Death on the Installment Plan (Experimental Fiction)

 

by Louis-Ferdinand Céline  (Author), Ralph Manheim (Translator)

Publisher : New Directions (January 17, 1971)

Softcover, 592 pages

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“Junk is fragile. I ruined tons of stuff, never on purpose. The thought of antiques still makes me sick, but that was our bread and butter. The scrapings of time are sad. . . lousy, sickening. We sold the stuff over the customer's dead body. We'd wear him down. We'd drown his wits in floods of hokum. . . incredible bargains. . . we were merciless. . . He couldn't win. . . If he had any wits to begin with, we demolished them. . . He'd walk out stunned with the Louis XIII cup in his pocket, the openwork fan with cat and shepherdess wrapped in tissue paper. You can't imagine how they revolted me, grown-ups taking such crap home with them.”

This is the sequel to Louis-Ferdinand Céline’s autobiography Journey to the End of Night. This is not meant to be a complete blow-by-blow truthful account of his childhood. It’s too precise with long bouts of dialogue and wild abuse of ellipsis to fully make this a comprehensive chronological book. Say that it is emotionally accurate to the author’s growing up and trying to succeed in the slums of Paris around the turn of the previous century.

Author Louis-Ferdinand Céline

The action often moves into fantasy and the style becomes deliberately rougher. Sentences disintegrate to hook the taste of the crawling world of the Paris slums. The sleazy stories of families whose destiny is ruled by their own stupidity and greed.

I’m sure many people would become frustrated by this novel's bizarre style, dips into fantasy, and otherwise amoral tone, however it offers a profound vision of the nature of human existence for the socio-economically deprived, rooted in suffering and inertia. The book expresses ideas that stretch the limitations of perception while providing almost no structure to assign any meaning to life as a whole.

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The author reclined

The Exquisite Corpse of August Nordenskiold (Experimental Fiction) (Psychology)

 

by Goldin+Senneby (Editor), Kim Einarsson (Contributor)

Publisher : Sternberg Press (April 1, 2016)

Hardcover, 154 pages

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“Nordenskiold was an alchemist. He was obsessed by a self-appointed task: to make gold from inferior metals in quantities so large that gold itself would become worthless, eventually leading to the end of the, ‘tyranny of money.’ putting an end to the evils of his time, He led a double life in pursuit of this task, making him seem like a character from the pages of an Almqvist novel. His challenge was to find the time and resources extensives laboratory resources; monetary worries are a constant theme throughout the story of the attempted eradication of the tyranny of money.”

August Nordenskiold was an 18th century Swedish alchemist obsessed with creating the philosopher's stone, lapis philosophorus, and thus free mankind from the obsession of currency. Thus demonstrating himself to be in possession of two of the greatest clichés in academia, the learned man - for he was that. He could almost be described as a polymath - who is a fool, and the logical journey ruined by a false analogy. If gold saturated the world, all that would be accomplished was that mankind base its currency on something else.

August Nordenskiold

However, strange as it may seem, this book is not about August Nordenskiold, 18th century Sweden, or alchemy.  It is a series of essays, each one commenting and morphing a belief system from the essay previous to it. Thus we go from the biography of an Enlightenment era alchemist; to the “alchemic” properties inherent in modern finance; to the inherent flaws in modern which insists on waiting for the apocalypse; to aspects of sleight-of-hand illusionary magic, to a postmodern retake of Edward Kelley the appointed medium to Dr. Dee of Elizabethan fame; to a review of William Burroughs’s 1981 novel Cities of the Red Night where the character of Kelley is reborn among a group of time traveling pirates attempting to create an equal utopia under the guidelines of Captain James Mission - similar to what Nordenskiold tried to achieve in Sierra Leone; to a feminist review of the previous review with all the standard whining about inclusion while ignoring what the actual text states. This is followed by several pages of interesting poetry.

The layout of the book is odd. Every other page is blank, except when a new essay begins. Thus one train of thought melds into the other, where the next essay is presented on the opposite page from the one it's commenting on. Thus one train of thought, one system of belief, morphing into another like lead into gold. The overall flow is fascinating and a very different look at the anthology. All of the essays, except the final one, had something interesting to say and ponder. Well worth a look.

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Terms and Conditions (Experimental Fiction)

by R. Sikoryak  (Author)

Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly (March 7, 2017)

Softcover, 108 pages

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This is not so much a graphic novel, but an extended piece of concept art to make a point. Perhaps it’s much more than the average person expects or wants. One hundred and eight pages of material done in a variety of classic comic book and comic strip styles. The main character, a cartoon version of Apple creator and child slaver Steve Jobs, wanders through the world of the graphic novel while reciting the ridiculously long and tediously complex terms and conditions for Apple products. Don’t bother trying to take in the actual material, even in this interesting format it’s nearly incomprehensible, almost as bad as Finnegan’s Wake.

