Sorrentino, adieu
May 19, 2006 1:52 PM Subscribe
One of our greatest living writers died yesterday, and no one seems to care. I can't find a damn news story about it. A revolutionary teacher, thinker and critic, Sorrentino will be remembered as a "a reckless heir to Borges, Barthelme and Groucho Marx." Never read him? Start here.
Let me say that I think Blue Pastoral would really be a better place to begin.
Nice post.
posted by Mean Mr. Bucket at 2:25 PM on May 19, 2006
Nice post.
posted by Mean Mr. Bucket at 2:25 PM on May 19, 2006
This is the only "official" obit I can find for him (via his publisher).
posted by mattbucher at 2:30 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by mattbucher at 2:30 PM on May 19, 2006
jeffrey archer is dead ?
posted by sgt.serenity at 2:37 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by sgt.serenity at 2:37 PM on May 19, 2006
Well, fuck.
posted by loquacious at 2:38 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by loquacious at 2:38 PM on May 19, 2006
One of our greatest dead writers was living yesterday?
posted by bz at 2:47 PM on May 19, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by bz at 2:47 PM on May 19, 2006 [1 favorite]
One of our greatest living writers died yesterday
There's a contradiction there you know.
He was a great writer. He is now dead. Sorry for the confusion.
posted by mattbucher at 2:50 PM on May 19, 2006
There's a contradiction there you know.
He was a great writer. He is now dead. Sorry for the confusion.
posted by mattbucher at 2:50 PM on May 19, 2006
Wow, I picked up a second hand hardcover of his Misterioso a few weeks ago, just because the Thelonius Monk cd by the same name is one of my favourites. I hadn't heard of Sorrentino before that, but the Pack of Lies series is now on my summer reading list.
posted by zarah at 3:05 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by zarah at 3:05 PM on May 19, 2006
Another great writer is dead, well there's an opinion without ambiguity. Have a dot
.
posted by econous at 3:27 PM on May 19, 2006
.
posted by econous at 3:27 PM on May 19, 2006
I've never heard the name before, but I'll check out his work now. Thanks.
ditto.
posted by juv3nal at 3:33 PM on May 19, 2006
ditto.
posted by juv3nal at 3:33 PM on May 19, 2006
Hum, doesn't anybody have a tantalizing quote to get me interested in his work?
posted by Citizen Premier at 3:54 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by Citizen Premier at 3:54 PM on May 19, 2006
Well, I guess I'll have to count myself among the ignorant...just barely heard of him. He speaks frankly and fluently about the writing of prose and poetry in his interview. But...and I hate to be a Metafilter prig here...an Amazon link and a Wikipedia link in the same FPP? That's not why I come to Metafilter.
posted by kozad at 4:49 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by kozad at 4:49 PM on May 19, 2006
Never heard of him. What makes him so great?
posted by Orange Goblin at 4:56 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by Orange Goblin at 4:56 PM on May 19, 2006
doesn't anybody have a tantalizing quote to get me interested in his work?
"Two thumbs up!"
- Some Magazine Or Other
posted by -harlequin- at 5:06 PM on May 19, 2006
"Two thumbs up!"
- Some Magazine Or Other
posted by -harlequin- at 5:06 PM on May 19, 2006
mattbucher, thanks for the FPP. Others have also noted the neglect of info available. I like this article about Sorrentino's writing: "Gilbert Sorrentino has never been a popular writer -- he's too sour and bilious for most people -- but his explorations of the corrupted language and cultural shallowness of our age are oddly exhilarating."
