Dave Eggers (1 Viewer)

[mamul]

isn't he just fantastic? really fresh and inventive writer. think himself and george saunders are two of americas finest. read a.h.w.o.s.g, you shall know our velocity and am currently devouring how we are hungry. anyone know of anywhere to buy mcsweeneys or the books he does with his bro over here, i expect i'll need a fix soon enough. or anyone got any recommends of equally great modern american writers. see mcsweeneys do a monthly book club yoke, think that would be good investment

 

[ICUH8N]

loved the kierkegaardian (ha ha ha) one about staggering blabla
hated you shall know our velocity. Actually saw it on the bookpile at the weekend and felt a surge of irrational anger. Should I try why we are hungry, or will it make me want to drown the world in a bath of fire?
The whole mcsweeny's thing (and its fanatical adherents) does nothing for me, I must admit. It's too smug, or knowing, or faux-earnest, maybe all those things.

 

[Bellatrix]

I hated You Shall Know Our Velocity and liked How We Are Hungry.

Take from that what you will.

 

[mamul]

loved the kierkegaardian (ha ha ha) one about staggering blabla
hated you shall know our velocity. Actually saw it on the bookpile at the weekend and felt a surge of irrational anger. Should I try why we are hungry, or will it make me want to drown the world in a bath of fire?
The whole mcsweeny's thing (and its fanatical adherents) does nothing for me, I must admit. It's too smug, or knowing, or faux-earnest, maybe all those things.

well i thought you shall know our velocity was the weakest of what i've read by him but still pretty good. give a why we are hungry a go, but i'll make sure to wear some fire retardant clothing, just in case. haven't read mcsweeneys but can imagine critics could say the same about his other work that i have read. i love the smugness and the knowing but think he is one of the most earnest writers i have ever read, when he wants to be, but never to an over indulgent extent.

 

[egg_]

I read AHWOSG and thought Eggers came across as a bit of a Sufjan Stevens at times - someone with lots of talent but without anything really to say. Can't say whether I really liked it or not

 

[Nate Champion]

i or anyone got any recommends of equally great modern american writers.

You might want to try some John Cheevers. I've only read 'Falconer',set in a prison - he likes to indulge himself, but there's truth and humour there too. I've always wanted to read 'Bullet Park', the story of suburban neighbours Mr. Hammer and Mr. Nail, but I haven't seen a cheap copy of it around lately. And fittingly Eggers is a huge Cheevers fan (wouldn't you know it). He said something about him being the craziest of writers.
You'd get a decent copy of 'The Wapshot Chronicle', which seems to be an embarrassing, joyous and angry account of family life.

I quite liked 'You Shall know our velocity'. The most. Anyway...

 

[mamul]

You might want to try some John Cheevers.

cheers. i shall check him out. did ya ever read any george saunders by the way. check him out if not. brilliant, funny, dark, weird, really accessible stuff

 

[Nate Champion]

cheers. i shall check him out. did ya ever read any george saunders by the way. check him out if not. brilliant, funny, dark, weird, really accessible stuff

No, I must admit I'm not familiar. I read a really funny, brilliant book called 'The Gift' by a Brit, David Flusfeder. It's begins quite trivially, but evolves into something much more desperate and true. Will Self championed it also, so I feel in good company recommending it!
Ever read any Don Delillo? I'm reading 'Americana' at the moment - it's not as creepy and intense as 'Endzone' (which really fucked me up). I guess he's a funny writer, in terms of his perception of people, but in terms of his style, he seems to be working out equations. He's tricky and clear all at once.

 

[ICUH8N]

Ever read any Don Delillo? I'm reading 'Americana' at the moment - it's not as creepy and intense as 'Endzone' (which really fucked me up). I guess he's a funny writer, in terms of his perception of people, but in terms of his style, he seems to be working out equations. He's tricky and clear all at once.

Mah favourite author. Check out "Underworld" then "White Noise". Everyone loves White Noise
If you like, check out "The Names" (a lot more idiosyncratic than underworld) then "Mao II" (even more so)
Swoooooooon.

 

[pad]

i just signed up to mcsweeneys for a year, that and wholpin (the dvd thing they all do) i read one issue once. it's hit and miss i reckon, some of it is great, some of it less so.
you can buy it all online anyway.

 

[tin robots]

you can pick up mcsweenys in anthology books in meeting house square.

 

[egg_]

I abandoned "White noise", thought it was just annoying. Only remember it very faintly - is that the one where some guy ends up rambling round in a van with some other people?

 

[ICUH8N]

not really, no.

 

[Nate Champion]

I abandoned "White noise", thought it was just annoying. Only remember it very faintly - is that the one where some guy ends up rambling round in a van with some other people?

No, that's 'Americana' which I'm reading at the moment. I was almost giving up on it - but the passage about his family was so meticaliously treated, (as his wont) I became wrapped up in it again. It could all end in tears yet.But fingers crossed for something devastating. I'm at the stage where he's just played basketball with Bud Yost. Which is right after that hilarious part in the hotel where he phones all these people he knows, or used to know.

The guy takes serious effort sometimes, but he seems to have something on the inside circuit.

 

[Pantone247]

Dave Eggers wrote the liner notes to this

http://www.yesboyicecream.com/ybijunebrides.html

and I designed for it, which actually makes it the best record i the world ever

 

[Lefty Frizzell]

I feel like caving in to all this Eggerz pressure.

 

[Pantone247]

I feel like caving in to all this Eggerz pressure.

A Staggering Work of Heartbreaking Genius is his best book, but could've been cut in half and been even better (the Real World chapter anyone?) and from there on I sort of think he's slid down hill...

 

[Jim Daniels]

Dave Eggers wrote the liner notes to this

http://www.yesboyicecream.com/ybijunebrides.html

and I designed for it, which actually makes it the best record i the world ever

Looks good!


He also wrote the introduction to this
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A7597010

Forty Stories
by Donald Barthelme (Penguin Modern Classics)

Undoubtedly reissue of the year. A dizzyingly brilliant collection that predates nearly every good idea ever to appear in an issue of McSweeney’s. The often unfairly maligned Dave Eggers contributes an introduction that deserves to see him reversed over slowly, but ignore that and dive straight into the funniest, smartest and most unique short fiction of the last 40 years. CP

 

[skrellp]

I loved A heartbreaking Work. I thought it said alot more than alot of books I've read over the past while. Same goes for Sufjan Stevens. I really didn't like some of the short stories he wrote, a lot of post-modernist crap, in my opinion.

If you like Dave Eggars, I'd say you might like yer man who wrote The Corrections. Maybe Paul Auster.

They occasionally have McSweeney's in Waterstone's in Jervis shopping centre, but rarely the magazine.

 

[taubstumm]

If you like Dave Eggars, I'd say you might like yer man who wrote The Corrections.

jonanthan franzen. he rules.

They occasionally have McSweeney's in Waterstone's in Jervis shopping centre, but rarely the magazine.

by 'the magazine', do you mean the believer? because (and i've said this 'round these parts before) the believer - which is published by mcsweeneys - is a fantastic magazine, and anyone with a regard for good writing should make sure they get their hands on a copy. it's completely unique. it's hard to do it justice in attempting to describe it - that's how good a magazine it is. if i just throw out a few superlatives, that won't adequately articulate how fantastic this magazine is. it's a magazine that people will be returning to fifty years from now to get a sense of our times. it's a magazine that makes you laugh and cry and all the rest of the cliched things that writing is meant to make you do. it's a magazine that'll bend your mind around new ideas and make you look at yourself in the mirror. it's a magazine that... that... oh just go and get a copy already, ok? fuck sake.