chuck palahniuk

Started by FreakAnimalFinland, December 31, 2012, 10:31:38 AM

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FreakAnimalFinland

Just came out in Finland translation his 2011 book Damned.
Over here, only 4 books exists in finnish. Fight Club, Survivor, Choke and now this Damned.
He has quite big amount of books, any recommendations of the others besides this? Snuff appears interesting. I'm going to check out Damned as soon as I see it in some bookshops..

I know that part of the text simply doesn't translate well. Should perhaps look into reading them in english. Due differences in languages, double meanings or word plays don't always come out as meant.

My fiction reading always went on phases. As a kid, I was reading quite a lot. It stopped with Lord Of The Rings, when I thought that's about all literature can offer me, hah...  Few years later, as teenager returned to read again and eventually Hitchikers Guide To Galaxy gave same effect. For many years was reading most of all non-fiction or "transgressive" literature only. But then made conscious decision to get back on fiction. And why not. Reading all sorts of transgressive, political, social, religious, non-fiction, philosophy or whatever - and eventually guys like Palahniuk can put together many core issues in interesting and mind-effecting ways. Same would of course go on vast amounts of literature in general. But while more dry sci-fi of dystopian future could awake questions of many kinds - Palahniuk bombards you with grotesque details what really hits the spot for me.

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youngnosh

I've read "Rant" and while not particularly sophisticated it had plenty of base thrills.
From what I remember of the things of his I've read, nothing comes close to being as well written as Fight Club. Most of his output has a feel like it is unplanned and being written page by page with a vague bigger picture in mind.

FreakAnimalFinland

Quote from: youngnosh on December 31, 2012, 11:56:07 AM
Most of his output has a feel like it is unplanned and being written page by page with a vague bigger picture in mind.

This is my impression. Like Choke for example, even if it really concludes something quite essential and includes few very twisted last minute turns, it still is compilation of absurd nuggets of information, where order of happenings isn't so essential. This is also quality which I like. For scattered mind, these little moments, what possibly later may or may not show relevancy to bigger story are very good.
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Vigilante Ecstasy

Read Choke (the finnish translation) some months ago. Didn't like it, maybe my expectations were too high. Humor did nothing for me, and some scenes and dialogues were just irritatingly artfaggish. It may be true that the translation doesn't do justice for his texts and something is lost. I noticed the same effect when I tried to read Vonnegut as finnish translations: he appeared as annoying non-funny smartass, whereas original english texts were totally different in atmosphere and style.
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tisbor

I read some bits of "Damned" and I found it so-so. I read a few books by him in Italian and I didn't like it much, but probably it's better in English.
I think that the themes and stories are ok but the writing style is sometimes annoying.

bitewerksMTB

I've read a bunch of his books & it seems that each book gets worse n' worse so earlier titles are best. "Choke" is good (the movie sucked), "Fight Club" I don't remember a lot but better than the movie. "Snuff" was dumb. The short story, "Guts", is good. Someone told me they heard a radio interview with him talking about giving idiots pills so they'd tell him stories.. I only pick his bks up if I find them cheap. Definitely not worth the cover price.

JoeTheStache

"Fight Club" was a great book. Just finished "Choke".  I liked it up until the ending 50 or so pages.  When he starts believing he is jesus, it really started to suck. 


Jordan

I find it kind of strange that people on this board are into him. He's always seemed to me to be nothing more than the recuperation of underground ideas and tropes packaged up nice and safe for the mainstream buying public.

FreakAnimalFinland

Quote from: JoeTheStache on January 05, 2013, 09:12:38 AM
I liked it up until the ending 50 or so pages.  When he starts believing he is jesus, it really started to suck. 

With me it was exactly opposite.

Quote from: Vigilante Ecstasy on December 31, 2012, 02:18:43 PM
Read Choke (the finnish translation) some months ago. Didn't like it, maybe my expectations were too high. Humor did nothing for me

Especially the beginning - at least in translation - appears very irritating at first. It's this "stupid little brat" this and that, repeated so much it suddenly reminds me of why I hated Steward Home so much. Repeating same stupid sentences and descriptions over and over again. But when book starts to roll forward and some coherent story becomes more visible, I liked it always more. Jesus part is good story. Absurd of course, but whole thing of being genetic material rescued from foreskin of jesus engineered to become child in mothers womb, heh.. I found it quite good theory.
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tiny_tove

#9
Big fan of his early works:
fight club (still his best despite the hype... the mayhem project is the cultural terrorist network put into action), choke, survivor, lullaby, snuff, and his collections of essays are absolutely cult.
I took part to two of his creative writing courses and interviewed him for a radio program some years ago, definitely an interesting character.
His last books didn't work much for me, but as Mikko I have periods when I don't read many novels.
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Jordan

Quote from: tiny_tove on January 06, 2013, 01:00:01 PM
thge mayhem project is the cultural terrorist network put into action)

I remember thinking it was very influenced by Hakim Bey, among other things.

FreakAnimalFinland

There is organization in Finland called Musta Sydän (http://www.mustasydan.com/) , which appears to be quite influenced by Casa Pound amongst other things. Their site includes part "collective", which includes stencil street art with Tyler Durden with slogan under it. Curiously in helsinki there was bunch of skinheads arrested and in investigation was found out there was text circulating which advocated for committing "acts of terror", and minor arsons and such vandalism did take place - at least until few people were caught.
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icepick method

Lullaby is probably my favorite next to fight club. Rant was very good, Survivor just ok,  Diary sucked, Snuff was so bad i stopped reading him.

The opening chapter of Lullaby is great, the main character  constructsa model house in the dark, waits till it's completed to hesee it in the light for the first time then once finished, he stomps it to pieces. Some metaphor about broken homes.  He spends the rest of the book pulling perfect little dollhouse mailboxes and Shit out of his infected foot.
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RG

What one is it where the main character has the childhood memory of seeing photos of a monkey stuffing walnuts into a guy's ass? I read that one, but that's about all I can remember right now, lol

FreakAnimalFinland

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