Tibor Fischer: C/D, S&D

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He caused a bit of a kerfuffle by saying that Martin Amis' latest book was embarrassingly bad. What do you think of his own works, though?

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 15 September 2003 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I absolutely love his second novel, The Thought Gang, and his first (Under The Frog) is great too. The third, though, was a bit *too* experimental and knowingly-playful for my tastes. His short-story collection seemed to be a deliberate return to less-experimental forms of fiction.

I haven't read the new one yet. If you have, what did you think?

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 15 September 2003 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

Just started Journey to the End of the Room, and I've yet to really get into it. What I've noticed so far (in the first 30 pages) is that its pacing is quite oddand difficult to get to grips with. We'll see. I loved The Thought Gang to bits, and gave my copy to a drunken Glaswegian who befriended me at Victoria Station. The short story collection was lots of fun, despite its abysmal title - something like Don't read this if you're stupid. Fischer's prose is so damn sharp it's scary.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Thursday, 11 August 2005 07:58 (twenty years ago)

JttEotR took me a couple of readings to really get into. I was impressed that part of it is set in Sunk Island, but I'm still not convinced that he is very good at writing women. The Thought Gang is still the best thing he's written, partly because everything since* has been based around female main characters.

* everything I can think of apart from the shorter pieces in Do Not Read This Book If You're Stupid.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 11 August 2005 08:01 (twenty years ago)

I did not like Under The Frog.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Thursday, 11 August 2005 08:14 (twenty years ago)

has nobody read "the collector collector"? because it's wonderful. very similar in style and construction to "the thought gang", although not - of course - as good.

i need to read "journey ..." soon.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Thursday, 11 August 2005 10:45 (twenty years ago)

Yes, I liked The Collector Collector, although I tried to work out a possible timeline for it and could only come to the conclusion that the narrator lies about the length of time it was stuck at the bottom of lakes, in tombs, etc, for.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 11 August 2005 10:47 (twenty years ago)

I didn't think much of the out-of-the-blue happy ending, either. The pervy sex was interesting, though ;-)

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 11 August 2005 10:48 (twenty years ago)

that the narrator lies

yes. it's some years now since i read it, but i think that's absolutely the case.

i can't actually remember the ending. what sticks with me is all the anhedonia stuff :)

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Thursday, 11 August 2005 10:52 (twenty years ago)

I would repeat the ending here, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 11 August 2005 10:59 (twenty years ago)

However, if you understand how to decode rot13:

Rivy cebfgvghgr-jbzna avpxf avpr cbggrel-rkcreg-jbzna'f ubhfr qrrqf naq fryyf vgorsber ehaavat njnl. Fur gheaf bhg gb unir fbyq vg gb n ernyyl avpr zna jub vfavpr cbggrel-rkcreg'f qernz cnegare, naq gurl yvir gbtrgure unccvyl rire nsgre.

At least, that's how I remember it.

(to decode, swap A and N, B and O, C and P etc)

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 11 August 2005 11:02 (twenty years ago)

ooh, rot13: not seen that for a while.

yes, that rings a bell. ISTR thinking, sod it, when he writes this beautifully and the narratorial conceit is so joyous, i can forgive a slightly jejune plot.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Thursday, 11 August 2005 11:28 (twenty years ago)

I might have to read JttEotR again, too, because it sank a bit for my liking under a welter of anecdotes that were so extraordinary I ceased to be amazed by them, and gave up trying to follow the book's logic (such as it is). I really got off on the streak of wild transgression running through the characters, but I ended up feeling overloaded. I get the feeling Fischer's always one step ahead of the reader, in that the reality of the book is constantly slipping out of your grasp. Yeah, I'll read it again.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

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