Author Spotlight
Experimental Detective Fiction
One of my all time favorite writers, Robert Coover, has a new book coming out in about two weeks called Noir. It’s a detective novel written in the second person. Say what you will about writing in the second person, I’m super excited to see what Coover does with this puppy.
You can read an excerpt at Vice.
You can listen to Coover read from the book and answer some questions via Kelly Writers House.
Here’s a blurb from Ben Marcus:
“At age 75, Coover is still a brilliant mythmaker, a potty-mouthed Svengali, and an evil technician of metaphors. He is among our language’s most important inventors.”
Here’s the summary:
You are Philip M. Noir, Private Investigator. A mysterious young widow hires you to find her husband’s killer-if he was killed. Then your client is killed and her body disappears-if she was your client. Your search for clues takes you through all levels of the city, from classy lounges to lowlife dives, from jazz bars to a rich sex kitten’s bedroom, from yachts to the morgue. “The Case of the Vanishing Black Widow” unfolds over five days aboveground and three or four in smugglers’ tunnels, though flashback and anecdote, and expands time into something much larger. You don’t always get the joke, though most people think what’s happening is pretty funny.
Tags: noir, robert coover
What’s your favorite Coover?
This sounds great, yeah. Thanks for alerting me to it.
What’s your favorite Coover?
This sounds great, yeah. Thanks for alerting me to it.
there’s also an excerpt from noir in the “just released today” print issue #2 of gigantic, which justin alluded to earlier: http://htmlgiant.com/random/hey-here-are-those-links-you-asked-me-for/
in celebration of the issue and our release party this saturday, we’re actually working on “as close to cost as we possibly can” deals for interested preorders — email me for details at jamesyeh82@gmail.com.
there’s also an excerpt from noir in the “just released today” print issue #2 of gigantic, which justin alluded to earlier: http://htmlgiant.com/random/hey-here-are-those-links-you-asked-me-for/
in celebration of the issue and our release party this saturday, we’re actually working on “as close to cost as we possibly can” deals for interested preorders — email me for details at jamesyeh82@gmail.com.
Shit how hadn’t I heard of this? Thanks Christopher!
Shit how hadn’t I heard of this? Thanks Christopher!
Hmmm…well, if I were forced to choose I suppose I’d say Gerald’s Party. No, Pricksongs & Descants. No, Universal Baseball Association. No….argg! Choosing makes me feel dirty. (but I really love Gerald’s Party, a book that unfortunately doesn’t get much attention for some reason)
Hmmm…well, if I were forced to choose I suppose I’d say Gerald’s Party. No, Pricksongs & Descants. No, Universal Baseball Association. No….argg! Choosing makes me feel dirty. (but I really love Gerald’s Party, a book that unfortunately doesn’t get much attention for some reason)
Cool! Thanks, James.
Cool! Thanks, James.
‘gerald’s party’ is pretty special.
‘gerald’s party’ is pretty special.
Thanks for this good news!
Thanks for this good news!
I’m reading this right now and it’s fun times!
I’m reading this right now and it’s fun times!
Yeah, I love Gerald’s Party too. It was my first Coover and probably my favorite.
Yeah, I love Gerald’s Party too. It was my first Coover and probably my favorite.
you guys read Spanking the Maid?
you guys read Spanking the Maid?
Pricksongs and Descants is incredible, as is The Spanking Maid. Loved Ghost Town too. And A Public Burning and The Universal . . . Hmm, a trend forming here.
I did like the two McSweeney’s books the last few years too, The Stepmother and the short story collection.
Pricksongs and Descants is incredible, as is The Spanking Maid. Loved Ghost Town too. And A Public Burning and The Universal . . . Hmm, a trend forming here.
I did like the two McSweeney’s books the last few years too, The Stepmother and the short story collection.
Yeah, that one’s great too, conceptually and prosewise.
Yeah, that one’s great too, conceptually and prosewise.
Actually, the book is not writen in the second person. It´s impossible to write in the second person (for, either I am talking, the first person, or someone else, that is necessarily the third person). There is no second person in narrative. The narrator of the book Noir is someone (third person) talking about a You, the second person (in this case, the detective).
Actually, the book is not writen in the second person. It´s impossible to write in the second person (for, either I am talking, the first person, or someone else, that is necessarily the third person). There is no second person in narrative. The narrator of the book Noir is someone (third person) talking about a You, the second person (in this case, the detective).
When the narrative is told in this manner, it is called the second person. It is distinct from the first person because it doesn’t use first person pronouns in reference to the protagonist(s) (I [singular] or we [plural]) and it is distinct from the third person because it doesn’t use third person pronouns in reference to the protagonist(s) (he, she, it [singular], they [plural] ). It uses second person pronouns (you), so it is called second-person narrative.
When the narrative is told in this manner, it is called the second person. It is distinct from the first person because it doesn’t use first person pronouns in reference to the protagonist(s) (I [singular] or we [plural]) and it is distinct from the third person because it doesn’t use third person pronouns in reference to the protagonist(s) (he, she, it [singular], they [plural] ). It uses second person pronouns (you), so it is called second-person narrative.
I think
I think
Although very different than his other books, The Origins of the Brunists is a pretty amazing first novel. He works in a, gasp, traditional narrative, and shows that he’s a great writer even without his tricks. That said, I loved Pricksongs and Descants the most.
Although very different than his other books, The Origins of the Brunists is a pretty amazing first novel. He works in a, gasp, traditional narrative, and shows that he’s a great writer even without his tricks. That said, I loved Pricksongs and Descants the most.
