Wednesday, October 25, 2006

(10.25.06) Recommends:

The writing of Chris Bachelder.

David Foster Wallace once said of Arthur Bradford that his stories were like having a conversation with the part of your brain that dreams at night. I've always thought that was just about the coolest compliment I've ever heard. And I think it equally applies to Chris Bachelder. He is one of the most stunningly creative writers alive. He is a "humor writer," but not the kind found in the "Humor Section" of book stores. His attention to detail is staggering. His sentences are like fractals, and his work like chaos theory. Or M.C. Escher prints.

He came out with a new book this year, U.S.! and has another novel Bear v. Shark. In between the two, he released an eBook called Lessons in Virtual Tour Photography, which can be downloaded for free here.

If I haven't convinced you to download a free book, or to go out and buy one of his other books, do me a favor. At least read this page-and-a-half exerpt I'm providing today. It's Lesson 26 from the download and it is titled "Ivan Lendl and the Hazards of Really Giving a Shit." If ever there was a title that alone made me want to read everything an author has written, this was it.

No comments: