Yeah, that's what I need: A novel about a cursed film, because I don't encounter enough cursed crap on a daily basis! :-) Let's do it!Yeah, that's what I need: A novel about a cursed film, because I don't encounter enough cursed crap on a daily basis! :-) Let's do it!...more
Part two of Angels in America, "Perestroika", strongly focuses on the idea that change for the better is possible, which, considering that the main chPart two of Angels in America, "Perestroika", strongly focuses on the idea that change for the better is possible, which, considering that the main character Prior is suffering from AIDS in the 1980's, is quite the strong message (this second part premiered in 1992). Sure, it's messier than part 1, Millennium Approaches, but considering that at the grim time the play was first produced, AIDS-patients came to see how Prior wrestles the angels in order to be allowed to stay on earth and witness a re-structuring of society (which is what Perestroika means and what happened at the time in the former Soviet Union), these are minor flaws. (FYI: Putin is of course ignoring the AIDS pandemic, so much for the motherland of the political Perestroika.)
Again, I listened to the award-winning audio production of the National Theatre, starring the likes of Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane, which was great. Here's a clip of Lane as Roy Cohn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLhq8......more
This first part of Angels in America lives up to its reputation: The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play is a captivating illustration of the AIDS crisis This first part of Angels in America lives up to its reputation: The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play is a captivating illustration of the AIDS crisis in the 1980's. Main character Prior hails from an old American family. When his health deteriorates due to his AIDS diagnosis, his lover Louis abandons him. Louis, who comes from a Jewish family, then starts a relationship with Joe, a Mormon and Republican who has a Valium-addicted wife and works for lawyer Roy Cohn (a real historical figure who worked for McCarthy and Trump and died of AIDS).
Kushner plays with ideas of transcendence and paranoia when he shows his characters driven to the edge because of fear, shame and anger. Dying Prior, pushed aside by both his lover and society at large, has visions of his ancestors and an angel; Louis wrestles with his guilt and spirals; closeted Joe outwardly submits to his religious and political affiliations while hurting his loved ones and himself, which puts him in constant psychological limbo; Joe's wife, who senses that something is wrong, lives in a Valium-induced haze; and Cohn is haunted by his own ruthlessness: Closeted and unwilling to admit that he has AIDS, he has visions of Ethel Rosenberg, a woman who was, along with her husband, executed for espionage at Cohn's recommendation.
I listened to the award-winning audio production of the National Theatre, starring the likes of Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane, which was great. Here's a clip of the stage version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJT1i... And here's the famous bench scene in which Prior tells Louis that he has AIDS, starring the fantastic Andrew Scott and Dominic Cooper in an earlier production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRkC6......more
Cooper is a well-known proponent of and participant in zine culture and a supporter of small presses, so if you don't live in the UK or the US, you neCooper is a well-known proponent of and participant in zine culture and a supporter of small presses, so if you don't live in the UK or the US, you need to be really motivated to get your hands on a copy of "Flunker": I had to order it from a small press in the US which distributes in the UK over a small record label, then I had it shipped to Germany, then I had to pick it up from the customs office (thanks, Brexit), all while Cooper lives literally less than two hours away from me in France - it's nuts. Zut alors, Dennis!
Cooper himself called the anthology a collection of B-sides, which is certainly true for most of the six texts. This is not a suitable starting point for Cooper newbies, nor is it his best work, but it's interesting for people who are following the evolution of his writing. And then there is "From Here On", which is, together with My Mark, one of the best short stories the man has ever written - and with its counterpart "Gold", these two entries demonstrate the two main motors of Cooper's writing: Melancholic love and extreme transgression. Let's look at the texts individually:
Face Eraser This text is what the internet did to the literary stream-of-consciousness: It now manifests as grammatically dubious digital ramblings that, make no mistake, develop their own zeitgeisty artsiness. This piece reads like a wicked self-presentation on a dating app, and is thus related to Cooper's most popular novel, The Sluts (which, in case you're a Cooper newbie, should be your starting point).
