Yo, Poe! and Other

Intentionally absurd juxtapositions and skillful parodies characterize these 20 sketches by New Yorker contributor Gannon, the title piece of which has Sylvester Stallone yearning to write and star in a film based on the life of Edgar Allan Poe. Equally diverting are Gannon's psychological analysis of Heathcliff, written in brooding Emily Bronte style, and a piece in which New Jersey corporate raiders, encamped at the Marriott Essex House, recall their exploits involving historic proxy fights, junk bonds, arbitrageurs and shareholders' protests before sallying forth to commit additional mayhem. Art and literature are also fodder for the mill as Gannon recounts the night a Great Books scholar took over Las Vegas and pays tribute to Picasso from the point of view of the artist's mailman and garbage collector. (June)