November 6th, 2009 / 2:24 pm
Snippets
Snippets
Blake Butler—
Dalkey Archive is doing their ‘we will eat your pocketbook and mind’ sale again, which I have now taken advantage of 3 times and will likely a 4th: Holiday Sale at Dalkey! Get 10 books for $65, 20 books for $120, running through November 22.
some one should organize a group buy.
some one should organize a group buy.
why must dalkey declare war on my shelf space? why, blake?
read a bit of the book Western last night. good book: http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/catalog/show/598
wow, sweet. what are your some of your favorite ones from here?
why must dalkey declare war on my shelf space? why, blake?
read a bit of the book Western last night. good book: http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/catalog/show/598
wow, sweet. what are your some of your favorite ones from here?
i own probably 70 of their books. it’s hard to play a wrong note with them
off the top of my head
Europeana, Age of Wire and String, Wittgenstein’s Mistress, 3 titles by Gert Jonke, the Gass books, Stanley Crawford, Harry Mathews… … literally you could pick a title and have it come and probably get a lot out of it
i own probably 70 of their books. it’s hard to play a wrong note with them
off the top of my head
Europeana, Age of Wire and String, Wittgenstein’s Mistress, 3 titles by Gert Jonke, the Gass books, Stanley Crawford, Harry Mathews… … literally you could pick a title and have it come and probably get a lot out of it
good idea.
if you’ve got a favorite dalkey archive title, make a comment and give us a brief handsell, giant writers and readers.
the book i mentioned above has all sorts of fascinating digressions—like Tristram Shandy—but it also has a really fluid tone. the shifts from a more serious observational narrator to one who bubbles with humor and personality never feel forced or out of place. it’s likes the moves between high and low rhetorical stances that you find in a conversation you are having with a friend who is trying to explain something to you.
sorry that i don’t have the book handy to show an example.
good idea.
if you’ve got a favorite dalkey archive title, make a comment and give us a brief handsell, giant writers and readers.
the book i mentioned above has all sorts of fascinating digressions—like Tristram Shandy—but it also has a really fluid tone. the shifts from a more serious observational narrator to one who bubbles with humor and personality never feel forced or out of place. it’s likes the moves between high and low rhetorical stances that you find in a conversation you are having with a friend who is trying to explain something to you.
sorry that i don’t have the book handy to show an example.
ugh. freaking dalkey.
ugh. freaking dalkey.
group buy.
20 / 120 = 6 bucks a book.
20 people only need to pay pal 6 dollars for a book.
just need to organize it.
i’m too unreliable. some one else should do it.
i bet if dalkey got an order for 200 books they would cut us a deal.
$$$
group buy.
20 / 120 = 6 bucks a book.
20 people only need to pay pal 6 dollars for a book.
just need to organize it.
i’m too unreliable. some one else should do it.
i bet if dalkey got an order for 200 books they would cut us a deal.
$$$
Blake, I’ve been interested in Springer’s Progress. I had a hard time enjoying Wittgenstein, but the samples at Amazon of Springer look promising. Have you read that one?
Blake, I’ve been interested in Springer’s Progress. I had a hard time enjoying Wittgenstein, but the samples at Amazon of Springer look promising. Have you read that one?
i’ve read a good bit of it, i first read a friend’s copy and since have bought it but for some reason haven’t found time to finish, even though i liked it a lot. it’s a lot different than anything else he’s published, that i know of: much more languaged in a Joycean way. really short scenes. it’s nice. but i am a bit more warm on the WMistress and the author cycle.
i just remembered he was in my dream last night, Markson, coming out of a bathroom as i went in to shit
Looking at this Jerusalem by Goncalo M. Tavares book on my shelf. Seems pretty interesting.
i’ve read a good bit of it, i first read a friend’s copy and since have bought it but for some reason haven’t found time to finish, even though i liked it a lot. it’s a lot different than anything else he’s published, that i know of: much more languaged in a Joycean way. really short scenes. it’s nice. but i am a bit more warm on the WMistress and the author cycle.
i just remembered he was in my dream last night, Markson, coming out of a bathroom as i went in to shit
Looking at this Jerusalem by Goncalo M. Tavares book on my shelf. Seems pretty interesting.
