OK, since my sleeping is all messed up right now due to trying to adjust to an insane work schedule (my body just isn't meant to be awakened around 5 AM every morning!) after a week off, here's a little post to tide you over until I can write the Calvino and Monette reviews later this week. Below you will see several authors. Name if you can any books that you are aware of (don't use search engines!) and any of those that you have read. Perhaps this will lead to some new discoveries for all participating.
1. David Albahari
2. Amanda Michalopoulou
3. Banana Yoshimoto
4. Richard Parks
5. J.G. Ballard
6. David Anthony Durham
7. Sarah Hall
8. George MacDonald
9. Jay Lake
10. Peter Beagle
11. Angela Carter
12. Charlotte Lennox
13. Dino Buzzati
14. Enrico Palazzo
There, that ought to be enough. Curious to know how familiar people are with these people and if there are books by them that I too might need to investigate. But now, I'm going to try and sleep again after crashing for 6 hours this afternoon/evening. Joy.
Eclectic and striving never to follow paths into ruts, the OF Blog focuses on essays, reviews, interviews, and other odds and ends that might be of interest to fans of both literary and speculative fiction. Now with a cute owl for your enjoyment.
3. Banana Yoshimoto
ReplyDeleteBrownout On Breadfruit Avenue?
5. J.G. Ballard
I've read all his short fiction and all of his novels, except:
Super Cannes
Millenium People
Kingdom Come
7. Sarah Hall
The Carhullan Army
The Elctric Michaelangelo
8. George MacDonald
Is this the Flashman bloke?
9. Jay Lake
Mainspring
(He did one about a colour but I can think of is In Blue's Waters.)
10. Peter Beagle
The Last Unicorn
11. Angela Carter
Collected Folk Tales
Nights At The Circus
6. David Anthony Durham: Acacia: The War with the Mein (not read, couldn't get past the first couple chapters. Way too much Martin rip-off IMHO)
ReplyDelete8. George MacDonald: I've read Lilith & Phantastes (in a Dutch translation). I don't know whether it was poor translation, but I wasn't really impressed by either of those.
Beside those two I have heard of The Princess and the Goblin, and The Princess and the Curdie.
10. Peter Beagle: The Last Unicorn is staring me in the face in your poll, but other than that, I've never even heard of Beagle.
11. Angela Carter: I've heard her name, but can't recall any titles by her.
Enrico Palazzo? From "The Naked Gun"?
ReplyDeleteSeriously now, I've read a lot of Ballard (at least 5 novels and many short-stories). I've also read -and taught- some Dino Buzzati stories, but could never get into "The Tartar Steppe".
Oops, I haven't read The Kindness Of Women either.
ReplyDelete(I just Googled Jay Lake and I am kicking myself...)
5. J.G. Ballard
ReplyDeleteCrash; The Atrocity Exhibit; Collected Short Stories, V2
6. David Anthony Durham
Acacia
9. Jay Lake
Mainspring
Escapement
Trial of Flowers
and a variety of short stories
10. Peter Beagle
The Last Unicorn
11. Angela Carter
The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman
3. Banana Yoshimoto
ReplyDeleteSplitting Strawberries
5. J.G. Ballard
The Drowned World
Hello America
6. David Anthony Durham
Acacia: The War with the Mein
Acacia: The Other Lands
8. George MacDonald
Phantastes
Lilith
9. Jay Lake
Trial of Fowers
Escapement
Mainspring
10. Peter Beagle
A Fine and Private Place
The Last Unicorn
11. Angela Carter
The Bloody Chamber
14. Enrico Palazzo
The Umpire Operetta – The True Life Story of the Singing Umpire
4. Richard Parks wrote The Long Look, following a short story which forms the first big chunk of it. I really enjoyed it -- a better-than-average fairy tale with lots of twists. I think it made Locus's list of best first novels this year.