From Here On An intriguing autofictional piece about the beginning of the friendship between Cooper and George Miles (who inspired the George Miles Cycle and I Wished). This text shows that Cooper, apart from all the transgressive antics and the shock value that is frequently an inherent part of his art, is a fantastic writer in the most classic sense, rendering intense scenes and psychologically deep characters in vivid vignettes.
Corpse and Hand Puppet Early versions of this were included in a collaborative installation with Gisèle Vienne. Rendered as a discussion between the title-giving, ähem, entities, it's a meditation on control that mostly left me unaffected, tbh.
Trou Français Apparently an outtake from The Marbled Swarm, and what can I say: French cannibals should be more fun than this. "The Marbled Swarm" certainly deserves praise for its experimental approach, but I couldn't get through it (yet), although I'm well on my way to become a Cooper completist.
Gold The George Miles Cycle meets "A Serbian Film" and critiques the criminal antics of the Kremlin - yes, you read that right. The title-giving Gold is a Russian former popstar who got abused and becomes an abuser and killer, all staged and recorded as a NSFL multi-media spectacle with the help (?) of a KGB hitman. By far the most transgressive piece in here.
Start Similar approach as in the first story, "Face Eraser", but add some William S. Burroughs-style cut-up and Cooper-esque ideas of death, sex and illness - voilà, here you go.
This is pushed to four stars by "From Here On", which should have been part of I Wished....more
Highly decorated Swiss author Sibylle Berg goes children's book: "My rather strange friend Walter" tells the story of 9-year-old Lisa, who lives with Highly decorated Swiss author Sibylle Berg goes children's book: "My rather strange friend Walter" tells the story of 9-year-old Lisa, who lives with her depressed, unemployed parents and experiences mobbing at school. The little outsider, a space and computer enthusiast, feels lonely and desperate, until a space tourist ship accidentally leaves a passenger behind, and the alien, the title-giving Walter, strikes a friendship with Lisa.
What I liked is how Berg acknowledges social problems and their individual repercussions (e.g., bullies lashing out because they feel helpless themselves), but does not excuse them (e.g., bullies need to be told off, and their self-loathing is pathetic). The story opens roads to self-empowerment and stresses accountability, which I liked, because it teaches children about agency, and that they matter. Not sure about the strong believe in the positive power of tech though, which has become a somewhat typical feature for Berg (and can amount to magical thinking).
Really liked Thesing's illustrations though, and how direct speech and narration are presented on the pages....more
An almost eight-hour-long play about the AIDS crisis in 80's New York? Yes, please, if it's written like that! The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning text/proAn almost eight-hour-long play about the AIDS crisis in 80's New York? Yes, please, if it's written like that! The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning text/production is a captivating illustration of the time, rendered in a deep, moving, and frequently very funny tone. Part 1, Millennium Approaches, introduces main character Prior who hails from an old American family. When his health deteriorates due to his AIDS diagnosis, his lover Louis abandons him. Louis, who comes from a Jewish family, then starts a relationship with Joe, a Mormon and Republican who has a Valium-addicted wife and works for lawyer Roy Cohn (a real historical figure who worked for McCarthy and Trump and died of AIDS).
Kushner plays with ideas of transcendence and paranoia when he shows his characters driven to the edge because of fear, shame and anger. Dying Prior, pushed aside by both his lover and society at large, has visions of his ancestors and an angel; Louis wrestles with his guilt and spirals; closeted Joe outwardly submits to his religious and political affiliations while hurting his loved ones and himself, which puts him in constant psychological limbo; Joe's wife, who senses that something is wrong, lives in a Valium-induced haze; and Cohn is haunted by his own ruthlessness: Closeted and unwilling to admit that he has AIDS, he has visions of Ethel Rosenberg, a woman who was, along with her husband, executed for espionage at Cohn's recommendation.
Part 2, Perestroika, then strongly focuses on the idea that change for the better is possible, which, considering that the main character Prior is suffering from AIDS in the 1980's, is quite the strong message (this second part premiered in 1992). Sure, it's messier than part 1, but considering that at the grim time the play was first produced, AIDS-patients came to see how Prior wrestles the angels in order to be allowed to stay on earth and witness a re-structuring of society (which is what Perestroika means and what happened at the time in the former Soviet Union), these are minor flaws. (FYI: Putin is of course ignoring the AIDS pandemic, so much for the motherland of the political Perestroika.)
