sotos

Started by FreakAnimalFinland, March 04, 2010, 08:29:07 PM

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HongKongGoolagong

"Exegeses on unpleasant things.  Criminal histories, victim histories, rehabilitation, jurisprudence. Sordid encounters in dark-lit backrooms."

- which could describe every single book since what I always think of as the first real one, Index. Can barely stand the sight of the try-hard early stuff Total Abuse, Tool and Special nowadays. Glad Playground Sex never made real print either. It should be like Kraftwerk's discography, where everything before Autobahn is forgotten about as if it never happened. Just my opinion of course. Very much looking forward to this.

rocksoff

#331
Perhaps it's unfair to judge from a completely different set of circumstances, but being only a little older than Sotos when he began publishing PURE, it's amazing to me that he couldn't recognize just how embarrassingly bad it was, and only slightly less amazing that people like Jim Goad thought some of the dullest literary shock rock put to paper was worth publishing years later. I can't complain too much as we wouldn't have the work he would put out later, but the most those writings should serve as now is inspiration that total hack writing can evolve into something much greater.

I'm curious as to what his literary influences even were as he began to stylistically shift into the Index type stuff. There's Dworkin's fiction, obviously, I think I recall him mentioning Selby, and Lou Reed if that counts, but has anyone more well-read sussed out some of his inspirations? edit: naturally Genet and Sade...

Peterson

Quote from: HongKongGoolagong on June 30, 2018, 02:04:01 PM
the try-hard early stuff

I get what you mean, but I think the only really embarrassing stuff (writing-wise) is Pure, I think the pastiche-y early stuff is still great and important to getting full progression - I don't buy what he says about any of his books standing alone. Lazy seems to have involved a lot less sobriety even than usual, and I get what people mean about Predicate being sort of hashed out compared to other work, but it's got some of his best and most lucid passages, and I think it's a perfect companion to Comfort & Critique and Selfish, Little. I guess what I'm saying is his work has continuity as a whole that I think is important, and beyond that, they seem to work in smaller groups/pairs. All that aside, I like his more recent stuff ('05 to present) most of all; seems to be his most candid, frustrating, and complex stuff. I obviously can't wait for Ingratitude.

Quote from: rocksoff on July 01, 2018, 01:26:50 AM
I'm curious as to what his literary influences even were

He's an avid reader of whatever might remotely relate to what he does, question is what his opinion is of which material, hah. I think there's a Nabokov allusion in either C&C or Desistance, and I think he's got a few stylistic twists on Selby and Burroughs in earlier stuff, and I think it's more his humor than a nod to any influence - my opinion only, though. He's definitely writing to fill a void rather than carry a flag of sorts, so I don't think my projections or really the question itself are very useful, but that's what I've noticed, at least.


cantle

Quote from: theotherjohn on July 10, 2018, 06:13:07 PM
Unless Amazon.com gets their fair share of copies, I might order a bunch in to offset the (no doubt) inevitably high shipping costs for UK buyers. Any interest in me doing this, or is someone else planning to do the same?

If you are prepared to do that I'd happily chip in.

Cheers.

rocksoff

NBB is taking orders for Ingratitude now.

HongKongGoolagong

Quote from: theotherjohn on July 19, 2018, 10:04:16 PM
Will price them pretty much at cost (including P&P and PayPal fees), as I'm not looking to profit.

The pleasure of knowing you've distributed something which may tend to deprave and corrupt is enough, I know the feeling well ;)  You're great John and thanks.

tiny_tove

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Peterson

Mr. Smith was kind enough to hold one 'til payday. "Ingratitude" certainly not, hehe.

cantle

Quote from: theotherjohn on July 19, 2018, 10:04:16 PM
I'll be ordering 10 copies for UK (and maybe European) customers once I get confirmation of final shipping costs - further updates including order price in due time. Will price them pretty much at cost (including P&P and PayPal fees), as I'm not looking to profit. PM me to register your interest (cantle, you're on the list).

Excellent- thanks again- any idea on price and eta at this stage?


endors_toi

Excitedly pre-ordered already when I stumbled open somebody mentioning it in the comments section of Dennis Cooper's blog about 3 weeks ago.

Does anybody think the book is going to actually include scans of some of Sotos' collections of news prints?
I wonder if we're going to be introduced to a new format with this one, or perhaps I'm wrong.

bitewerksMTB

"Just received the print run of Ingratitude by Peter Sotos. I'm happy with the production and will begin dispatching advance orders asap. International orders may take a bit longer to fill. If you placed an order, please be patient. It's not yet sold out: http://www.ninebandedbooks.com/bandedbooks/ingratitude/ ..."

That is on 9BB Twitter feed. I just ordered.

Peterson

Quote from: endors_toi on July 30, 2018, 01:41:01 PM
Does anybody think the book is going to actually include scans of some of Sotos' collections of news prints?
I wonder if we're going to be introduced to a new format with this one, or perhaps I'm wrong.

I honestly doubt much will change or be revealed writing-wise, but yeah, I'd love to see some more of the C&C-style xeroxed artwork. I can't help feeling like his writing is best without the visuals, but would close in around the reader more if they were included. Index apparently had lots of visuals which were left out. The more recent work is my favorite, can't wait for this one.