Ferdydurke by Witold Gombrowicz

TITLE: Ferdydurke
AUTHOR: Witold Gombrowicz
READ: November
THOUGHTS: This book....well, it's complicated. I really loved Gombrowicz in Pornografia, though if I remember correctly, that book wasn't exactly a page turner either. The last 80 or so pages of this book were kind of a struggle to get through. I feel like I have been reading this book for weeks (finished it last night). The 'zaniness' of Gombrowicz here is focusing a little more on the social realm than as a narrative device (which I thought was the central focus of Pornografia, like Humbert Humbert in Lolita). I remember reading (or hearing) a comparisson to Candide, and I think that is apt, in that Candide for me, despite its moments of humor, intelligence, etc. amounts to a bildsgrundroman centered around a single joke, that it makes over and over again. Candide has the good fortune of only being about 70 pages, whereas this book is close to 300. I felt that the thematic conceit of this book started to stretch itself a little thin toward the end. There was also something about this book that seemed 'dated': like the 'main joke' here seems to be the reversal of stupid binaries among people, specifically young and old, and the collapsing of established hierarchies in adult society, but given that this was written in the 30's and I am reading this close to 80 years after its publication, it seems like the joke of this book isn't too scandalous in the world I live in. I still like Gombrowicz a whole lot and intend to read the other two novels I haven't read, and maybe one day read the Diaries. Not sure when. So, uhh, final verdict: still love Gombrowicz, but was slightly disappointed (and sort of frustrated) with this book.

The Maker by Jorge Luis Borges

TITLE: The Maker
AUTHOR: Jorge Luis Borges
READ: November
THOUGHTS: Remembering starting to read this out of nowhere because I felt depressed and thought that Borges would lift my spirits...it worked! Borges is just...I don't know, I feel like I can't even quite fully articulate why I think he is one of my favorite authors, quite possibly my favorite (!!). These short pieces are all very memorable, all written with the Borgesian penache, fluidity of style, bookwormism (all things I admire!). Will probably read the rest of the Borges ouerve in the next two months or so. Some of my favorite stories here (and elsewhere) read like a mixture of essays on theology, philosophy, mystical poetic aspirations, and expeditions into voids in time, memory, history, etc. Really like his focus on writing invented biographical information on the artists of antiquity or whatever. If I had to make a softball team out of 20th century writers I think I would appoint Borges as the coach.

Leaving The Atocha Station by Ben Lerner

TITLE: Leaving The Atocha Station
AUTHOR: Ben Lerner
READ: Novemember
THOUGHTS: Hmm...this book....what did I think...hmm...Going to write this 'thoughts' section differently....I think! Alright so the cover: definitely sucks. I found the large-page layout of this book disconcerting at first not gonna lie!! Makes me feel like I have to do more work because I'm reading more per page. What's that about huh...the back cover: realized (have always known) that I seriously hate author photos more than anything I think. If I ever put my photo on a book I think I would prefer to put a picture of me as a child holding a Gameboy or maybe just like naked, not sure! Surprised that they got John Ashberry to blurb about this book. Paul Auster also blurbed about this. I spoke to Paul Auster on the phone for ~15 seconds when I was interning at New Directions because he wanted to talk to someone. Think I might have said something weird!! Or at least awkward. It was cool to talk to him. Talking to him on the phone made me feel like getting Paul Auster to blurb your book is probably pretty easy, or at least doable, whereas John Ashberry just exists for me as this sort of like weird mythic weirdo poet. Don't really know if I've ever formed a serious opinion on John Ashberry...really love Koch/O'Hara and other NY School people...it seems like I would love JA....maybe I should check that guy out again....remember his poetry being a little too opaque for my tastes....maybe I should change my thoughts on what I think is good huh!!! Not sure about that. This book, what I think: definitely a lot that I liked about it. It was very readable, went through it in like two days. I think the analogy I came up for this book, though (it will not be a kind analogy!!), is that its like a record that you buy that only has two songs on it, and you like the songs, but are kinda bummed that there are only two songs. By this I mean: the questions/perspectives on art (whatever) that this narrator interweaves between the narrative (and within the narrative) are questions that are interesting to me, because I guess I am humongous idiot that cares about art or whatever, but I felt as if this book had like two "philosophical points" it was trying to make about art that it reiterated in so many ways and events that it began to feel heavy handed -- though heavy handed isn't the right phrase, this book has a very light touch! Ben Lerner definitely knows how to write in a very engaging way know what I am saying! Never felt a smidgen of boredom or not wanting to read it. Oh and also, while I am someone who I think never really cares about characters too much (with rare exceptions...uh...The Wire...Bolano...stuff...) I felt incredibly irritated with this protagonist, and while this is clearly a desired effect of the author, he never really seems to redeem himself in any way for me that made me feel that whatever philosophical pronouncement he was making was tinged with my knowledge that the character is this douchy intellectual asshole and I definitely don't like those types of people know what I'm saying!! Generally enjoyed this book a good amount, would recommend it to people, really made me want to go to Spain, which has already been a very large desire of mine for some time (will it ever happen?? huh?? will I just live in my mom's house forever?? what's up?? damn, I just ate some fried chicken before writing this and, given that I don't normally eat greasy foods I think it is having some sort of transformative effect re: my perspective on life...nothing feels overly serious...what the H). Bye!!!!!