I listened to the award-winning audio production of the National Theatre, starring the likes of Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane, which was great. Here's a clip of the stage version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJT1i... And here's the famous bench scene in which Prior tells Louis that he has AIDS, starring the fantastic Andrew Scott and Dominic Cooper in an earlier production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRkC6......more
Do you think your country is ruled by childless cat ladies? Do you think people with kids should get more votes in elections? Do you think it's women'Do you think your country is ruled by childless cat ladies? Do you think people with kids should get more votes in elections? Do you think it's women's destiny to have children? Congratulations, you too could become a top politician in a democratic state in 2024! So in our political climate, it's obvious that Thomae's idea to write about women and their decision to become or not become mothers is timely and relevant. Which, unfortunately, leads us directly to the argument of the great Moritz Baßler regarding literary midcult: If a novel ostentatiously points to its own topical relevance, but then has no aesthetic ambition or chops and over-explains everything to make sure the point gets hammered home, it's NOT GOOD LITERATURE. And Thomae's novel does just that to an infurating degree.
Thomae's main protagonists are a radio host/podcaster and a politician, both nearing 40 and pondering whether they should remain childless. The additional cast involves all kinds of women who made all kinds of decisions to illustrate that life choices and destinies are indeed different - but Thomae does nothing except illustrating positions. Worse, she throws around the most cringeworthy clichés, like the woman who wants to change her life and ... goes to get a new haircut. Feminsim, am I right?! *facepalm* This book has no perspective of its own and no interesting characters, because there is no three-dimensional, challenging element: Readers are spoon-fed every thought, every emotion, and there is no element of suprise or relevation.
I don't know what happened here, because the topic is great and Thomae's last novel, Brüder, was captivating. But this, this is so midcult ... let's face it: It will probably get nominated for the German Book Prize.
"This book looks at feminism's diverse past, present and future from a German perspective" - nope, it kind of doesn't, really. This is mainly a memoir"This book looks at feminism's diverse past, present and future from a German perspective" - nope, it kind of doesn't, really. This is mainly a memoir mixed with tidbits regarding larger societal developments, and unfortunately, Lohaus can't really communicate her personal experiences in an interesting way, plus the historical / theoretical parts are so superficial and partly sloppy that it's probably only enlightening if you never heard about feminism. In short: This volume has nothing to add to the conversation, plus the writing is meh, clunky and grammatically dubious (no, "überhören" does not mean "overhear" - come on, Lohaus, what in the Denglish hell is this?).
So now I've learnt about the history of Missy Magazine, which I didn't sign up for, and I heard some half-baked thoughts on feminism in almost random order. But it's a little hard to take an activist seriously who doesn't know the constitution she aims to defend ("Fraktionszwang", so to force representatives to vote along party lines, is illegal anyway, Lohaus) and sets new standards in the field of bi-erasure (the "women's and lesbians' movement" - so lesbians are no women? and / or women are either straight or lesbian?). Messy, messy, messy....more
Keanu making his fanboy dreams come true: He got one of his favorite authors, sci-fi veteran China Miéville, to write out his ideas for a novel versioKeanu making his fanboy dreams come true: He got one of his favorite authors, sci-fi veteran China Miéville, to write out his ideas for a novel version of the BRZRKR comic series (of course currently in development for Netflix, starring Mr. Reeves himself). The main, Keanu-looking character is Unute, a 80,000-year-old man unable to die because he was born out of blue lightning (don't ask). His wounds heal themselves, and when his body is harmed beyond repair, he just hetches from a new egg, somewhere in the world (because, sure). But as life is given value by death, Unute longs for the potential to die, and he wants to achieve his goal by cooperating with a military operation doing research on him to craft the perfect soldier: An undying, super-humanly strong fighting machine (hello, toxic masculinity). And oh, Unute is also referred to as B, because he tends to go berserk à la Hulk, but ultra-violent AND cute, because: Keanu.
