Just starting Sarte's The Imaginary, after spending the last 4-5 months with Vollmann's Europe Central.

You didn't screw up, as there are a few versions.

The Penguin edition has the "Ivan" stories added at the start.

Well, there's nothing like the head scratching a Russian short story will give you. :lol: Not sure how you're planning to discuss this, as it has 6 sections. I did find the paratext quite interesting though, as the story could've started with “Ivan Fydorovich Shponka”, but Gogol decided to have a ba...

This Saul Williams verse gives me chills everytime I hear it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3bz326qVls Inner breathlessness, outer restlessness By the time I caught up to freedom I was out of breath Grandma asked me what I'm running for I guess I'm out for the same thing the sun is sunning for Wha...

I don't play favourites, but here are five books I'd be confident to recommend.

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
Seven Types of Ambiguity - Eliot Perlman
The Accidentals - Ali Smith
Windblown World - Jack Kerouac
Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe

I know they are non-fiction, but they are usually about authors of fiction and would tie in with this forum.


Letters are a mixture of poetry and short stories, they also give insight into the world of literature and other arts.

A little bit of debate is healthy, but this critical thinking rubbish has been going for waay too long.

The posts are just petty now, obviously there's going to be no resolution and I think it's about time we focused on something else.

Geo wrote: I've been meaning to read this. Stories of Anton Chekhov . . . http://www.amazon.com/Stories-Anton-Chekhov/dp/0553381008/ref=sr_1_1?i e=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247673596&sr=1-1 I read this collection about 5 years ago. The stories were unlike anything I'd ever read in my life and sp...

This is from an interview with the author published in Critique. Washington: Winter 2003. Vol. 44, Iss. 2; pg. 99, 37 pgs : "MZD: Well, there are many ways to enter House of Leaves. Do you want to go by way of Johnny Truant or do you want to go by way of Johnny Truant's mother? Johnny is young ...

I always seem to get hooked by stories with female protagonists quicker than ones with male protagonists. It does depend though, one of my favourite action books is The Spy who Came in from the Cold and I also enjoy Matthew Reilly. Inventive or interesting writing styles dictate my level of interest...