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towercity's review against another edition
5.0
this novel is swollen with corruption. written by a man who seems to idolize artistic greats, it details the shortcomings of his heroes; their failures, their mistakes, the most evil things they have done; then it lists how they have died. it's the literary equivalent of disappointment
asililydying's review against another edition
3.75
all things must come to an end; tradition, life, celebrity, plot, character, truth, et cetera et cetera
hm29168's review against another edition
4.0
When I got to the third page and read "Plotless. Characterless. // Yet seducing the reader into turning the pages nonetheless", I knew I had to keep reading.
Overall, it's a bunch of meta nonsense, list of writer deaths, comments of writers about other writers, and anecdotes. Partway through the book, I realized that part of the reason that I was so enraptured by it was because 1) it was a trivia book and 2) I was getting the references and laughing at them. Definitely could read as rather pretentious, but as someone who likes books and self-reference, it was alright.
Overall, it's a bunch of meta nonsense, list of writer deaths, comments of writers about other writers, and anecdotes. Partway through the book, I realized that part of the reason that I was so enraptured by it was because 1) it was a trivia book and 2) I was getting the references and laughing at them. Definitely could read as rather pretentious, but as someone who likes books and self-reference, it was alright.
justahappyreader's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.0
eliasjzurita's review against another edition
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
arenizu's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
pbobrit's review against another edition
4.0
To quote the blurb on the back of the book: An author called only "Writer" is said to be "weary unto death of making up stories", not to mention inventing characters or contemplating plot or setting or theme - and yet is determined to seduce the reader into turning pages and "getting somewhere".
This book is strangely brilliant, my first encounter with this author (and hopefully my last). This could be classed as meta-fiction or meta-literature because of the form it takes and the way it plays with structure but the genius of the book is that whilst it is this free wheeling experiment in writing it is also a complete page turner. I started it last night and only put it down because of tiredness, but got up this morning and finished it off. Definitely worth reading.
This book is strangely brilliant, my first encounter with this author (and hopefully my last). This could be classed as meta-fiction or meta-literature because of the form it takes and the way it plays with structure but the genius of the book is that whilst it is this free wheeling experiment in writing it is also a complete page turner. I started it last night and only put it down because of tiredness, but got up this morning and finished it off. Definitely worth reading.
jung's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
hm.
A quick read. There's not much to really say about a book that is not a book, per-se. A book recites how famous artists, philosophers, and scientists died. Like a list.
I guess it seems as if Markson was running into writer's block, and this was his solution. I'm not necessarily opposed to it, and think that the idea here, of trying to create a novel that is effectively not a novel, has merit. Similar to Literally Show Me a Healthy Person by Darcie Wilder or The Interogative Mood by Padgett Powell in this structural regard, but I felt both of the aforementioned make further use out of this staccato and fragmented style. Granted, both were written at least a decade or two later, which is perhaps why they feel more developed.
there is a cadence to the whole work that adds a pleasant tempo, but if there was explicit poeticism, it was lost on me. Something i read in a review after reading this was that this was a book with no aesthetic judgements. From the lens of minimalist literature, this passes with flying colors, and I appreciate Markson's book as such, but within a larger ecosystem, I don't feel like it holds up.
I think my biggest criticism here is that the book is very much a product of postmodernist writing, when it had already gone out of fashion by the early 2000's. It just feels like this type of writing is effectively retracing the tone and general ethos of authors like Barth or Calvino, without really doing much more groundbreaking work itself. Admittedly, the self-referential nature of this book is employed to draw connection with the author, which is a rather post-postmodern sentiment that I can appreciate, but it does not feel like Markson embraces this reader-author rapport as much as some of his contemporaries do. On that note, I also didn't quite vibe with the author referring to himself as just "author," where I feel like use of "I" would have been much more personal.
A quick read. There's not much to really say about a book that is not a book, per-se. A book recites how famous artists, philosophers, and scientists died. Like a list.
I guess it seems as if Markson was running into writer's block, and this was his solution. I'm not necessarily opposed to it, and think that the idea here, of trying to create a novel that is effectively not a novel, has merit. Similar to Literally Show Me a Healthy Person by Darcie Wilder or The Interogative Mood by Padgett Powell in this structural regard, but I felt both of the aforementioned make further use out of this staccato and fragmented style. Granted, both were written at least a decade or two later, which is perhaps why they feel more developed.
there is a cadence to the whole work that adds a pleasant tempo, but if there was explicit poeticism, it was lost on me. Something i read in a review after reading this was that this was a book with no aesthetic judgements. From the lens of minimalist literature, this passes with flying colors, and I appreciate Markson's book as such, but within a larger ecosystem, I don't feel like it holds up.
I think my biggest criticism here is that the book is very much a product of postmodernist writing, when it had already gone out of fashion by the early 2000's. It just feels like this type of writing is effectively retracing the tone and general ethos of authors like Barth or Calvino, without really doing much more groundbreaking work itself. Admittedly, the self-referential nature of this book is employed to draw connection with the author, which is a rather post-postmodern sentiment that I can appreciate, but it does not feel like Markson embraces this reader-author rapport as much as some of his contemporaries do. On that note, I also didn't quite vibe with the author referring to himself as just "author," where I feel like use of "I" would have been much more personal.
reasie's review against another edition
4.0
I grabbed this for its title and it was a quick read. It's not a novel. It's a series of factoids, mostly about famous artists and how they died or how someone at some point thought they were utter crap, inter spaced with interjections from Writer. (Like, "Art that is not propaganda is not art, said Diego Rivera. Writer's Arse.")
Not necessarily anyone's cup of tea, but I liked it thoroughly, probably helped by the writer's preoccupation with medieval subjects that appeal to me. (Yay for every mention of Van der Goes and Memling!)
The whole has an odd sense of humor and seems designed singularly to cheer up an author fighting writer's block.
Not necessarily anyone's cup of tea, but I liked it thoroughly, probably helped by the writer's preoccupation with medieval subjects that appeal to me. (Yay for every mention of Van der Goes and Memling!)
The whole has an odd sense of humor and seems designed singularly to cheer up an author fighting writer's block.