Writing about writing and reading
I recently (start of the year) had a bit of a crises of confidence, and I'm still not sure I've fully recovered. It was probably a combination of many things, but I think W.G. Sebald's books (Vertigo and The Emigrants) were a big factor. Not only because they are about memory and perception, but because …
Continue reading "A book too good for me to handle? Some thoughts on impostor syndrome."
I always come back to good ol' Vlad, and this one keeps up the pattern of being awesome in unexpected ways. This book tells the story of Cincinnatus C. , a 30 year old teacher convicted of 'gnostical turpitude' and his experiences waiting around in a cell for his own execution. What struck me most …
Continue reading "Invitation to a Beheading, by Vladimir Nabokov"
Having recently read some great sci-fi for the first time in a couple years, I have some thoughts. I think my perspective has changed after the past few years of reading pretty much only literary classics. Coming back to science fiction after that, everything feels so transparent. I'm not sure if it's me, or just …
The 1959 Shirley Jackson Gothic horror novel, The Haunting of Hill House, has spawned two  Hollywood movies, a radio adaption, numerous parodies and copycats, and has influenced novelists and film writers for decades. Most recently, it’s been made into a TV series by Netflix which, after I heard from so many people how great it …
A friend linked me this article about the squeamish hesitance of writers to call their books sci-fi, and the reputation sci-fi has for being cheap or base entertainment. Some of this rings true for me, too, even as a (ex?) sci-fi fan and writer myself. Their example of Faber is accurate. I remember when I …
Jonas David 