Terry Southern

The Magic Christian

"The Magic Christian" by Terry Southern is a comic novel published in 1959. It follows Guy Grand, an eccentric billionaire who devotes his fortune to staging elaborate practical jokes designed to prove one cynical theory: everyone has their price. From disrupting live television to contaminating luxury products to building walls around piles of money mixed with filth, Grand orchestrates increasingly outrageous schemes that test the limits of human dignity and greed. His ultimate prank unfolds aboard a luxury liner reserved exclusively for the super-rich.