The Marbled Swarm by Dennis Cooper

TITLE: The Marbled Swarm
AUTHOR: Dennis Cooper
READ: November
THOUGHTS: Damn, this one was a doozy for real. Really excited/glad that DC changed things up re: prose style/general approach on this one. I think structurally it most resembles Period, or some sort of Robbe-Grillet aesthetic, in that there is a recurring looping structure, colluding of different narratives with several key points from other narratives (within the text), etc. After finishing immediately felt that I needed to re-read it again. I really loved it.

The Story of the Eye by Georges Bataille

TITLE: The Story of the Eye
AUTHOR: Georges Bataille
READ: October - November
THOUGHTS: Lewd! But that is to be expected. I really enjoyed reading this. I like the clarity of the prose style, still sort of obliquely moving along and jettisoning conventionally important plot-related things (perhaps the 'obscured periphery' involved in an ocular analogy would do well in relating to the way Bataille writes the story...). I like the juvenille/immature way that desire creates this umbrella over everything in life (sex, piss/shit, violence, love, fear, etc.). Think I will be buying some of his non-fiction/'philosophy' writings soon, though I am very interested in reading more of his fiction.

Guide by Dennis Cooper

TITLE: Guide
AUTHOR: Dennis Cooper
READ: October
THOUGHTS: V. cool as usual! Starting to loose steam w/r/t this blog...maybe not...I don't know...just take whatever I have said about other DC books, which is not something that is interesting nor original, and augment those judgments w/ "formally growing closer to the kind of territory he goes into in 'Period', which is my favorite DC book, so that makes this one up there for me, too." Ordered The Marbled Swarm today, very excited to read that!

Fatale by Jean-Patrick Manchette

TITLE: Fatale
AUTHOR: Jean-Patrick Manchette
READ: October
THOUGHTS: Picked this up on a whim at the library because I had seen the cover before and because I trust NYRB. Also wanted to read something a little different re: the stuff I usually read (this being a crime-noir-femme-fatale type thing). Expected more out of it. I enjoyed reading it throughout, but I sort of was hoping that it was going to be uhhh 'heftier'? More insipred? I don't know. I thought most of it was well written, with the exception of some slighty-verging-on-ridiculous and/or implaussable scenes (since this book is presenting itself as a realist noir I don't feel bad holding it to those standards (!), etc.). Glad I read it, will most likely completely forget I ever read this book in about a year.

The Zone by Sergei Dovlatov

TITLE: The Zone
AUTHOR: Sergei Dovlatov
READ: October
THOUGHTS: Liked this one a lot, though not as much as 'The Suitcase.' Again the Dovlatov voice being the thing that really holds it all together, along w/ the moral relativity that is rendered very movingly, interestingly, funnily, etc. A few scenes stand out much stronger than the rest. Think I might take a break w/ Dovlatov but I will probably end up reading all of his other stuff, too.

