books I read in '02
Fiction (in no particular order):
"3 to Kill", by Jean-Patrick Manchette. A taut thriller by the man described as equal parts Guy Debord and Dashiell Hammett, this book tells the story of Georges Gerfaut, a member of the professional class in late 20th century France, who witnesses a politically-motivated killing and is drawn into a complex and murderous plot. A quick, violent story.
"Love in the Days of Rage", by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. A love affair between an American artist and a Portugese anarchist set against the backdrop of the May '68 uprising in France. "The more I make love, the more I want to make revolution. The more I make revolution, the more I want to make love."
"Super-cannes", by J. G. Ballard. A murder mystery, of sorts, by quite possibly the greatest British writer of the latter-half of the 20th century. That question aside, this is an astonishing book, which only Ballard could have written. Set in a high-tech residential/industrial park named Eden-Olympia, in the French Riviera, it is a story of what happens when humans surrender themselves to work and technology, of a brave new scheme to mold the human future, and of a man who turned to murder and suicide to try to stop it.
"The Last Days of Louisiana Red", by Ishmael Reed. Further adventures of HooDoo private detective Papa LaBas, who first appeared in Reed's novel "Mumbo Jumbo", now trying to solve the murder of Ed Yellings, founder and owner of Solid Gumbo Works, and of Louisiana Red---a force, much like the *jes grew* in "Mumbo Jumbo", except, where *jg* encourages life, joy, and celebration, LR is a force of envy, anger, and ultimately, death. An interesting satire of Bay Area politics in the late '60s, but not Reed's best book.
"Hello America", by J. G. Ballard. Having read his most recent novel, I decided to go back and try something a little older, and chose this futuristic tale of a United States-turned-desert, a notion which gives me no small degree of satisfaction. I am not going to go into great detail as to the set-up, but only encourage people to read this book, a salient meditation on the American character, on the wide-open spaces which sometimes drive us to madness, and on the quintessential place of violence in the American grain, very important considerations for all of us right now.
I think I will have to stop here for now. I will complete this list tomorrow.
"3 to Kill", by Jean-Patrick Manchette. A taut thriller by the man described as equal parts Guy Debord and Dashiell Hammett, this book tells the story of Georges Gerfaut, a member of the professional class in late 20th century France, who witnesses a politically-motivated killing and is drawn into a complex and murderous plot. A quick, violent story.
"Love in the Days of Rage", by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. A love affair between an American artist and a Portugese anarchist set against the backdrop of the May '68 uprising in France. "The more I make love, the more I want to make revolution. The more I make revolution, the more I want to make love."
"Super-cannes", by J. G. Ballard. A murder mystery, of sorts, by quite possibly the greatest British writer of the latter-half of the 20th century. That question aside, this is an astonishing book, which only Ballard could have written. Set in a high-tech residential/industrial park named Eden-Olympia, in the French Riviera, it is a story of what happens when humans surrender themselves to work and technology, of a brave new scheme to mold the human future, and of a man who turned to murder and suicide to try to stop it.
"The Last Days of Louisiana Red", by Ishmael Reed. Further adventures of HooDoo private detective Papa LaBas, who first appeared in Reed's novel "Mumbo Jumbo", now trying to solve the murder of Ed Yellings, founder and owner of Solid Gumbo Works, and of Louisiana Red---a force, much like the *jes grew* in "Mumbo Jumbo", except, where *jg* encourages life, joy, and celebration, LR is a force of envy, anger, and ultimately, death. An interesting satire of Bay Area politics in the late '60s, but not Reed's best book.
"Hello America", by J. G. Ballard. Having read his most recent novel, I decided to go back and try something a little older, and chose this futuristic tale of a United States-turned-desert, a notion which gives me no small degree of satisfaction. I am not going to go into great detail as to the set-up, but only encourage people to read this book, a salient meditation on the American character, on the wide-open spaces which sometimes drive us to madness, and on the quintessential place of violence in the American grain, very important considerations for all of us right now.
I think I will have to stop here for now. I will complete this list tomorrow.