DeLillo, DeLillo, DeLillo, and some other things
I wrote, in a previous post, that "Don DeLillo is, without question, the greatest living novelist." I am not really sure if that is true, but I can say that he is in my personal top 5. This was confirmed for me again after reading Cosmopolis, although I will say that I have enjoyed some of his other books better. His masterpiece, White Noise, is so complex that it is like reading an encrypted sociological treatise. Underworld is simply a novel about everything, a novel so completely formed that the first thing I wanted to do when I finished it was read it again. It is long, dense, and fascinating.
The trouble is, it is difficult to move on. After DeLillo, many novels seem anemic. I am hoping that David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas will not pale too much in comparison.
Fractured penis?
I thought it was all muscle. A man lost a court case against his ex-girlfriend when she fractured his penis during sex. Seriously, You can read about it here.
May 18th
Today is International day of the internet and International day of Museums, and Visit Your Relatives Day. Just thought you'd like to know.
Technorati Tags: Don DeLillo, Cosmopolis, reading, penis
6 comments:
DeLillo troubles me. Mostly because I think he's terribly over-rated and I'm supposed to go to bad taste hell for that. I did find Underworld fascinating, but (and no, it had nothing to do with the length) it was the premise that was fascinating. The writing and the characters I found to be flat. Okay, bring on the fury.
Thanks for telling me about the holidays! Hmm, won;t be able to do the museum or relative one today!
No fury. I respect people with firmly held positions, and you have read him, so I can't say aything to change your mind, except that if you want to try him again, I recommend White Noise, if you haven't already read it. I will say that I find some of his dialogue to be unbelievable. Sometimes, it does not jive with the characters. It's almost like DeLillo taking.
My partner loves DeLillo, so I have tried umpteen times to read him. I cannot. My eyes absolutely glaze over. I have tried several different novels of his, including trying White Noise three separate times. I find him absolutely unreadable. Like someone making a speech, posting thoughts on a billboard, and pretending that's a novel.
Now that Saul Bellow is dead, my pick for greatest living novelist... I might have said Toni Morrison, but she's been so disappointing for years now. I might have said Cormac McCarthy, if he would stop repeating himself. William Kennedy, maybe? Margaret Atwood? I guess that's my short list of greatests still living.
Very nice blog, btw. I found you through G.
Martin Amis is a good one too.
You know, I have not read Martin Amis at all. I will, though.
A.L. Kennedy is also very good.
I am sad that there'll never again be a new Saul Bellow novel. But he did give us so much.
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