i read a galley of Jerusalem. supposedly it changed a lot between galley and final product, but i enjoyed the galley a lot. easy to read and interesting conceptually. i’d recommend it
i read a galley of Jerusalem. supposedly it changed a lot between galley and final product, but i enjoyed the galley a lot. easy to read and interesting conceptually. i’d recommend it
wow, I really don’t know how to follow that up.
wow, I really don’t know how to follow that up.
hehe. what was it about the WMistress you weren’t into as much?
i’d say springer is worth the leap
hehe. what was it about the WMistress you weren’t into as much?
i’d say springer is worth the leap
Springer is OK. It’s most interesting because you see the beginnings of the author cycle in these little interstitial bits. The narrative itself is a little ordinary. WMistress was another step toward the author cycle. The author cycle is genius.
Springer is OK. It’s most interesting because you see the beginnings of the author cycle in these little interstitial bits. The narrative itself is a little ordinary. WMistress was another step toward the author cycle. The author cycle is genius.
Hey Blake (or anybody),
How about you suggest 10 books from their catalog? And then maybe your next 10 suggestions?
Hey Blake (or anybody),
How about you suggest 10 books from their catalog? And then maybe your next 10 suggestions?
A couple Dalkey titles I have loved recently – Bouvard and Pecuchet by Flaubert, Impossible Object by Nicholas Mosley, Some Thing Black by Jacques Roubaud
A couple Dalkey titles I have loved recently – Bouvard and Pecuchet by Flaubert, Impossible Object by Nicholas Mosley, Some Thing Black by Jacques Roubaud
Highly recommended: “Garden, Ashes” by Danilo Kis
http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/catalog/show/120
Highly recommended: “Garden, Ashes” by Danilo Kis
http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/catalog/show/120
Second Bouvard and Pecuchet. Laurel and Hardy as suddenly affluent dabblers.
Second Bouvard and Pecuchet. Laurel and Hardy as suddenly affluent dabblers.
“Let us not mince words here: Danilo Kis’s Garden, Ashes is an unmitigated masterpiece, surely not just one of the best books about the Holocaust, but one of the greatest books of the past century.”—Aleksandar Hemon
“In Kis’s case . . . it is the consistent quality of the local prose that counts. It is how, sentence by sentence, the song is built, and immeasurable meanings meant. It is the rich regalia of his rhetoric that leads us to acknowledge his authority. On his page, trappings are not trappings, but sovereignty itself.”—William H. Gass, New York Review of Books
God that Gass loves ‘lliteration . . . but if you like Bruno Schulz, you’ll recognize (and love) this.
“Let us not mince words here: Danilo Kis’s Garden, Ashes is an unmitigated masterpiece, surely not just one of the best books about the Holocaust, but one of the greatest books of the past century.”—Aleksandar Hemon
“In Kis’s case . . . it is the consistent quality of the local prose that counts. It is how, sentence by sentence, the song is built, and immeasurable meanings meant. It is the rich regalia of his rhetoric that leads us to acknowledge his authority. On his page, trappings are not trappings, but sovereignty itself.”—William H. Gass, New York Review of Books
God that Gass loves ‘lliteration . . . but if you like Bruno Schulz, you’ll recognize (and love) this.
good idea
here are 10 (I’m going to skip most of the ones I mentioned above like Ben Marcus and Gass and Markson, as people likely often have those, but those are my tops):
Ann Quin, Tripticks
Gert Jonke, Geometric Regional Novel
Patrik Ourednik, Europeana
Gert Jonke, Homage to Czerny
Ron Loewinsohn, Magnetic Field(s)
Rikki Ducornet, The Complete Butcher’s Tales
Stanely Crawford, Log of the S.S. The Mrs. Ungenuntine
Robert Pinget, Trio
Jacques Jouet, Mountain R (translated by Brian Evenson)
Michael Alvaj, The Other City
oh and Christine Schutt’s Nightwork
good idea
here are 10 (I’m going to skip most of the ones I mentioned above like Ben Marcus and Gass and Markson, as people likely often have those, but those are my tops):
Ann Quin, Tripticks
Gert Jonke, Geometric Regional Novel
Patrik Ourednik, Europeana
Gert Jonke, Homage to Czerny
Ron Loewinsohn, Magnetic Field(s)
Rikki Ducornet, The Complete Butcher’s Tales
Stanely Crawford, Log of the S.S. The Mrs. Ungenuntine
Robert Pinget, Trio
Jacques Jouet, Mountain R (translated by Brian Evenson)
Michael Alvaj, The Other City
oh and Christine Schutt’s Nightwork
Jonke is killer
Jonke is killer
what i loveabout dalkey is they publish a book like log of ss ungentien next to schutts nightwork.
what i loveabout dalkey is they publish a book like log of ss ungentien next to schutts nightwork.
how precisely do you specify the books you wish to purchase? or is this some sort of you get 10 random books of our selection type sale?
how precisely do you specify the books you wish to purchase? or is this some sort of you get 10 random books of our selection type sale?
There have been a couple of recent Dalkey titles reviewed at The Collagist recently:
The System of Vienna by Gert Jonke: http://www.thecollagist.com/archive/October2009/Maday/index.html
The Country Where No One Ever Dies by Vorpsi: http://www.thecollagist.com/archive/September2009/Maday/index.html
Brecht at Night by Unt: http://www.thecollagist.com/archive/September2009/Clark/index.html
The Other City by Ajvaz: http://www.thecollagist.com/archive/August2009/Madera/index.html
I recently read Siamese by Stig Sæterbakken, one of their newer titles and enjoyed it too.
There have been a couple of recent Dalkey titles reviewed at The Collagist recently:
The System of Vienna by Gert Jonke: http://www.thecollagist.com/archive/October2009/Maday/index.html
The Country Where No One Ever Dies by Vorpsi: http://www.thecollagist.com/archive/September2009/Maday/index.html
Brecht at Night by Unt: http://www.thecollagist.com/archive/September2009/Clark/index.html
The Other City by Ajvaz: http://www.thecollagist.com/archive/August2009/Madera/index.html
I recently read Siamese by Stig Sæterbakken, one of their newer titles and enjoyed it too.
there is a comment section when you check out, you put the list in there
there is a comment section when you check out, you put the list in there
i am also reading momus’s book of jokes right now, it is fucked and great
i am also reading momus’s book of jokes right now, it is fucked and great
Have any of you sent them a manuscript?
Well I felt like so much depended on the sheer concept of the book and once that concept was realized my interest waned. Yes, I admire it for what it does and what it is, but the sheer repetition deadened the actual pleasure I would have liked to have had while reading it.
What I did find interesting recently was in the afterword (in the Dalkey edition) where Steven Moore discussed it in terms of bearing a legacy of Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”, a frankly obvious but brilliant observation that really sticks with me.
I’ve noted that Joycean skip in Springer and that’s probably why it appeals to me. The comedy seems more exposed. Whatever comic touch there was in Wittgenstein was so existential as to practically undercut whatever function it could claim as humor.
Have any of you sent them a manuscript?
Well I felt like so much depended on the sheer concept of the book and once that concept was realized my interest waned. Yes, I admire it for what it does and what it is, but the sheer repetition deadened the actual pleasure I would have liked to have had while reading it.
What I did find interesting recently was in the afterword (in the Dalkey edition) where Steven Moore discussed it in terms of bearing a legacy of Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”, a frankly obvious but brilliant observation that really sticks with me.
I’ve noted that Joycean skip in Springer and that’s probably why it appeals to me. The comedy seems more exposed. Whatever comic touch there was in Wittgenstein was so existential as to practically undercut whatever function it could claim as humor.
And it can be anything from their catalog, right? I had a similar question. Dalkey is boss.
And it can be anything from their catalog, right? I had a similar question. Dalkey is boss.
I was curious about this as well. I would imagine them to be an exceptionally tough nut to crack.
I was curious about this as well. I would imagine them to be an exceptionally tough nut to crack.
I was also noticing they carried Stanley Elkin. I’ve never read his stuff but have never heard anything but the best.
I was also noticing they carried Stanley Elkin. I’ve never read his stuff but have never heard anything but the best.
it only applies to paperbacks, i believe. so, if something is only hardback, then you canot purchase it with this special
ive only sent them my money.
it only applies to paperbacks, i believe. so, if something is only hardback, then you canot purchase it with this special
ive only sent them my money.