ReplyDelete5. J.G. Ballard has written much, of which I've read little, if anything. Wasn't he mostly responsible for the book or short story or novella, whatever, that became the movie "Crash" with Holly Hunter? Not the one that won the Academy Award, but the much darker, stranger one, about people who love watching car crashes. We've got The Crystal World, Terminal Beach and Vermilion Sands in our library.
6. David Anthony Durham wrote Acacia, which is sitting on my bedside table awaiting my attention right now. Gotta read it before the sequel comes out!
7. George McDonald wrote some classics of fantasy, including Phantastes: A Fairie Romance, which has been sitting, unread, in our library for years.
9. Jay Lake is one of those guys whose books appeal to me tremendously, but whom I haven't gotten around to reading yet. We own Mainspring, Escapement, and Trial of Flowers; Trial of Madness (I think that's what it's called and Green (again, I think that's the title) are both on my wishlist for when they're published. All I need is time.
10. I've read so much Peter Beagle it's hard to know where to start. He's best known for The Last Unicorn, but I think I actually like A Fine and Private Place better. I also really like The Innkeeper's Song, and I liked The Folk of the Air more than most people seemed to. I just pulled The Rhinoceros who Quoted Nietzsche off the shelf because I've always loved that title but have never gotten around to reading the book -- your post gave me a nudge.
11. Angela Carter is my last from your list -- another one I've read only a little bit of, but own plenty of. (I'm saving up for my retirement, honest. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.) She's probably best known for The Bloody Chamber. Don't know why I haven't gotten to her yet; I love retold fairy tales, and I think that's a lot of what she does, if I understand correctly.
I know I've heard of Banana Yoshimoto, but I don't remember what she (she?) has written. And Martin reminds me that Sarah Hall has written The Carhullan Army, which I have heard of, but being reminded by a commenter doesn't count, does it?
I always learn from you -- and you always make me feel ignorant. I have a feeling if I gave you my own list you'd know everyone on it, but I'm going to try anyway:
1. Rivka Galchen
2. Steven Millhauser
3. John Langan
4. Laird Barron
5. Jack O'Connell
6. Catherynne Valente
7. Tanith Lee
8. Leena Krohn
9. Holly Phillips
10. Ysabeau S. Wilce
I only know n.3, n.5 and n.13 of whom I read as a child "The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily" (I still remember the book cover) and of course "The Desert of the Tartars".
ReplyDeleteI have not heard about 2, 12 and 14 until now.
ReplyDeleteOf the rest I read Tartar Steppe, Mr. Durham's Pride of Carthage and of course Acacia, Jay Lake lots of cool short fiction though the novels never connected with me so far, hope Green will since I loved the ss on which is based, Richard Parks which I found Long Look so *not* on my taste to be polite, while from the rest I sampled some work but never got into seriously.
To add a list of authors I like but do not see discussed a lot in the circles I move online:
1. John Barth
2. Howard Norman
3. Andrew Crumey
4. Gwyneth Jones
5. Andrei Makine
6. William Vollman
7. Robert Irwin
I'll name you what i've read
ReplyDelete- Peter Beagle - The Last Unicorn
- Dino Buzzati - A derrocada da Baliverna, O deserto dos Tártaros, O segredo do Bosque Velho, Os sete mensageiros and Pânico no Scala.
I tried to google the buzzati's books to find their english name... but i think the majority was not translated... :S
So much for researching your picks in order to broaden my horizons. Enrico Palazzo?
ReplyDeleteJ.G Ballard
ReplyDeleteThe Atrocity Exhibition
Crash
David Anthony Durham
Acacia
And his other two(?) books that I haven't gotten around to yet. Just can't remember the names.
George MacDonald
Lilith
You mentioned it in passing some time last year and then I found it in a used book store. Lovely book.
Jay Lake
Mainspring
I've read a bunch of his short fiction, which vary in quality but is enjoyable.
4/14? I have some people to look up, it seems!
Enrico Palazzo does not ring a bell...
ReplyDelete