The Leviathan by Joseph Roth

TITLE: The Leviathan
AUTHOR: Joseph Roth
READ: October
THOUGHTS: Can't think of any other word to describe this book other than 'delightful.' Roth's prose, pacing, and story has a very whimsical characteristic to it, though there is also slight traces of irony/playfulness, other stuff, etc. I think the movement of the text -- using a sort of 'cursory' fairy-tale kind of set-up to keep it going pretty quickly, pausing slightly here and there for little morsels/details -- is the most interesting thing about this book. I really enjoyed it, and want to read more Roth, whom I like more than other Roths I think, heee heee. Very nice.

The Museum of Eterna's Novel (The First Good Novel) by Macedonio Fernández

TITLE: The Museum of Eterna's Novel (The First Good Novel)
AUTHOR: Macedonio Fernández 
READ: Sept-Oct
THOUGHTS: Was really really excited to read this. Hooked me w/ concept alone: novel with 50+ prologues plus main novel about "characters" living in a place called "La Novela" (nyuck). The playfulness in this book is a bit out of control, though it can be very appealing/funny/interesting. I think this might be one of those "more interesting to think/talk about than read" kind of things ultimately, because getting through this whole book was pretty difficult at times; a large portion of it is Fernández talking about being vs. nothingness, his ideas on fiction, love, phenomenology, etc. Still way ahead of its time (mostly written in 30's/40's) and a very interesting example of a novel with an overwhelmingly metafictional aesthetic attempting to address very important (though conventional) questions about life and shit. A very inspirational book, really would like to read more about his life/other works. (Also wonder if anything has been lost on me due to my lack of knowledge re: Argentine literary scene during the 30's and 40's).

Patriotism by Yukio Mishima

TITLE: Patriotism
AUTHOR: Yukio Mishima
READ: October
THOUGHTS: I thought this book was incredibly powerful; I really loved it. I haven't read Mishima in probably years now, and I had completly forgotten how he wrote, really. While I am never a fan of flowerlyness/sustained elevated diction, I found his writing here to be incredibly apt/forceful re: the emotional crux of the text, which is ritual suicide. The way that he subsumes the nexus of sex, pain, duty, humiliation, despair, etc under the idealogy of Japanese nationalism/patriotism is super intense, and almost mystifying -- I sort of felt like I was floating through a bizare folk tale the entire time. Really made me want to read (and reread) some more Mishima.

Montano's Malady by Enrique Vila-Matas

TITLE: Montano's Malady
AUTHOR: Enrique Vila-Matas
READ: October
THOUGHTS: I have been delaying writing on here mostly because of this book -- I don't really know what to say about it besides that I really loved it and that it was very powerful/moving for me, because Vila-Matas' conception of literature, and what/how literature 'can be' is very close to my own (of course comparatively incipient) ideas/feelings. I feel like anything that I say about this book will be stupid in comparison to its actual brilliance -- like, for example, I feel like this book understands the 'conceit' of metafiction not as something 'simply' signalling its own self-concsioussness/irony, but as using that self-consciousness as a catapult for engaging in the spectre of history and tradition in an incredible (-ly hilarious, heartfelt, deft, learned) way. I wish I was more fluent in Spanish because I would go out and read everything he has written.

Eat When You Feel Sad by Zachary German

TITLE: Eat When You Feel Sad
AUTHOR: Zachary German
READ: October
THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed this book. Probably one of my favorite uses of the ultra concrete/literal/minimal style that is used commonly today. Since I read this book in one sitting (also: I am sick) and the sentences repeat a similar grammatical structure (subject-verb-object or something), the sentences started to feel kind of strange and alienating, despite the appearance of being salient and/or translucent. I guess that kind of reminded me of Grillet. I think the quick/continual movement of events in the text had this slow sort of emotional impact that I didn't expect. On the back of the book it says that Tao Lin calls it strangely avant-garde and accessible at the same time, I would agree. Coooool.

Spent by Joe Matt

TITLE: Spent
AUTHOR: Joe Matt
READ: October
THOUGHTS: The prospect of reading a graphic novel about a 30-something loser who watches porn all day was very appealing to me but I don't think I liked this that much. A lot of shitty dialog/heavy-handed exposition kind of thing. I liked the last section a bit more (it was uhh 'meta'). I would like to read more about masturbation/porn addicts/creeps and how they hate themselves or something.

