Denis Johnson to Serialize Follow-up to Tree of Smoke in Playboy

Denis Johnson's follow-up to Tree of Smoke, the National Book Award-winning Vietnam novel, will be serialized in 10,000 word excerpts in Playboy over the course of four months starting in July. The book, described as a Chandlerish noir set out west, will be published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in fall 2009.

The reclusive Mr. Johnson says in a press release: "I’ve always admired Charles Dickens who wrote big, involved novels in monthly installments, and I wanted to find out what it was like. It’s a little nerve-racking.”