Times, Golf World, The Financial Times, and Links Magazine; contributor to Time and Sports Illustrated; television commentator for CBS-TV, BBC, and ITV, and golf course designer
"Question: What is almost as good as playing golf when you are not playing golf? Reading Shaman of the Green by Robert Eaton Kelley is now the best answer. At first you are drawn to the landscape of his prose. But quickly, without realizing it, you are part of that landscape, part of the tales, the fantasies and the history of golf that Kelley weaves with words that draw and fade and run right up to that little hole in the ground, straight into your soul.”
"Robert Eaton Kelley’s Shaman of the Green invites us to ‘throw the ball’ up to the Golfing Gods and watch what they do with it . . . a fascinating journey into life. Always a thinker and grinder on the golf course and my lesson tee, Robert was filled with thirsty questions. His single-digit talent shined best when he 'set his mind aside' and simply savored the mystique of the game when playing."
“Robert Eaton Kelley’s ‘Shaman of the Green’ is a delightful account of a golfer’s pleasures and woes. I found it most interesting on many levels and believe this book should have a wide audience. As a golfer whose great-grandfather George Herbert Walker gave the Walker Cup, I especially appreciate the various incidents and adventures Kelley has described of a formidable and challenging game.”
--Andy Holden, BaseballDirect.com, Great-grandson of George Herbert Walker, co-founder of the Walker Cup, amateur competition between Great Britain/Ireland and U.S. since 1922.
–Ben Wright, voice of golf for over 50 years, including columnist for London’s The Observer, Sunday Times, Golf World, The Financial Times, and Links Magazine; contributor to Time and Sports Illustrated; television commentator for CBS-TV, BBC, and ITV, and golf course designer
"Question: What is almost as good as playing golf when you are not playing golf? Reading Shaman of the Green by Robert Eaton Kelley is now the best answer. At first you are drawn to the landscape of his prose. But quickly, without realizing it, you are part of that landscape, part of the tales, the fantasies and the history of golf that Kelley weaves with words that draw and fade and run right up to that little hole in the ground, straight into your soul.”
--Martin J. Sherwin, Pulitzer Prize winning co-author of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
"Robert Eaton Kelley’s Shaman of the Green invites us to ‘throw the ball’ up to the Golfing Gods and watch what they do with it . . . a fascinating journey into life. Always a thinker and grinder on the golf course and my lesson tee, Robert was filled with thirsty questions. His single-digit talent shined best when he 'set his mind aside' and simply savored the mystique of the game when playing."
--Bill Johnson, Hall of Fame golf coach, for 34 years Dartmouth College golf coach and dean of Ivy League golf coaches upon retirement in 2001; Inducted into the Golf Coaches of America Hall of Fame.
“Robert Eaton Kelley’s ‘Shaman of the Green’ is a delightful account of a golfer’s pleasures and woes. I found it most interesting on many levels and believe this book should have a wide audience. As a golfer whose great-grandfather George Herbert Walker gave the Walker Cup, I especially appreciate the various incidents and adventures Kelley has described of a formidable and challenging game.”
--Andy Holden, BaseballDirect.com, Great-grandson of George Herbert Walker, co-founder of the Walker Cup, amateur competition between Great Britain/Ireland and U.S. since 1922.