Hey,
Am looking to expand my horizons in the area of American grotesque-satire-transgressive fiction.
I've made my way through the 'classics' (Shelby Jn-Bukowski-Palahniuk-Ellis-Rhinehart-Burroughs etc)
And am looking for some work that isn't as well known (or maybe has only just been written), any suggestions? I particullarly like first person narratives.
Thanks
I'm not sure they are regarded as 'classics' by any literary cannon but they are classics to me. Try Nik Korpon, Brandon Tietz, Craig Clevenger, Baer, basically everyone over at http://welcometothevelvet.com/forums/
Ryu Murakami's In the Miso Soup and Audition.
Douglas Coupland
Arthur Nersesian's The Fuck Up and Dogrun.
Not sure how Transgressive Nick Hornby is, but High Fidelity, How to be Good and A Long Way Down are all great reads. His new one is very good too, Juliet, Naked.
Jay McInerny's Bright Lights, Big City.
JG Ballard
Candy: A Story of Love and Addiction by Luke Davies.
Although I didn't like them, the Dexter series is popular.
On the Road by Kerouac could be considered Transgressive for its time.
You could throw Lolita and Valley of the Dolls in there for shits and giggles.
Some say The Catcher in the Rye and Crime and Punishment fit in the Transgressive genre.
Oh, and David Foster Wallace.
I second JG Ballard. Cocaine Nights was a good Noir story. Crash was mind-blowing.
Not sure if everyone would agree that he's transgressive but Donald Ray Pollock is excellent
"Valley of the Dolls in there for shits and giggles"
I love that book. For reals. In fact - it's wehre I got my twitter name from (little red doll)
@Avery... Love it too. Read it for the first time last year and blew through it. You ever read Dolores? I have it, but havn't read it yet. Wondering if it's any good.
I haven't. I never read any of her stuff past Valley of the Dolls. now I kind of want to though.
Hubert Selby Jr.
Some Vollmann stuff is also transgressive.
Oh, I got a recommendation for you. Try Irvine Welsh's Filth.
@Avery... Dolores is much shorter than Valley. When I read it, I'll let you know if it's any good.
Buffalo Soldiers by Robert O'Connor is decent. Made into a movie starring Joaquin Phoenix.
Nearly every novel by Dennis Cooper is great, but The Sluts is of particular interest. Also, I would recommend Matthew Stokoe's Cows, which is somewhat stomach-churning. His second novel, High Life, may be of more interest if you're into noir or books that are a bit less nausea-inducing than Cows.
Try The Delivery Man if you're looking for something like Ellis. This book has a Less Than Zero in Vegas feel to it.
@Brandon: The Delivery Man was good.
It was boring
I didn't think The Delivery Man was boring at all. I loved that book. I think I read it last year and it was one of my favorite books I read that year.
Don't worry about ol' Spence. He's been trolling this place for quite a while.
Oh yeah, Earthworm Jim - is speculatively that one guy we all love.
2brandon, probably the wrong thread, but I'm wondering what your thougths are on the K.C. Pittsburgh game. I went to high school with Tyler.
Spence needs a hug. Or maybe a snuggie.
No, The Delivery Man sucks. The whole self-destructive, doesn't know what to do with women, gets beat up, hangs out with strippers and prostitutes in morally questionable activities, doesn't know what to do with his life thing is so predictable and overdone. Self destruction has become boring but i guess that's what 'transgressive' (ie this thread) is all about so i'll leave it at that.
@Moon
Nah, I skipped it this week because I didn't think it was going to be any good after his last performance.
@Alien
It's all about these now.
Love how they're tailgating in retard pajamas.
@Spence
Good on you for at least explaining why you thought it was boring.
I love how they don't show a single obese person wearing them, even though that is clearly their target demographic.
Haha. I went back and read Filth again. Love that book. Just nasty.
"I love how they don't show a single obese person wearing them, even though that is clearly their target demographic. "
Hey. Slovenly people have their good points ya know. Especially for a fiction writer. Haha
Yeah, not all fat people are lazy. They just have eating disorders and thyroid problems. I know I'm fat but once you have gained it, its really hard to lose. Gaining weight can come from depression too. I know its hard for women to lose weight after pregnancy.
Chemical Pink by Katie Arnoldi
I consider Jack Ketchum, C. W. Schultz and Irvine Welsh transgressive fiction authors.
Try this one: Loisaida -- A New York Story by Marion Stein
Blatant self plug here, I just got a book published through Amazon, it's called Cerberus Nurtured. If you're still looking for some Transgressive Ficiton, then give it a go and I'd love to hear back from you about it.
Hi Poo-tee,
I read Space Games by Dean Lombardo and it is not so much science fiction as it is satire, dark comedy and pulp. It's about a futuristic battle of the sexes reality TV show aboard a space station and it is pretty intense. Good luck finding what you're looking for.
We have a selection of transgressive fiction stories from independent authors at our website:
http://www.bstarkittypress.com
Read sample chapters on the website, all books available on Kindle and some, if not all in paperback.
