DO NOT DETONATE Without Presidential Approval by Wes Anderson

Inspirations for Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City: a collection of new and classic writing on mid-century cinema and the American West

** Includes an exclusive interview with Wes Anderson in which the director details how the pieces collected here influenced the characters, stories, and settings in the film **

Featuring 8 newly commissioned pieces alongside more than 20 classic essays from the likes of François Truffaut and Jonas Mekas, DO NOT DETONATE explores key influences on celebrated director Wes Anderson’s new film Asteroid City. Together they form a detailed, captivating portrait of the mid-century film world and the enduring myths of the American West.

A Conversation Between Wes Anderson and Jake Perlin
A Life excerpt – Elia Kazan
The Celluloid Brassière – Andy Logan
Rainy Day – Lillian Ross
The Outskirts: Other Men’s Women – Gina Telaroli
The Petrified Forest – Jorge Luis Borges
Ace in the Hole: Noir in Broad Daylight – Molly Haskell
What Makes a Sad Heart Sing: Some Came Running – Michael Koresky
One False Start, Never Wear the Same Dress Twice – Durga Chew-Bose
Maigret at the Coroner’s excerpt – Georges Simenon
Sunbelt Noir: Desert Fury – Imogen Sara Smith
The Voyage Down and Out: Inferno – Kent Jones
Bad Day Near The River’s Edge – Nicolas Saada
Watching Fail Safe at the End of the World – K. Austin Collins
Black Desert, White Desert – Serge Toubiana
Marilyn Monroe and the Loveless World – Jonas Mekas
Beyond the Stars – Jeremy Bernstein      
Coming: “Nashville” – Pauline Kael
Coming Around the Mountain: Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Matt Zoller-Seitz
Selections from Close Encounters of the Third Kind Diary – Bob Balaban
Introduction to Small Change: A Film Novel – François Truffaut
By The Time I Get to Phoenix – Thora Siemsen
My Guy – Hilton Als
Wild to the Wild – Sam Shepard

Story Locale: Broadway, Hollywood, and the American West

Wes Anderson was born in Houston, Texas. His films include Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs and The French Dispatch. His latest film is Asteroid City.

Author Residence: Paris, France

Author Hometown: Houston, Texas