Jacket Magazine has some decent articles and here's a bit more basic info about Gilbert Sorrentino. And
via:
In the blue, singa
the song, old corpses
turna to dust, the handa
gone or bones. Old
birds moult or do
something, la la singa
the song. "Man of
destiny," he say, gimme
the smoke, fucka
the world, outa the
blue, singa the song
nothin to do, alla
the people they deada
go wrong, skeletons
no singa no song.
posted by nickyskye at 5:18 PM on May 19, 2006
Jacket Magazine has some decent articles and here's a bit more basic info about Gilbert Sorrentino. And
via:
In the blue, singa
the song, old corpses
turna to dust, the handa
gone or bones. Old
birds moult or do
something, la la singa
the song. "Man of
destiny," he say, gimme
the smoke, fucka
the world, outa the
blue, singa the song
nothin to do, alla
the people they deada
go wrong, skeletons
no singa no song.
posted by nickyskye at 5:18 PM on May 19, 2006
I've read Sorrentino on and off (mostly off) since sometimes in the 90's. His Steelwork has been on my "books I'm planning to read eventually" list for years (I've had my copy since at least '97), but I can't say I'd want to read much else by him. Wading through Mulligan Stew was a fairly miserable experience and I haven't really forgiven him yet. But despite my dislike of his work, I'm sorry he's gone.
posted by cropshy at 5:48 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by cropshy at 5:48 PM on May 19, 2006
There was an interview with him in a recent book forum. My question is: don't a lot of people say that he represents everything bad about metafiction and postmodern experimentation--like a Borges or Calvino but without any sense of charm or depth? I haven't read very much, but I just wanted to get someone to confirm or deny the verdict.
posted by kensanway at 6:16 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by kensanway at 6:16 PM on May 19, 2006
But...and I hate to be a Metafilter prig here...an Amazon link and a Wikipedia link in the same FPP? That's not why I come to Metafilter.
kozad, an ounce of slack is requested on this one: it's my first FPP to Metafilter. I am a n00b and I knew I would get slammed, but I admitted that I could not find a (admittedly newsfilter) link. I will try to make my next one better.
posted by mattbucher at 6:46 PM on May 19, 2006
kozad, an ounce of slack is requested on this one: it's my first FPP to Metafilter. I am a n00b and I knew I would get slammed, but I admitted that I could not find a (admittedly newsfilter) link. I will try to make my next one better.
posted by mattbucher at 6:46 PM on May 19, 2006
I agree with the ounce of slack, since the entire point of the FPP was the dearth of linkable reportage on this event.
Sorrentino rocks.
posted by skammer at 7:17 PM on May 19, 2006
Sorrentino rocks.
posted by skammer at 7:17 PM on May 19, 2006
Well, if you knew you'd get slammed, you could've waited for the obituaries and tributes to run in the next week or so, no?
Either way, Sorrentino sounds right up my street, and I'd not heard of him before, so thanks for the pointer.
posted by jack_mo at 7:21 PM on May 19, 2006
Either way, Sorrentino sounds right up my street, and I'd not heard of him before, so thanks for the pointer.
posted by jack_mo at 7:21 PM on May 19, 2006
kensanway, I actually lurve Sorrentino for the fact that, compared to his American "Experimental Fiction" peers like Gaddis and Hawkes and others, there's a true grounding in common experience that's missing in a lot of "highbrow" stuff that people were gaga over in the 1960's and 1970's. The comparison to Don Barthelme is apt--yes, he plays games and likes to screw with his reader, but I see this as a means to something quite universal, not an end in itself. As always, YMMV.
Wish I could find that passage from Little Casino though--I read his stuff in library copies, not my own (sniff!).
And while I hate it when people tell me I "have to" read or experience something, if you have any interest in the 1950's-1960's AbEx/NYC/Modern Painting/Frank O'Hara-John Ashbery world, you have to read Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things.
posted by bardic at 7:26 PM on May 19, 2006
Wish I could find that passage from Little Casino though--I read his stuff in library copies, not my own (sniff!).