Sooooo, I will not pretend that I know anything about the well-regarded works of Miéville, about his ideas around "weird fiction" (fyi: Unute is haunted by an undying pig that holds a grudge against him, e.g.) or sci-fi in general. I also won't pretend that I will not be streaming the hell out of every new Keanu movie, because: Keanu. But: This is a kind of literature I struggle with, because all the supernatural stuff just bores me - take this with a grain of salt, I also hate Dune, super hero movies, and video games.
What I appreciate though is that Miéville has not taken the easy route, but aimed for a complex composition, starting out with a quote by Rainer Maria Rilke and then constantly jumping back to Unute's adventures in different time frames - these are partly even rendered in the second person singular, and they feature the likes of Freud and Marx. There are also very dark clues to themes in Reeves' life: The whole thing seems to be set in Lebanon (where Keanu was born), Unute only has stillborn children (as happened to Keanu and his girlfriend, who later tragically died herself), and death and grief play a major role, appearing as structuring forces in life. Also, the cults that worship Unute and the pig seem like parodies of the celebrity experience, as well as religion. There is a philosophical level here, but amped up with lots of genre-typical (I suppose) quirks. The whole plot seems rather convoluted to me, but then again, I'm aware that I've raved about much more complicated experimental novels in the past, and that this is just not my genre.
I'm certainly not the expert to rate this, but I found it interesting to tackle the ideas in here, even if overall, I struggled to get through. If you want to hear from Keanu himself, check out his interview with the fantastic Stephen Colbert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz8J6...
Palahniuk's "Haunted" is famous for its format - a short story collection embedded in a frame narrative that mocks the attention economy - and the firPalahniuk's "Haunted" is famous for its format - a short story collection embedded in a frame narrative that mocks the attention economy - and the first story-within-the-story, "Guts", about a freak masturbation accident (don't ask). But above anything, this book is: Looooooong. And listen, I'll readily admit that I'm not a short story aficionada in general, but the whole thing is just too silly and too forced to fulfill its horror ambitions as well.
Let's look at the composition for a sec: The narrative frame tells the story of 17 people who have signd up for a writers' retreat, but then get locked up by the organizer for three months in order to force them to produce super-great art. As these jaded, caricature-esque individuals know how the media and marketing work, they set out to produce extra drama and hardship, planning to sell their experiences afterwards - which of course gets out of control. In between, we get prose poems and 23 (!!) short stories presenting the individual participants in the retreat.
And while these stories are supposed to be told by different people, they all sound the same, and the whole shtick gets tired rather quickly. It's a mixture of disgusting and silly, involving a cast of over-the-top stock characters, which can be entertaining, but not with that page count and predictable frame narrative. Frankly, I don't quite get why this book is brought up again and again when it comes to American horror.
Absolutely loved this classic American novel: The lyrical, evocative writing, the sense of place and time post-Stonewall and pre-AIDS, the story and hAbsolutely loved this classic American novel: The lyrical, evocative writing, the sense of place and time post-Stonewall and pre-AIDS, the story and how Holleran plays with literary tropes. First published in 1978, "Dancer from the Dance" revolves around Anthony Malone, a blond young man born in the Midwest and brought up in Sri Lanka who starts a career as a lawyer, but feels alienated and alone - when he discovers / confronts his homosexuality, he leaves everything behind and goes to New York, where the older Andrew Sutherland introduces him to a world of sex, drugs, and parties.
Malone is the only fully fleshed out character, a young man who chases the romantic ideal and works as a callboy, becoming a part of a fragile, fast-moving scene that, as represented by Sutherland, perceives life as brutal and meaningless and thus fights reality with sexual and chemical pleasure, which produces another kind of emptiness than the one Malone fled, but still an emptiness. Malone tries to eradicate his former life, but then realizes he participates in another charade - in many ways, this is a novel that juxtaposes romantic ideals with harsh realities, as epitomized in the satire on the marriage plot that unfolds later in the story. Which of course brings up the question: Does the life Malone (and many others, no matter the sexual orientation) desires even exist, can it be willed into existence? All the while, Sutherland appears as almost enigmatic, having built a speed-saturated wall around himself, but he is also way more pragmatic than Malone.