I don’t think Coover has ever written a so-so book. They’ve all been grade A.
My favourite is probably ‘The Public Burning’ but more because I spent a year writing a thesis I never finished on apocalypse, religion and anticommunism in the 50s US and that book was like a guiding light for me throughout that time and the thesis became like a backstage tour of just what a fucking insane amount of work went into writing that thing, the sources used, the quotations threaded in, the reach and reference, how every insight I came up with was already preceded by that book and in there. Seriously, unbelievable. Amazing and inspiring that someone would be so committed to the integrity of a piece of fiction.
I don’t think Coover has ever written a so-so book. They’ve all been grade A.
My favourite is probably ‘The Public Burning’ but more because I spent a year writing a thesis I never finished on apocalypse, religion and anticommunism in the 50s US and that book was like a guiding light for me throughout that time and the thesis became like a backstage tour of just what a fucking insane amount of work went into writing that thing, the sources used, the quotations threaded in, the reach and reference, how every insight I came up with was already preceded by that book and in there. Seriously, unbelievable. Amazing and inspiring that someone would be so committed to the integrity of a piece of fiction.
but my favourite underrated coover is ‘John’s wife’s’, his take on and ode to the richard yates, john cheever styled novel
but my favourite underrated coover is ‘John’s wife’s’, his take on and ode to the richard yates, john cheever styled novel
I read Spanking the Maid a long long time ago and so I can’t remember anything about it, other than the fact that I bought it when I was a teenager because I thought it was gonna be dirty.
Have not read John’s Wife. Must track it down. Thanks, David.
I read Spanking the Maid a long long time ago and so I can’t remember anything about it, other than the fact that I bought it when I was a teenager because I thought it was gonna be dirty.
Have not read John’s Wife. Must track it down. Thanks, David.
Interesting theoretical stance, Percino.
Interesting theoretical stance, Percino.
Hey Dan,
Good call on the two McSweeney’s titles, especially the one that comes with the deck of cards that you shuffle and read in any order. Very cool.
Hey Dan,
Good call on the two McSweeney’s titles, especially the one that comes with the deck of cards that you shuffle and read in any order. Very cool.
David, any chance you could post that unfinished thesis here? Sounds like good stuff.
of course. cool post, christopher.
David, any chance you could post that unfinished thesis here? Sounds like good stuff.
of course. cool post, christopher.
Looking forward to this, thanks for posting.
Looking forward to this, thanks for posting.
You’re right, they usually call this kind of narrative “second person” (although this is a classification found only in U.S.). However I believe this term is used in an improper way, because it’s not the use of the pronouns that defines the narrator, but the point-of-view.
The second-person technically cannot be the owner of narrative voice, because it (and any pronoun in this person) is necessarily referent to the receiver (the receiver of an internal message, such as in a dialogue, or the receiver of the speech, the reader).
So, I understand that the first-person narrative is a narrative whose point-of-view is a participating I, and that the third-person narrative has the point-of-view of another person (a third person), non-participatory (in principle, but not necessarily).
Well, the use of pronouns in second person does not change the view of the narrator; does not change the person of the narrator and his stance on the plot.
But it’s true; there is already a tradition of saying “second-person narrative” in U.S. In literatures of Romance languages this classification does not exist; not that I know. =)
You’re right, they usually call this kind of narrative “second person” (although this is a classification found only in U.S.). However I believe this term is used in an improper way, because it’s not the use of the pronouns that defines the narrator, but the point-of-view.
The second-person technically cannot be the owner of narrative voice, because it (and any pronoun in this person) is necessarily referent to the receiver (the receiver of an internal message, such as in a dialogue, or the receiver of the speech, the reader).
So, I understand that the first-person narrative is a narrative whose point-of-view is a participating I, and that the third-person narrative has the point-of-view of another person (a third person), non-participatory (in principle, but not necessarily).
Well, the use of pronouns in second person does not change the view of the narrator; does not change the person of the narrator and his stance on the plot.
But it’s true; there is already a tradition of saying “second-person narrative” in U.S. In literatures of Romance languages this classification does not exist; not that I know. =)
Mike, hey, the only existence it has is in a series of extended length, floating, notational draft points that never got assembled into anything like a coherent structure before I dropped out. So it wouldn’t work too well as a post somewhere or anything. But thanks for asking about it! =)
Mike, hey, the only existence it has is in a series of extended length, floating, notational draft points that never got assembled into anything like a coherent structure before I dropped out. So it wouldn’t work too well as a post somewhere or anything. But thanks for asking about it! =)
I love the second person, when it’s done right. Ever read Stewart O’Nan’s A PRAYER FOR THE DYING? That’s done in second person, and it’s great.
I love the second person, when it’s done right. Ever read Stewart O’Nan’s A PRAYER FOR THE DYING? That’s done in second person, and it’s great.
Hi Christopher,
Thanks for giving Robert Coover’s NOIR some love. I’m his publicist here at The Overlook Press. Want me to send you a copy for review? Email me with your info if you’re interested!
FYI Look out for an amazing Robert Coover interview by Sean Carroll over at Bookslut in a few days…
Vida
vengstrand@overlookny.com
Hi Christopher,
Thanks for giving Robert Coover’s NOIR some love. I’m his publicist here at The Overlook Press. Want me to send you a copy for review? Email me with your info if you’re interested!
FYI Look out for an amazing Robert Coover interview by Sean Carroll over at Bookslut in a few days…
Vida
vengstrand@overlookny.com