Hurt Others by Sam Pink

TITLE: Hurt Others
AUTHOR: Sam Pink
READ: September
THOUGHTS: Enjoyed this one a bunch, too. I would say maybe about 30%-40% of the stories in here were sort of forgettable, or felt like 'Sam Pink exercises,' while the rest I really liked, which I think for a short story collection is a good ratio. The memorable ones here deal with everyday weirdness re: something 'specific' (babysitting, playing a boardgame w/ your soon to be ex-gf naked, getting drunk at a party and hating yourself, etc.) in strange and funny ways. The more I read Sam Pink the more his style seems to me like a more absurd/concrete/literal Midwest Thomas Bernhard, except with all of the scorn and anxiety either directed toward the narrator himself or to nothing in particular, I guess just 'the world.' Maybe Bernhard isn't really that accurate, I dunno!

Purgatory by Raúl Zurita

TITLE: Purgatory
AUTHOR: Raúl Zurita
READ: September
THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed this book of poems, and was almost certain that Zurita was used as inspiration for Bolano in his own works (specifically the sky-writing poems). These poems are very heavy; they establish a tone of confusion, tenderness, and desperation that grows exaggerated as the book progresses. Everything becomes a bit more dark and obscure. The religious imagery was closer to an Eckheartian mysticism than any sort of promulgation of conventional Catholicism, despite the Dante title; the central images are deserts, the empty sky, etc. Really neat.

The Suitcase by Sergei Dovlatov

TITLE: The Suitcase
AUTHOR: Sergei Dovlatov
READ: September
THOUGHTS: Picked this up out of nowhere and was blown away. Really, really loved this. I can't believe I haven't heard of this guy before. This is really more a collection of short stories than a novel, but what makes this work is Dovlatov's voice, which after only reading a few sentences was already incredibly engaging, hilarious, and unique. This book made me laugh out loud several times. I was also really impressed by his deft/economical sentence construction -- a very light touch! The voice reminded me a bit of a slightly more comical Bolano: the imposed self-irony, helplessness/fatalism-as-humor, seeming ambivalence re: being a 'writer,' etc. I even found his little anti-Communist remarks more endearing than 'political' or anything that would take itself too seriously. Would recommend this to everyone. Will probably be reading more of him in the near future.

The No Hellos Diet by Sam Pink

TITLE: The No Hellos Diet
AUTHOR: Sam Pink
READ: September
THOUGHTS: Really liked this. I think S. Pink 'steps up' the thing that he is pursuing w/ this one. The use of the second person is both impressive to me and well used. The narration style seems to be more of the same, w/ the 'absurd' thoughts/hypotheticals toned down a bit, which I think is for the better, because the aimlessness, shittyness, and 'despair-as-humor' works just as well without them. What I really liked was the very obvious (yet somehow implicit) interaction b/w the main character, which here I presume is really someone incredibly similiar to Sam Pink, and people that are not white and have come from suburbs. Someone should probably write about that.

Trout Fishing In America by Richard Brautigan

TITLE: Trout Fishing In America
AUTHOR: Richard Brautigan
READ: September
THOUGHTS: Could not get into this at all. Read only about half of it and put it down. Something about this book was incredibly unappealing and uninteresting to me; I really enjoyed In Watermelon Sugar a lot more. The qualities of Brautigan's prose that I didn't like in IWS were just more exacerbated here, and along w/ it a focus on abstract mini-narratives about fishing or some other bullshit. Maybe I could get into this at some other point in my life but not now.

Exercises In Style by Raymond Queneau

TITLE: Exercises In Style
AUTHOR: Raymond Queneau
READ: September
THOUGHTS: Enjoyed this book immensely; thought it was hilarious/very interesting/smart. The gist of this book is that a very banal and uninteresting story is repeated 99 times through different manipulations of language, narrative, and perspective. I think this, to me, is so effective because the story itself is lacking any sort of moral component, therefore lending to the variations the brunt of focusing on the 'writing' as opposed to anything else. It also works because Queneau is a really gifted writer with a deft ear. I went through this book in about two hours, and the more I read the less I began to pay attention to the story and the more I began to notice the ease and familiarity w/ which Queneau inhabited the recurring tropes of very disparate styles. I couldn't really get into the 'permutation' variations, or any of the ones that read like gibberish, but I mostly enjoyed this book greatly and will probably re-read it multiple times.