WHAT'S WITH BAUM? by Woody Allen

For the better part of his ninety years, Woody Allen has been writing withering simulacra of himself. Nebbish. Paranoid. Obsessive. Hilarious. It will come as no surprise, then, that in this - his first novel - Allen’s protagonist is… well… you know. Of course, 2025 Woody Allen is worlds apart from Annie Hall Woody Allen. A lot of water has passed under the bridge, much of it filled with sewerage. Which makes it all the more remarkable that What’s With Baum? is vintage, top-tier Allen.

Baum is a failed writer in a failing marriage forced to watch the meteoric rise of his stepson in the literary world. When a journalist takes an interest in his oeuvre he does what any Allen schmuck would do - he hits on her. Well, there goes his career. And that’s just the start of it. When he discovers that his stepson’s National Book Award nominated supernova is actually plagiarised he sets a course for comeuppance and, ultimately, disaster. The whole thing is top-notch farce and I was frequently laughing out loud. Sure, Woody is on the nose and settling scores. But damned if he’s not a comic genius.

Guess I’m off to shower now.

What’s With Baum? by Woody Allen
Post Hill Press, 2025
150 pages