No I was off by one name. The original quote is "“Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, Norman Mailer, stand aside. Harlan Ellison is now a better short story writer than you will ever be again during the rest of your lives.”
Because, as we all know, these first three were famous for their short stories. /him_with_his_foot_in_his_mouth
― Oulipo Traces (on a Cigarette) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 27 May 2013 23:35 (ten years ago) link
Also "than you will ever be again during the rest of your lives"- how can he know?
― Oulipo Traces (on a Cigarette) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 27 May 2013 23:54 (ten years ago) link
OK, here's a non-sci-fi one./I once confessed to Z that I was allergic both to X and to his poetry. "I don't know what all the fuss is about," Z said. "He's just an American Y."/
/I once confessed to Z that I was allergic both to X and to his poetry. "I don't know what all the fuss is about," Z said. "He's just an American Y."/
― The Invention of Worrell (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 26 June 2016 16:59 (seven years ago) link
I once confessed to Philip Larkin that I was allergic both to Lowell and to his poetry. 'I don't know what all the fuss is about,' Philip said. 'He's just an American Heath-Stubbs.'
― alimosina, Sunday, 26 June 2016 21:53 (seven years ago) link
And this was written by- Kingsley Amis?
― The Invention of Worrell (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 26 June 2016 22:08 (seven years ago) link
Letter from X to Y:
I was enraged to see they gave the £40 to Z; still now you and Rosamond can join in blaming her. Who is she? What is this book? And so you can't buy your carpet.
― The Invention of Worrell (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 28 June 2016 01:16 (seven years ago) link
Charles Osborne of the British Arts Council.
― alimosina, Sunday, 17 July 2016 21:37 (seven years ago) link
A fine intellectual writer, X is here sharper and more substantial than Y. -Z
― The Pickety 33⅓ Policeman (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 27 May 2017 16:14 (six years ago) link
If the Y had been literary rather than thespic fantasists ... they would have been X." — Z
― The Pickety 33⅓ Policeman (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 27 May 2017 16:20 (six years ago) link
(Arrgh unpaired unneeded quotation mark)
― The Pickety 33⅓ Policeman (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 27 May 2017 16:21 (six years ago) link
Evan Connell comparison of Thomas Berger is from New York Magazine review of Neighbors: https://books.google.com/books?id=IOQCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq=%22INSANELY+PLAUSIBLE+HE+WRITES+LIKE+THE+DEMENTED+SON%22&source=bl&ots=uzUOcMtcyI&sig=vp9B0tOfjhDQFFwGYM8A0SDcGcM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwit2vyevpDUAhXCRCYKHd3bAAcQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=%22INSANELY%20PLAUSIBLE%20HE%20WRITES%20LIKE%20THE%20DEMENTED%20SON%22&f=false
― The Pickety 33⅓ Policeman (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 27 May 2017 16:27 (six years ago) link
X at his best is Y-and-soda. His fizzing nihilism expresses itself most pungently at short-story length. -Z
― The Pickety 33⅓ Policeman (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 27 May 2017 16:45 (six years ago) link
https://mobile.nytimes.com/1996/12/08/books/jacketeering.html
― Guidonian Handsworth Revolution (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 12 June 2017 01:34 (six years ago) link
― Guidonian Handsworth Revolution (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 July 2017 11:11 (six years ago) link
lol never change Michael
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 6 July 2017 15:33 (six years ago) link
RIP, Harlan Ellison
― Uncle Redd in the Zingtime (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 29 June 2018 00:45 (five years ago) link
RIP™, surely
― Mince Pramthwart (James Morrison), Friday, 29 June 2018 02:40 (five years ago) link
Lol, yes
― Uncle Redd in the Zingtime (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 29 June 2018 21:38 (five years ago) link
She is X’s heir and Y’s sister.-Z
― The Ballad of Mel Cooley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 24 February 2021 01:44 (three years ago) link
This one is really obvious, but:
In his earliest time I thought he (X) perhaps contained the seeds of an English Y; but I have given that up in proportion as he has come down steadily from the simple in subject to the more simple–from the Anglo-Indians to the natives, from the natives to the Tommies, from the Tommies to the quadrupeds, from the quadrupeds to the fish, and from the fish to the engines and screws. - Z
― Lily Dale, Sunday, 28 February 2021 21:05 (three years ago) link
X is Kipling? Z ... Wells?
― the pinefox, Monday, 1 March 2021 09:13 (three years ago) link
Yes to Kipling, no to Wells.
― Lily Dale, Monday, 1 March 2021 17:49 (three years ago) link
The Kipling part was what I meant when I said this one was obvious, btw.
Y is Balzac, Z is Henry James
― Lily Dale, Monday, 1 March 2021 23:09 (three years ago) link
imo, Mr. James should have just re-read his Balzac instead of trying to spawn an English reproduction of him. heaven knows Balzac wrote enough to satisfy most people's thirst for Balzac-ness.
― Judge Roi Behan (Aimless), Monday, 1 March 2021 23:18 (three years ago) link
I believe the example in the OP also appeared in one of David Markson's books.
― The Ballad of Mel Cooley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 2 March 2021 15:05 (three years ago) link
I am bad at these games but want to know what this one is. Anybody got any guesses before I just ask for it to be revealed?
― emil.y, Tuesday, 2 March 2021 15:57 (three years ago) link
Do you want hints? Initials?
― The Ballad of Mel Cooley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 2 March 2021 16:54 (three years ago) link
How about saying who 'she' is?
― jmm, Tuesday, 2 March 2021 17:07 (three years ago) link
Is there a genre you could point to, or is it in the vague purportedly genreless world of "literary fiction"?
― emil.y, Tuesday, 2 March 2021 17:20 (three years ago) link
Slipstream, according to Christopher Priest.
― The Ballad of Mel Cooley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 2 March 2021 17:23 (three years ago) link
Aha, I was thinking sci-fi so not that far away. Are any of the authors involved Le Guin?
― emil.y, Tuesday, 2 March 2021 17:29 (three years ago) link
I did just have to check if Slipstream was what I thought it was and got a bit of a spoiler, seeing as the corresponding thread has been bumped here - is one of the authors the dude who wrote Dhalgren?
― emil.y, Tuesday, 2 March 2021 17:31 (three years ago) link
Ha, no.
― The Ballad of Mel Cooley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 2 March 2021 17:36 (three years ago) link
Hmmmmm. I told you I was bad at this game ;_;
― emil.y, Tuesday, 2 March 2021 17:39 (three years ago) link
Balzac-ness
Balzacité
― alimosina, Tuesday, 2 March 2021 17:50 (three years ago) link
anna kavan! was it kafka's sister... something, something brian aldiss?
― no lime tangier, Wednesday, 3 March 2021 01:32 (three years ago) link
Oh yes indeed
― The Ballad of Mel Cooley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 3 March 2021 01:35 (three years ago) link
Ah fuck, I like Anna Kavan too. I'm going to properly kick myself if that quote is featured in the blurbs of any of the ones of hers I've read.
― emil.y, Wednesday, 3 March 2021 05:45 (three years ago) link