Number 8 - Burning Boy - Paul Auster

 

Continuing the theme for this month of biographies, this is Paul Auster's massive tribute to the life and works of Stephen Crane.

I'll admit that I had no idea who Stephen Crane was before I picked this up (although I did know there was a book called Red Badge of Courage, it would have foxed me in a pub quiz if asked who wrote it). That ignorance is now well and truly shattered and Crane has been added to my reading list for later in the year (either in my new writers month or short fiction month).

Crane died heartbreakingly young at the age of 29 in 1900. He left behind a fair sized bibliography for a man so young. Auster goes into detail on the circumstances behind the most auspicious of these writings.

I will admit that the only reason I bought this was Paul Auster's name on the cover.  The sheer size of this book has been intimidating me in the months since I found in the sale section of my local Waterstones. For an idea of how big this book is, see the next photo, where this is the size of my previous three books combined.

This book is a love letter from Auster to one of his own literary heroes. Auster makes the case for Crane being the inventor of modernism in writing, and therefore responsible indirectly for so much current literature.

His love for the subject matter shines through on every page. there are so many facts and figures and quotes thrown at us that it becomes quite dense in places.  

The extracts from Crane's work, and the analyses of why they work is fascinating, and despite the density of the information, this is never a struggle to read and is never boring. Crane comes across as a naïve and occasionally foolish man in his private and financial affairs, but a genius when he has a pen in his hands.

One message that comes through loud and clear is how businessmen have always taken advantage of the innocence of new artists in any field, and the book serves as a cautionary tale in reading contracts.  Despite all the success Crane experienced as a writer, he made very little money from his work because of one bad contract after another.

Auster's prose is uncharacteristically dry, but, as I said, never boring. Despite knowing the outcome of the book, there was still an emotional charge when Crane's death (and his wife's) were described.

This is by far and away the longest piece of non-fiction I've ever read. It's a fascinating insight into the life of an important writer, even as he starts to sink into obscurity. Apparently Red Badge has been dropped from school curricula in the States, (and never has been required reading in the UK to my knowledge) and therefore a new generation of readers are missing out. 

Maybe this book will spark a new interest in his writing.  It has for me, definitely.  

Number 7 - Mr Breakfast - Jonathan Carroll

 

I know my theme for books this month is supposed to be biographies, but a new book by Jonathan Carroll trumps any rules I've set for myself.

Having said that, this doesn't deviate too far from my themed reading.

Biographies are books about lives.  This, although fictional, and fantastical, and magical, is about lives. It's about choices and the paths we go down. It's about what makes a person who they are.

Graham Patterson is, or rather was, a stand up comedian.  He's just realised he wasn't up to it though, and has recently quit. he also recently split with his soulmate and long time love. he's not on a good ebb at the moment.

On a whim he has a tattoo done which turns out not to be the most normal piece of ink ever drawn on someone's arm. As a result of the tattoo, he can now view his different lifelines, lifelines where the things dragging him down never happened. At some point he must choose which of the three lives he wants to live in permanently, at which point the tattoo will vanish and he'll have no memory of the choice.

He soon finds there are other side effects too... but that would be spoilers.

He returns to some old themes from his old books, but from a different perspective. There were definite shades of Black Cocktail in there a few times. There are Easter eggs for many of his previous books.  the Midnight films of Philip Strayhorn ore namechecked.  A character lives in a building designed by the architect lead character from Outside the Dog Museum. the writer from land of Laughs is referenced, we return to Cranes View... and so on.  he's built a full Stephen King type universe where everything is linked.

It's written in Carroll's usual elegant and hugely readable style, filled with observations and philosophical asides that add to rather than distract from the story.  It's totally unpredictable - and after 18 books, the fact that he still blindsides me every time is somewhat astounding - filled with wonder and magic and probably his best book in the last decade at least. I felt a little underwhelmed with the endings of his last two novels, but this one has no such flaws. It deserves a second reading already and would no doubt be equally rewarding, possibly more so.

I loved this unreservedly and I insist you all read it NOW!

It's available from all good booksellers so you have no excuse.

Number 6 - Things The Grandchildren Should Know - Mark Oliver Everett

 

Book 2 in my theme for this month of Biographies, and a massive improvement on the dullness that was the Years.

Mark Everett (aka E) is the son of Hugh Everett III the man who postulated the many-worlds theory of quantum physics. E is also the lead singer of one of my all time favourite bands - Eels.

This book details his life up to and including Eels's 5th album Blinking Lights.

It's a fascinating look into a life packed with more tragedy than you might expect to be possible. Yet E never asks for sympathy from the reader - but this particular reader found myself upset along with him as he described the deaths of his family.

He tells his story in a refreshing, no nonsense way. There are no bells and whistles to the writing.  He just tells us the key moments in his life that formed the man he has become, from his far from perfect childhood, through grief and loss as an adult, and his battle with depression. 

The story behind the writing of Electro Shock Blues was truly heartbreaking and that album has a whole new set of resonances since I read this book.

This is far from a misery memoir though. It's frequently funny and the whole book is shot through with life affirmation and hope for the future.

This was a reread for me. When I first bought it many years ago, i read 70 pages on the bus home from the shops, and finished it the next day.  This time around, I've read it in 2 days again.  It's one of the easiest and fastest reads I know. 

Yet despite the easiness of the reading (and easy reading is hard writing), this book will move you. It will make you laugh. it will make you cry and it will give you hope for your future.

Mark Everett has always written great lyrics.  In this book he proves he's a great writer.

Number 5 - The Years - Annie Ernaux

 

After three GBP books back to back, I needed to read something lowbrow. However my bookgroup[ choice was this. I'm not sure if it was this book that won the Nobel prize, or whether she just won it in general. But it certainly doesn't make for the lowbrow I needed.

This is Annie Ernaux's memoir of her life in France from birth in 1041 do the date of publication in  2006. Alongside her own life she also gives impressions and descriptions of France itself, it's politics and sociological movements.

All in all it could be fascinating, and many people think it is. two members of the book group agree with the quote on the back saying it's the greatest book they've ever read.

Personally, the subject matter didn't strike me intellectually, neither did the style of writing. It's written in a very removed manner. So far removed that there's zero emotional impact to the writing.  Combine that with my lack of intellectual engagement with this book and I found it all just a bit dull. At times it just seems to devolve into list after endless list of things, none of which I found intriguing or engaging.

There are a few books I've reviewed on this blog where I say how much I loved a book, but I could see how and why other people would hate it.  In this case, it's the other way around.  I will never pick up another book that she's written. I was so glad when I finished this.  it was one of those books where, when you put it down, you can't pick it up again. But i understand why other people rate it as highly as they do.

I can appreciate the skill in the writing, the occasional nice turn of phrase, and I understand the point of the book and where she was aiming with the way she wrote it. It just didn't resonate with me. A literary equivalent of "it's not you, it's me".

So, too sum up, skillfully written, but dull (IMHO - many people disagree).