American Badass (13 Hands Publications, Sept. 25th, 2009; $34.95 hardcover) is a stunning photo journey of Michael Madsen's iconic and cinematic history interspersed with his Bukowski style poetry selections. In a recent statement from Budapest, where Madsen is currently filming Magic Boys, Madsen commented, "I like to combine writing with photographs. As time goes by, these things will make there way all over the world. An actor is alone without an audience and so is a writer without a reader. At this point in my life, I'm lucky to have both and I hope everyone will enjoy the book."
Madsen's first professionally published book, Burning in Paradise, won the Independent Firecracker Award in 1998. The Complete Poetic Works of Michael Madsen, Vol. I: 1995-2005, which was published by 13 Hands Publications in 2005, is a complete ten year volume and compilation of his work and has sold out worldwide. He has since chronicled his life and travels as an actor and photographer in Signs of Life (2006) and in 2008 Michael gained international attention when his first book Burning In Paradise was translated in Norwegian language. He has since then been invited to Italy and Mexico as a poet. It is both noteworthy and ironic that Michael Madsen was recently the guest of honor in Portugal for the Festroia Film Festival where he was awarded the prestigious Gold Dolphin award with the evening culminating in a ceremony of a plague that will be placed next to legendary screen rebel Robert Mitchum (one of Madsen's screen idols and is often compared to). Michael Madsen continues to turn in edge-of-the-
