Anyone read Vollmann? He writes a fuckton and I believe that he is easily the greatest American author of generation X. Anyone plan on reading the 2000 page unabridged edition of The Dying Grass that comes out this year?
Vollmann is wonderful. I just picked up The Ice-Shirt today.
Will read him when I finish my massive backlog. 3000 page book about violence anyone?
No one ever tells me anything about his books other than they're long, and po-mo.
>>7950633
Why do you think that he's the best American Author of Gen X.
I'm fifty pages into Imperial, and I really like it so far, but I don't understand how he could trump the Wallace.
>>7950747
I have the abridged version, gonna read it this summer
>>7950750
I spoke about his short story The Ghost of Magnetism in another thread, I'll copy and paste what I said here. Also I was very stoned earlier when I wrote this.
i think his prose is phenomenal.
the beginning is a party for vollmann that his friends are throwing for him. you're introduced to the major players in the story (elaine suicide, ken, satoko, that girl named meghan maybe, i forget her name, but she's the ghost of magnetism) and are given a taste of vollmann's life. the next sections, east west north south (not necessarily in that order) are seemingly dreams or fantasies in which he goes from Tenderloin to those areas directly, although they aren't his destinations. he then actually leaves and struggles with that in his own ways. it ends with his acceptance of leaving his friends behind, then opens up the final section on elaine suicide.
it is some of the most beautiful writing i've ever seen, although i absolutely love experimental fiction. i thought it was a lovely story about the anxiety of leaving, of moving on. look at ken and satoko's relationship as well.
that's a relatively surface level reading of the story though
really it's a story about having to leave a place and never wanting to, feeling as if you're magnetically pulled to this one place (for Vollmann that's Tenderloin), but knowing damn well you must leave. i found Vollmann did a wonderful job of showing us his life and what he loved so much about Tenderloin. we're able to feel his sadness and anxiety about leaving. additionally, the spattering of mentions of elaine suicide throughout (though none overt in Vollmann's love for her) and then ending the story on how hard it was to leave her left me in tears.
He seems to have the opposite of writer's block (graphophilia?) where he just can't stop writing, which would be great if his writing was more enjoyable or if he also had some accompanying compulsion to create plot or tell a fucking story, but he doesn't seem to. I gave up on the guy after The Royal Family, which was easily the most pointless book I've ever read.
He actually cucked a guy I knew on a message board a few years ago; was fucking his wife in Sacramento.
>>7950772
lol based vollmann.
I actually think the opposite, he is drawn to creating plots and stories from all the materials he absorbed. The seven dreams series has been masterful, really recommend you give him a try again.
is this chart accurate?
>>7950796
I haven't read any of his seven dream works but definitely start with his short stories.
>>7950772
The Royal Family is awesome, though. I was all choked up toward the end.
>>7950633
I tried reading Europe Central and it left a bad taste in my mouth. trying to do far too much in far too disjointed a manner
>>7950858
Hmm... Pleb?
>>7950772
I dunno why but I wanna hear more about this cucking. I'm kind of obsessed with Bill's private life, even though that would piss him off.
>>7950633
why he so ugly
The original meme trilogy V2 had Europe Central, along with The Recognitions and I believe 2666
>>7950917
I would
>>7950971
god I remember the COUNTLESS daily threads about meme trilogy v2 a few months ago, it went nowhere lmao
>>7950984
desu lad its because i stopped spamming it. it was pretty much just me
>>7951488
Naa it wasn't just you, there were loads of other proposed meme trilogy v2s, with like The Tunnel and Book of the New Sun in them IIRC
The only reason DFW is worshipped instead of Volmann is because Volmann doesn't the the _____ wet.
>>7950633
I agree: Vollmann is easily the best writers of his generation. He's just not that popular because his books are long and focused on topics that most people don't enjoy.
He is physically repulsive. I could never champion an author who is so unattractive. Anyone else bothered by Vollmann's appearance?
>>7951680
kek
>>7950633
link to this unabridged version? all im finding is the one that already released.