And while I hate it when people tell me I "have to" read or experience something, if you have any interest in the 1950's-1960's AbEx/NYC/Modern Painting/Frank O'Hara-John Ashbery world, you have to read Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things.
posted by bardic at 7:26 PM on May 19, 2006
Excellent article about Sorrentino in BookForum a few months ago, by Gerald Howard [full disclosure: my editor]. But the page seems to be dead. Cached version here.
posted by staggernation at 7:54 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by staggernation at 7:54 PM on May 19, 2006
Truly sad to hear of his passing. Mulligan Stew and Crystal Vision are two of my all time favorites. I'll second bardic's comment on the 50's NY scene & Imaginative Qualities.
posted by rhymesinister at 8:43 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by rhymesinister at 8:43 PM on May 19, 2006
.
posted by trip and a half at 9:30 PM on May 19, 2006
posted by trip and a half at 9:30 PM on May 19, 2006
why it is kids (even grown-up ones) can never imagine their parents having sex (more to the point, why a son can't imagine his mom at a younger age having fantastic, naughty, porn-worthy sex, and enjoying it thoroughly).
I can. And it's pretty hot. Too bad Sorrentino couldn't.
posted by sluglicker at 11:46 PM on May 19, 2006
I can. And it's pretty hot. Too bad Sorrentino couldn't.
posted by sluglicker at 11:46 PM on May 19, 2006
But...and I hate to be a Metafilter prig here...an Amazon link and a Wikipedia link in the same FPP? That's not why I come to Metafilter.
Jesus, give me a break. Clearly a large part of this post was to point out that there's no news available on a great writer's passing. If you don't come to Metafilter for posts like these, then ignore them. Why must someone always, always get high and mighty like this?
posted by ORthey at 12:17 AM on May 20, 2006
Jesus, give me a break. Clearly a large part of this post was to point out that there's no news available on a great writer's passing. If you don't come to Metafilter for posts like these, then ignore them. Why must someone always, always get high and mighty like this?
posted by ORthey at 12:17 AM on May 20, 2006
Even though I've never read him, I just realized, upon looking in my library, that at some point I acquired a first edition of his first novel, The Sky Changes. I'll have to add it to my list. Odd that I've never heard of him, but have his first book. I guess it's a sign my book collection is a bit larger than my intake of words. Either that or my memory is going.
posted by Sir BoBoMonkey Pooflinger Esquire III at 12:30 AM on May 20, 2006
posted by Sir BoBoMonkey Pooflinger Esquire III at 12:30 AM on May 20, 2006
a large part of this post was to point out that there's no news available on a great writer's passing
True, but here's no news available on the web about a huge number of things. I'm pretty sure we shouldn't start making posts about them. ;-)
posted by jack_mo at 3:23 AM on May 20, 2006
True, but here's no news available on the web about a huge number of things. I'm pretty sure we shouldn't start making posts about them. ;-)
posted by jack_mo at 3:23 AM on May 20, 2006
But...and I hate to be a Metafilter prig here...an Amazon link and a Wikipedia link in the same FPP? That's not why I come to Metafilter.
for fucks sake. 85-90 percent of the threads posted to metafilter have some self-appointed quality cop popping up in the comments to complain about how said post is just not good enough for them.
well, i don't come to metafilter to read whining about how one-link video posts aren't good enough, or how questions on askme aren't question-y enough, or how links to current events aren't good enough, or how links to well-known websites aren't good enough. it's not deep enough. it's not obscure enough. it's not indie enough.
well fuck that. i like learning about things i don't know about, even if it's just a pointer to wikipedia that says "hey, this guy is cool!" i like chatfilter, dammit. i like the breaking-news threads, the mushroom threads, the funny videos, and when i find something i don't like or don't care about, i just go to the next thing.
community standards are one thing, but isn't there enough snotty elitism about music and movies and books out there already? do we really need it about the web too? can't you just click "back" if you don't like the post?
cripes, batman.
posted by sergeant sandwich at 5:16 AM on May 20, 2006
for fucks sake. 85-90 percent of the threads posted to metafilter have some self-appointed quality cop popping up in the comments to complain about how said post is just not good enough for them.
well, i don't come to metafilter to read whining about how one-link video posts aren't good enough, or how questions on askme aren't question-y enough, or how links to current events aren't good enough, or how links to well-known websites aren't good enough. it's not deep enough. it's not obscure enough. it's not indie enough.
well fuck that. i like learning about things i don't know about, even if it's just a pointer to wikipedia that says "hey, this guy is cool!" i like chatfilter, dammit. i like the breaking-news threads, the mushroom threads, the funny videos, and when i find something i don't like or don't care about, i just go to the next thing.
community standards are one thing, but isn't there enough snotty elitism about music and movies and books out there already? do we really need it about the web too? can't you just click "back" if you don't like the post?
cripes, batman.
posted by sergeant sandwich at 5:16 AM on May 20, 2006
*pats sergeant sandwich on head*
There, there. Feel better? And thanks for the post, mattbucher. I'd seen his name around for years but haven't read anything from him. Btw, that interview you linked looks rich enough to carry the post by itself.
posted by mediareport at 6:18 AM on May 20, 2006
There, there. Feel better? And thanks for the post, mattbucher. I'd seen his name around for years but haven't read anything from him. Btw, that interview you linked looks rich enough to carry the post by itself.
posted by mediareport at 6:18 AM on May 20, 2006
Now - wow - Hubert Selby as a childhood friend? I am feeling kinda cheated that I have not heard more of this man -- particularly for the fact that most of my reading suggestions have come through fairly literate friends, lovers of good books and tantalizing reading.... Now where to start? What to get?
Someone here said Mulligan's Stew was a miserable experience...and if that means I might have a challenge like "Henderson the Rain King" on my hands ( lent to me by Jennifer Blowdryer ) I think I must do some research.
Thanks for the post.
posted by RubberHen at 6:28 AM on May 20, 2006
Someone here said Mulligan's Stew was a miserable experience...and if that means I might have a challenge like "Henderson the Rain King" on my hands ( lent to me by Jennifer Blowdryer ) I think I must do some research.
Thanks for the post.
posted by RubberHen at 6:28 AM on May 20, 2006
I like this linl; I can check my wishlist.
posted by wallstreet1929 at 7:06 AM on May 20, 2006
posted by wallstreet1929 at 7:06 AM on May 20, 2006
media: yep! i sure am surly in the early morning.
posted by sergeant sandwich at 7:22 AM on May 20, 2006
posted by sergeant sandwich at 7:22 AM on May 20, 2006
OK, sorry about the priggish complaint: just like the author asked to be excused because he's a new poster, give me an ounce of slack for complaining about an FPP for the first time! I've never posted FARK or NEWSFILTER before!
posted by kozad at 10:02 AM on May 20, 2006
posted by kozad at 10:02 AM on May 20, 2006
losing one's virginity is often a painful process on many levels.
WelcomeMatt!
posted by Fupped Duck at 10:22 AM on May 20, 2006
WelcomeMatt!
posted by Fupped Duck at 10:22 AM on May 20, 2006
Mulligan Stew is awesome.
Rubberhen: actually, the only time I ever heard Sorrentino's voice was on NPR when they were eulogizing Selby.
posted by hackly_fracture at 10:37 AM on May 22, 2006
Rubberhen: actually, the only time I ever heard Sorrentino's voice was on NPR when they were eulogizing Selby.
posted by hackly_fracture at 10:37 AM on May 22, 2006
why it is kids (even grown-up ones) can never imagine their parents having sex (more to the point, why a son can't imagine his mom at a younger age having fantastic, naughty, porn-worthy sex, and enjoying it thoroughly).
I can. And it's pretty hot. Too bad Sorrentino couldn't.
Gross.
posted by ludwig_van at 6:03 PM on May 22, 2006
I can. And it's pretty hot. Too bad Sorrentino couldn't.
Gross.
posted by ludwig_van at 6:03 PM on May 22, 2006
I like his fiction, but I've also always been a big fan of his essays and reviews which are crotchety and pissed about all the right things. Northpoint Press, when it was still independent, published both his fiction and Something Said, a collection of his essays.
posted by OmieWise at 7:44 AM on May 31, 2006
posted by OmieWise at 7:44 AM on May 31, 2006
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That sounds creepy, but fans of Gil will appreciate it. An American original. I also adore Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things, which is as good an intro to American art and poetry in the 1950's as anything else. I'd second a vote for starting there.
.
posted by bardic at 2:21 PM on May 19, 2006