What makes the narrative so clever is not the epistolary frame, unneccessarily presenting the main plot as an autofictional novel by a fictional writer, but the fact that Malone is always shown from the outside while the narrative voices change: From an omniscient narrator to several unnamed members of the queer scene depicted, sometimes even modulating into a lyrical we, like a Greek choir. It's beautiful and elegantly done, befitting to the theme of male beauty that runs through the text with its many depictions of bodies, erotic tension, and longing - which is then paralleled with age and disintegration.
The title is taken from William Butler Yeats' poem "Among School Children", and on a literal level, it certainly alludes to the many discos and dance parties depicted in the novel, but metaphorically, it also touches upon the ecstasy of getting lost in a pleasurable physical experience. The idea of almost spiritual reverence to love is reflected in the often religiously connotated language Holleran employs, which is rooted in Malone's past as a deeply religious boy who, as a grown-up, still needs something or someone to believe in.
(Fun fact, btw: I somehow got here after I disappeared in a Dennis Cooper rabbit hole, and I have no rational explanation for this progression! :-))...more
Kramer was the founder of the international ACT UP! movement (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), an organization founded in 1987 to end AIDS, so his coKramer was the founder of the international ACT UP! movement (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), an organization founded in 1987 to end AIDS, so his contributions to social change, also with his writing, can hardly be overstated - still, he caused a lot of outrage with "Faggots", so let's dive into the controversy and see what it says about the contenders and their arguments.
Plotwise, the novel is set in 1970's New York, so it was written before AIDS, and it loosely revolves around a gay protagonist named Fred, who is about to turn 40 and longing for a long-term romantic partnership, but mainly drifts through a panorama of sex, drugs and parties that do not lead to the fulfillment of his wishes. A huge cast of secondary characters further illustrates the promiscous, hedonistic lifestyle of the gay scene depicted here. While the tone is often satirical, frequently ridiculing Fred's romantic ambitions and the sexual and substance-induced shenanigans around him, there is also a sadness running through the text, juxtaposing abandon with a kind of spiritual emptiness.
So the question arises: Is "Faggots" a testament of conservative sex-negativity? That shortly after its publication, the world it shows disappeared because AIDS ended the very possibility of sexual carelessness gives the whole work an air of impending doom, but Kramer of course could not know: At the time of publication, many read it as a satirical critique of the lifestyle. Only with the spread of HIV/AIDS, it could be newly framed as an account of gay sexual abandon that has now become equivalent to a death wish due to the AIDS pandemic (of course, this is true for all sex that can lead to HIV transmission, but Kramer writes specifically about gay men, a group that has been particularly affected and, for a long time, largely ignored in their plight).
So I should now probably say that I'm not only a cis heterosexual woman, but that I also have no conscious remembrance of the height of the AIDS pandemic, because I was a mere child. A pre-AIDS world is a world I never knew. For me, it's fascinating to research the reactions to Kramer's text, which vary widely, also among queer folks: Is "Faggots" showing a queer utopia, a cultural peak? Is it trashtalking the queer community, or is assuming that a version of harmful respectability politics? I can't say. I just think that Carmen Maria Machado is right when she says that queer people are not obliged to be model citizens in order to be accepted. And I feel like Kramer, who has written the protagonist as an alter ego to process a break-up with the dude appearing in the text as Dinky, was struggling with the divide between his wishes and what was available to him, which is very human: Neither of these options, the wish for romance or the wish for sexual abandon, are wrong, it's about what a person wants at that time. This nuance has gotten lost in some dissections of the text.
Still, I have to admit that the labyrinth of vignettes the novel is made up of became tiresome to me rather quickly, and that the language is not exactly what makes the reputation of "Faggots". IMHO, it is awfully long, but then again, it was published in 1978 and very scandalous for the time, while for today's readers, it's not particularly shocking, not even the sex scenes. All in all, this is now mostly a discussion piece, but a pretty interesting one....more
Perfection. First published as a stand-alone short story, then as a part of Cooper's first novel Safe and later in the short story collection Wrong, "Perfection. First published as a stand-alone short story, then as a part of Cooper's first novel Safe and later in the short story collection Wrong, "My Mark" is a stellar meditation on desire and strongly rooted in Cooper's earlier work as a lyrical poet. The narrator is a writer named Dennis (ha!), and he thinks back on his complex relationship with beautiful, young Mark Lewis, ruminating about his feelings and the psychological movements he has experienced. The text radiates melancholy and cooperesque imagery, especially in the sex scenes which ponder the attempt to explore consciousness and connection by crossing physical boundaries, thus blurring the concept of interiority. Beautifully written, and George Miles (who will later inspire the five-part George Miles Cycle as well as its coda I Wished) also makes an appearence (though not by name).
