Jeff Vandermeer

January 30, 2003 3:21 AM

Jeff VanderMeer is not only a great author of weird sf, and a creator of the mysterious city of Ambergris, but has an alternative official site where he makes merciless fun of himself and the whole idea of author web pages. The site includes bad poetry, a secret subsite of the "webdesigner" Garry and a strange alien baby project, just for starters.....
posted by inkeri (3 comments total)

Intrigued by his website, which I enjoyed browsing through, I ordered Vandermeer's City of Saints and Madmen shortly after its publication, only to find myself disappointed with the stories themselves. I've seen more good reviews of the book than bad ones, but I'd still advise trying-before-buying...
posted by misteraitch at 3:46 AM on January 30, 2003

What a great find, inkeri! The website is brilliant:

On June 1st, 1984, Jeff VanderMeer set out on a Quixotic quest to enter the Guiness Book of World Records as the only non-bestselling author to be published in every soccer-playing country in the world. Although VanderMeer admits that many countries remain to be conquered and some countries, regrettably, have ceased to exist since 1984, progress has been made…

I especially love the "some countries, regrettably, have ceased to exist since 1984." And one of the countries he wants to conquer is

AL SHARPTON

Capital : Al Sharpton's Brain

Rationale For Targeting : If Jeff could get published in Al Sharpton's brain, it would represent the realization of a life-long recurring nightmare which haunts his sleep every other week.

And this, from his FAQ:

You do know that no one ever asks these kinds of questions, right? That this whole frequently-asked-questions page has been devoted to questions no one will ever want the answer to?
Yes, I do. It all has to do with being mean and wanting to stay obscure. No one ever asks me any questions, to be honest. I never get any fan mail, either. And I'm not really certain anyone out there has read my work. I once got a letter in the mail addressed to "Johnny Vandermeer" and I was so desperate for a fan letter that I opened it up and sucked out its essence like it was an oyster. Then I sat there in the dark of my room in the basement of the abandoned used car lot and cried my eyes out...

My initial impulse is to rush out and get his book, but I must admit misteraitch has made me a tad reluctant to shell out the $40 sight unseen. I'll have to see if I can find it in a bookstore...
posted by languagehat at 10:03 AM on January 30, 2003

(Oh, and for you people who don't follow baseball, the "Johnny Vandermeer" he mentions in that last quote is a pitcher who is famous for having two no-hitters in a row, a feat which has never been duplicated.)
posted by languagehat at 10:06 AM on January 30, 2003