An image is a beautiful thing. Spare, solid, independent. The need to interpret gives way to the simple joy to be had in the primacy of the image itself.
This is why I like it when authors are spare with their prose. If the author writes science fiction, or fiction of the fantastic, then its absolutely incredible when he manages to pull the story off in spare, direct, imagistic prose.
I'm reading The Troika by Stepan Chapman. Not very long ago, I finished Nova Swing by M John Harrison. Both of these authors value the worth and the power of the image. They'll let the scenes linger on in your head, unimpeded by the narration. The previous book is about a brontosaurus, a jeep and a mexican woman crossing a desert. The latter, a homage to SF and noir thrillers in the form of a mystery with no solution.
These are not perfect books, by any means. Its very difficult to sustain the surreal. Which is probably why authors of the fantastic feel so much at home with the short story.
But some manage to almost pull it off, and then you forgive them the sections which don't seem to go anywhere.
Boredom is often a necessity when it comes to good literature.
This is why I like it when authors are spare with their prose. If the author writes science fiction, or fiction of the fantastic, then its absolutely incredible when he manages to pull the story off in spare, direct, imagistic prose.
I'm reading The Troika by Stepan Chapman. Not very long ago, I finished Nova Swing by M John Harrison. Both of these authors value the worth and the power of the image. They'll let the scenes linger on in your head, unimpeded by the narration. The previous book is about a brontosaurus, a jeep and a mexican woman crossing a desert. The latter, a homage to SF and noir thrillers in the form of a mystery with no solution.
These are not perfect books, by any means. Its very difficult to sustain the surreal. Which is probably why authors of the fantastic feel so much at home with the short story.
But some manage to almost pull it off, and then you forgive them the sections which don't seem to go anywhere.
Boredom is often a necessity when it comes to good literature.
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