Thanks, Ryan. That’s good to know. Looking forward to this.
Thanks, Ryan. That’s good to know. Looking forward to this.
If you’re looking for a great Dalkey title, I cannot say enough about C.S. Giscombe’s Prairie Style. It is a rather elegant book of prose poetry.
If you’re looking for a great Dalkey title, I cannot say enough about C.S. Giscombe’s Prairie Style. It is a rather elegant book of prose poetry.
Springer is excellent but the end makes your heart yodel rather than shiver, as does WM.
Springer is excellent but the end makes your heart yodel rather than shiver, as does WM.
Any recommendations between those two Dianne Williams collections?
Any recommendations between those two Dianne Williams collections?
Excitability is a selected works, so if you like perspectives of a career versus focused collections, I’d say get the selected. But if you plan to read more of her books, which seems a better way, to me, I’d get Romancer Erector.
Excitability is a selected works, so if you like perspectives of a career versus focused collections, I’d say get the selected. But if you plan to read more of her books, which seems a better way, to me, I’d get Romancer Erector.
fuck, totally forgot about Elkin somehow. he’s incredible. The Magic Kingdom and Criers and Kibbitzers are both incredible, highly recommended. I may have to pick up a couple of his I don’t have.
fuck, totally forgot about Elkin somehow. he’s incredible. The Magic Kingdom and Criers and Kibbitzers are both incredible, highly recommended. I may have to pick up a couple of his I don’t have.
i have. they are open to submissions via email. they replied in about 6 months, which seems really good for a place of that size. i got a very nice rejection, with some thinking about the book and praise. i’ve heard from a few others that got the same. definitely worth a shot, but yeah, i imagine it’s a mega hard egg to crack
i have. they are open to submissions via email. they replied in about 6 months, which seems really good for a place of that size. i got a very nice rejection, with some thinking about the book and praise. i’ve heard from a few others that got the same. definitely worth a shot, but yeah, i imagine it’s a mega hard egg to crack
yeah, magic kingdom is the one to get, i think
yeah, magic kingdom is the one to get, i think
doesn’t excitability contain the selected collections entire?
doesn’t excitability contain the selected collections entire?
Here’s an idea for anyone at Dalkey who may be reading this: offer a subscription program where customers could pay one fee (probably in the $80-100ish range) to get a book sent to them every month. I would buy this every single year.
Here’s an idea for anyone at Dalkey who may be reading this: offer a subscription program where customers could pay one fee (probably in the $80-100ish range) to get a book sent to them every month. I would buy this every single year.
You people–
First off thanks for being interested in our books.
Second, I’ll throw in a recommendation: Heartsnatcher by Boris Vian, preface by Raymond Queneau. We just reissued this book with a new cover. It’s totally brilliant, this book.
About the subscription program idea: We’ve talked about it, but the problem is (well, one of the problems is) that we do too many books. One a month would mean we choose for you out of the three or four books we published that month, rather than you choose for yourself. We decided better to offer these sales periodically that make it easy and cheap for anyone who wants to keep up with our list to be able to do so. It means a little bit of hunting around on your part but then you find out about more of the books and you get the ones that seem most interesting to you rather than the one we decide (based on what criteria I can’t imagine) you should receive.
That said, you need to read Heartsnatcher by Boris Vian.
Best–
Martin Riker
You people–
First off thanks for being interested in our books.
Second, I’ll throw in a recommendation: Heartsnatcher by Boris Vian, preface by Raymond Queneau. We just reissued this book with a new cover. It’s totally brilliant, this book.
About the subscription program idea: We’ve talked about it, but the problem is (well, one of the problems is) that we do too many books. One a month would mean we choose for you out of the three or four books we published that month, rather than you choose for yourself. We decided better to offer these sales periodically that make it easy and cheap for anyone who wants to keep up with our list to be able to do so. It means a little bit of hunting around on your part but then you find out about more of the books and you get the ones that seem most interesting to you rather than the one we decide (based on what criteria I can’t imagine) you should receive.
That said, you need to read Heartsnatcher by Boris Vian.
Best–
Martin Riker
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