A fascinating piece, especially when read in context of Cooper's later work that ventures further into the transgressive....more
Canadian human rights lawyer Marcus McCann ponders legal regulations regarding sex between consenting adults, and how sex-negative moral standpoints cCanadian human rights lawyer Marcus McCann ponders legal regulations regarding sex between consenting adults, and how sex-negative moral standpoints cause morally motivated policing (rather than policing that actually protects citizens, especially minorities). His main example, as the title indicates: Gay men cruising in parks. We all remember the scandal around singer George Michael, who was arrested and publicly shamed for his cruising activities - but he refused to feel responsible for other people's moral indignation about his private behaviors and instead turned the whole incident into this iconic masterpiece. McCann's book is legally supported activism that revolves around this whole point: He questions what harm might actually be done, and what might be the individual and social benefits of gay cruising, bath houses, sex clubs etc.
McCann particularly talks about safety issues, about consent and health, about questions of class, gender and sexual orientation. He also illustrates the history of public sex and how today's police activities (in Canada) miss the mark when it comes to actually increasing safety and justice.
So sure, the whole book aims to support McCann's convictions, and he also states that cruising is apparently a controversial issue in the gay community, but I have to admit that I've never heard anyone argue from his standpoint, especially supported with legal arguments, so for me, this was very informative and it broadened my perspective. It also made me question many aspects of the law's approach towards regulating sexuality, especially as legal norms are nothing but moral convictions written down by the people's representatives and interpreted by legal professionals. Who do we as a society want to protect, and from what?...more
I know, I know: Blasphemy! But while I see the literary merit, I have to admit that I was bored out of my mind listening to the audio book (which in tI know, I know: Blasphemy! But while I see the literary merit, I have to admit that I was bored out of my mind listening to the audio book (which in this case is more a statement about me than about this classic novel). Jackson's mystery is told by mentally troubled 18-year-old Merricat Blackwood, who lives a secluded life in not-actually-a-castle, but a remote house in Vermont with her agoraphobic sister and her wheelchair-bound, often confused uncle. Merricat's parents, her younger brother and her aunt have been poisened, and the whodunnit is one part of the mystery plot here. The other part arrives with estranged cousin Charles: What is this guy up to?
The house is a fortress in which the surviving family have locked themselves away, suspiciously eying the outside world, and Charles represents the real world with its dubious intentions trying to destroy the counter-reality Merricat has created within these walls. This is less a haunted house story (although Merricat is trying to perform magic) and more a variation on The Fall of the House of Usher in as far as Merricat is turning the house into a physical manifestation of her mental state, thus possessing the building like a demon. The toxic, twisted love between the sisters is juxtaposed with the hostility of the outside villagers, but the question arises whether the family is othered or has consciously decided to take up the outsider role. This is particularly questionable in light of the mental troubles all three original family members display, and how the afflictions lead to interdependece and gaslighting.
I just could not get myself to care about any of this though, maybe I have read too much about horror houses already - this was published in 1962 and strongly influenced what followed, so if you now read Jackson relatively late, it tends to appear stale in a "been there, read that" kind of way. My favorite haunted house stories are still my beloved Poe and House of Leaves....more
Cooper's debut, now a rare collector's item (and re-published in its entirety in the short story collection Wrong), presents itself as a triptych of iCooper's debut, now a rare collector's item (and re-published in its entirety in the short story collection Wrong), presents itself as a triptych of interconnected stories, starring the beautiful, young Mark Lewis. All of Cooper's classic themes are already there: Youth, death, sex, mediated depictions of sex, reality vs. imagination, drugs, the longing for human connection, and violence - though the latter to a much, much lesser degree than in his later works. Let's look at the three individual parts:
"Missing Men" Where is the comparative study between Cooper's peer Bret Easton Ellis, Harmony Korine, and Cooper? "Safe" was first published in 1984, Less Than Zero in 1985, and the vibe is the same, especially in "Missing Men". Here, Mark is dating an enigmatic writer named Rob (in later novels by Cooper, there will be a whole array of characters called Dennis), answers a sex ad, and he accompanies his artist friend Carl to a an opening at a gallery, where Carl hooks up with the guy whose works are exhibited. I particularly liked the many references to art and art production - now I want a Dennis Cooper Künstlerroman. Do it, Dennis!
