11 Aug Celebrating students off the mat – The Ugly

Jiu Jitsu is often described as “chess with the body,” and with good reason. As developed by Helio Gracie, the art is intended to help the smaller, physically weaker man or woman defeat a stronger attacker. But if you strip away physical attributes, what’s left is the mind: technique, leverage, intelligence. It’s a thinking person’s combat art.

As a result, it’s been embraced by people who don’t fit with the stereotypes of the martial arts—people like playwright David Mamet, philosopher Sam Harris, comedian Joe Rogan, chef Anthony Bourdain, and many actors.

And because it requires trust and mindfulness all within the context of a stylized survival struggle, it forges very strong bonds. Students frequently refer to their club as their “jiu jitsu family.” From time to time we like to take a moment and celebrate the accomplishments of members of our own NVBJJ jiu-jitsu family:

One of our purple belts, Alexander Boldizar (or, as we call him, “Boldi”), is a member of the California bar, a graduate of Harvard Law School, and an author. His new novel, The Ugly, is being launched at the Fox Cabaret in Vancouver, BC, September 7, 7:00 to 10:00 pm. He’d like to invite you to join him for reading, conversation, video, music, and boulder throwing. And little sandwiches. He asked us to make sure not to forget to mention the little sandwiches.

The novel has received positive early reviews, and has been nominated for the Governor General’s Award in Literature, Canada’s highest writing award. Pulitzer-prize finalist Laila Lalami says, “The Ugly brims with intelligence and humor.” PEN Open Book Award winner Nina Swamidoss McConigley calls the book a “bold novel, original in its scope, story, and point of view. A wild ride that will leave you wanting more.” And former president of the American Psychiatric Association Alan Stone refers to the protagonist as “a modern day Beowulf.”

The story: Muzhduk the Ugli the Fourth is a 300-pound boulder-throwing mountain man from Siberia whose tribal homeland is stolen by an American lawyer out to build a butterfly conservatory for wealthy tourists. In order to restore his people’s land and honor, Muzhduk must travel to Harvard Law School to learn how to throw words instead of boulders. His anarchic adventures span continents, from Siberia to Cambridge to Africa, as he fights fellow students, Tuareg rebels, professors of law, dark magic, bureaucrats, heatstroke, postmodernists, and eventually time and space. A wild existential comedic romp, The Ugly tells the tale of a flawed and unlikely hero struggling against the machine that shapes the people who govern our world.

More information, including the first chapter (which was the Bread Loaf nominee to the Best New American Voices anthology), can be found on Boldizar’s author’s page: http://www.brooklynartspress.com/portfolio/the-ugly-by-alexander-boldizar. And an interview with Writer’s Bone touches on the background behind the book: http://www.writersbone.com/interviewsarchive/2016/7/7/never-quit-10-questions-with-author-alexander-boldizar

Finally, check out the short book trailer, which Boldizar filmed with the help of another NVBJJ purple belt, Alex Moore: THE UGLY VIDEO