Craig Schwartz is nearing the end of his string. A gifted street-puppeteer, he nevertheless finds that New York City has little use, or indeed tolerance, for his special talents. Worse, his ten-year marriage to Lotte, a workaholic pet-store employee, has turned stale. Then the nimble-fingered Craig lands a job as a filing clerk in an office building. There, he meets the bored, beautiful Maxine, but his attempts to woo her are smartly rebuffed. Rejected and dejected, Craig retreats into his work. One night, rummaging behind a filing cabinet, he comes upon a hidden passageway that leads straight into the mind of John Malkovich! The hapless Malkovich is not consulted, and quickly finds his body becoming a battleground as feuding lovers, not to mention paying customers start taking turns to see the world through his eyes.

This volume includes an introduction by Charlie Kaufman, in which he explains the genesis and gestation of this extraordinary, twisted and utterly hilarious fiction.