>>7951687
From the excerpts i've read of the dying grass he seems like a cross between pynchon and mccarthy
>>7951592
Vollman should kill himself then he would get worshipped.
>>7950972
Good to know, I won't be able to do it for a while but when I'm able to I'll post it on lit
>>7951680
Yes. He has the looks of some large conspirationist rodent, the kind that is happiest when burrowing for mushrooms &/or unsettling secrets
>>7952126
He was investigated as a suspect for the unabomber case I believe.
>>7952136
Only makes sense, I mean look at his snout
>>7952144
to get prostitutes to talk to him about their lives he used to jerk off in front of them and ask them questions. now he paints nudes of them
He went to my high school! I tried petitioning the school to add him to the shitty wall of fame they have up, but so far they keep blowing me off.
>>7952204
That's revolting
>>7952249
if he didn't do anything with them they'd think he was a cop... does what he does baby
>>7952103
Why would he kill himself before he wins the nobel?
>>7952300
I think it's a poor Big Dave joke
>>7952249
Apparently, he also crossdresses to better writer female characters.
>>7952666
He has a young woman stuck inside his disgusting body or something. I respect his devotion to the craft.
>>7952666
This is him as his alter ego, Dolores. Yeah, I'm good. Fuck this guy.
>>7952783
That is fucking hilarious
>>7952783
Another.
>>7952783
Oh my.
>>7952795
oh god my sides
Who gives a shit if the nigga cross dresses and is ugly as sin? He still writes extremely well. He's an author, not a public figure. Judge his work not his person.
Guarantee you faggots would love this guy if he was able to look attractive as a woman, or a "le sexy sex trap boipucci"
>>7952963
You are legitimately insane.
>>7952974
why tho
>>7952974
faggot
This thread got me interested, gonna check him out.
>>7952783
not miss doleres snatching my wig with that small waist henny
Vollmann has written
2 Gravity's Rainbows
5 Mason & Dixons
2 Infinite Jests
>>7952795
I wonder what his right eye sees up there
>>7953242
Elaborate.
>>7953317
he's an extremely good writer as well... he could definitely be a new meme
>>7953368
how? no one can tell me the slightest thing about him other than "he's long" "he's sometimes difficult" "he's sometimes like Pynchon/DFW"
>>7953386
no one reads the memes, kid.
I don't think there's any trace of humor in his work, so the idea that he's anything like Pynchon or Foster doesn't really click for me. Wallace being much funnier than Pynchon, obv.
I would liken him more to Gass but much darker.
I started the Butterfly Stories a few days ago. The first story was really cute in a violent and depressing way. I'm going to finish it when I get over my crippling video games addiction.
Seriously though the Vole-Man is one of my favourite authors, I remember someone recommended the Atlas to me on /lit/ years ago and it really blew my doors off. Some of his books are hard and confusing but it's nice to spend hours reading about war and poor people in a comfy chair in the sun.
>>7953578
I picked up The Ice-Shirt recently and after the first few pages knew it would be my beach book once it gets nice and warm
Vollmann is based AF
>>7950888
The guy and his wife and his stepdaughter were stuck in this house they couldn't sell because the real estate market in Sacramento was crashing and he was really a great stepfather but he was a journalist as print journalism was contracting pretty cruelly. So he was in a shitty place and then finds out Vollmann's been fucking his wife in motels--I don't know if Vollmann was married or not, but I remember motels being part of the story. And I think she was up-front about it, the marriage was over but he didn't want it to be, and he was sleeping on the couch in the living room of the house they couldn't sell knowing that a guy who looked like Vollmann was blasting away at his wife. I think they finally either lost the house or he left, but thus began a series of spells of couch-surfing with friends who I think he became alienated from one-by-one. He got real argumentative online about this time, and then he left the message board entirely. He was a good guy, I felt bad for him.
I had already made up my mind about Vollmann by then anyway.
>>7954023
That entire episode is like something out of a Vollmann novel haha. Feel bad for that dude.
Around what year was this?
>>7954091
Nine or ten years ago.
Vollbump
>>7954023
sounds like an e/n thread