"My Mark" Perfection. This story was first published as stand-alone, and it's a stellar meditation on desire and longing strongly rooted in Cooper's work as a lyrical poet. The narrator is a writer named Dennis (ha!), and he thinks back on his complex relationship with Mark, ruminating about his feelings and the psychological movements he has experienced. Full of melancholy and cooperesque imagery, especially in the sex scenes which ponder the attempt to explore consciousness by crossing physical boundaries, thus blurring the concept of interiority. Beautifully written, and George Miles also makes an appearence (though not by name).
"Bad Thoughts" In the last part, Mark has died, and we live through the aftermath of people missing and remembering him - feat., of course, the convergence of sex and death.
This is an impressive debut, and it's crazy how Cooper went from this to radically transgressive works like Frisk. Fascinating....more
Nobel Prize for Literature 2004 I'm REALLY struggling with the works of Austria's first Nobel laureate for literature, but that's exactly what this autNobel Prize for Literature 2004 I'm REALLY struggling with the works of Austria's first Nobel laureate for literature, but that's exactly what this author intends: Jelinek is a literary radical, and I applaud her for that. "Lust" is a relentless, cynical pamphlet against male violence against women, which correlates gender relations with capitalist exploitation dynamics. Loosely revolving around the plight of a woman married to the director of a paper mill in the Austrian province, we get an endless, repetitive array of oral, vaginal, and anal rape scenes illustrating chains of dependency and power. I know that Jelinek is famous for her word play, but I often find her tricks, sorry to say, idiotic and annoying, and as this is literature driven by (justified!) rage, there is no nuance, which is, I see that, the whole point. Do I like it? No.
BUT (and now I'm arguing with myself, which is part of the merit of this text): Jelinek, while thankfully still alive and well, is an author that has to be perceived in historical context. Born in 1946, she is a representative of second-wave feminism, which does not only explain that there is no awareness of intersectionality, but Jelinek and her peers were pioneers when it comes to talking about domestic abuse and marital rape, so they often took a, let's say, undercomplex stance, because they were operating from a subaltern position and wanted to be heard. "Lust" was first published in 1989, the year marital rape became illegal in Austria. I stand behind a lot of the criticism third-wave feminists hold against the second wave, especially its blindness regarding gender identity as a spectrum and its sex-negative attitudes that work against female sexual liberation, but since reading Andrea Dworkin's Mercy, I have a better idea of where they were coming from (I still strongly disagree with Dworkin on many issues).
So yes, Jelinek is not here to present us with topics like intersectional solidarity, female sexual liberation, the negative effects of toxic masculinity on men (shout out to Klaus Theweleit), or toxic femininity (I see you, Sophia Fritz), and that's why in a way, her texts are outdated, but also represent a stage in a process. Fortunately for me, this type of second-wave discourse frequently tends to feel bizarre to me, but yesterday, I found a TV snippet that features German literary and cultural icon Marcel Reich-Ranicki, the most famous German-language literary critic ever, and he and his male colleagues are pondering how "Lust", this explosion of disgust and misogyny, illustrates male lust (because men get off on torturing their wives???), denounces sexuality as such (rape is not a form of sexuality, it's a form of violence), and one of these geniuses even upholds that the wife is okay with it, which is a Freudian misreading beyond my comprehension. Broadcast in 1989. If you hate yourself enough to watch it, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py75C...
Elfriede, I'm starting to get your outrageous aesthetic choices, I'm starting to understand your boundless anger. It's just that I'm a third-wave feminist who longs for more nuance....more
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