As such to review this book, which I can’t do an honest review of as it is mostly experimental fiction and meant to be viewed in a different light. So instead, I went page by page through it all and attempted to identify the artist or comic it is from. So far I’ve found: A Wolverine cover, a Steranko Agents of Shield interior cover, Little Lulu, Astro Boy, Miller’s Dark Knight Returns, John Byrne X-Men, Charles Schultz; Gaiman’s Sandman, Dilbert, The Walking Dead, Something by Seth possibly from Palookaville, R. Crumb, Watchmen, Calvin and Hobbes, Little Nemo in Slumberland, The Incredible Hulk, Archie, Jim Davis’s Garfield, Prince Valiant, Mignolia’s Hellboy,Cathy, Little Dot, Transformers, Dr. Strange, Ketchum’s Dennis the Menace, Hot Stuff, Hagar the Horrible,  Beetle Bailey, Lone Wolf and Cub, daniel Clowes, Rube Goldburg, Felix the Cat, Eisner’s The Spirit, Herge’s Tin Tin, Dick Tracy, Spiderman, Akira, Josie and the Pussy Cats, Edward Gorey, Wally Wood, Pogo, Charles Burns Black Hole, Smurfs, Love and Rockets, Nancy, Scott Morse, Popeye, Mobius, Scooby Doo, Scott Pilgrim, Snuffy Smith,  Green lantern, My Little Pony, Persepholie, Donald Duck, For Better or For Worse, Cable, Bagge’s Hate, Original Wonder Woman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rawhide Kid, The Family Circus, The Simpsons, Silver Surfer, From Hell, Brenda Starr, Ziggy, & finally Chris Ware something or other.

Best I could do. There were about thirty I couldn’t figure out, either because I hadn’t read the book or there were too many possibilities.

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Amnesia (Experimental) (Fantasy) (Graphic Novel)

By John Malloy  

Publisher: NBM Publishing (September 1, 2001)

Softcover, 64 pages

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A journalist has a meeting with a pop artist, which then plunges into a hallucinatory exploration of their pasts, possible futures, alternate lives, and dead ends. The artist is somehow able to slip between the cracks of reality during his sleep and take residence in the body of his other selves in alternate worlds. The pair discovers their pasts are actually what can set them free, and that the line between memories and dreams is finer than they could ever imagine.

The narrative begins fine with excellent art and a rambling exploration of the first narrator’s life, leading by synchronicity to the point outside of the interview. But it takes a wrong turn, style wise, with part two, which begins to incorporate real-life photography with the art. I understand that this is to demonstrate the various shades of reality that the characters are tumbling through, so much so that no one is quite sure what is real, but the use of actual photos was a poor choice. They didn't translate well with the 2001 technology (when the book was published). The photos are grainy and, worst of all, boring to look at. Perhaps if he had stuck to one or two of them, but at least a quarter of the book is done in photos.

It is a pity because the book had potential, with an interesting take on the nature of reality, or an adaptation of reality. However, it ultimately took a wrong turn. Some criticism states that the art is a rip-off of McKean’s style, and it is similar. However, if you can draw as well as him, I say more power to you.

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Welcome to the Zone (Experimental Fiction) (Graphic Novel)

by David Chelsea 

Publisher: Kitchen Sink Pr; First Edition edition (February 1, 1995)

Softcover, 34 pages

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The Zone in this case is located in the East Village and is an inter-sectional area filled with homeless dregs, real estate vermin, cannibalistic aliens, misplaced robots, giant dogs, and struggling artistic types - deadbeat artists, actors, and musicians. Each character is an abstract of a person. Taken together the entire book creates a monstrous nighttime image of the New York underground art scene -desperate, superficial, and rife with wasted talent. The parallels to William Burroughs’s Interzone are obvious.

Apparently many of the characters are parodies of obscure “personalities” and actual events in the East Village at that time, but their relevance has been lost of time. I’m sure in that place in the mid to late nineties it had deeper meaning. However, it’s gone and good riddance. That perhaps makes the work even weirder now that time has erased its connection to reality. Like Alice in Wonderland, the more the original inspiration is obscured, the more absurdist it becomes.

What truly sets the work apart is the excellent pointillism here. It’s so detailed and so well done that it looks as if each panel was an almost nightmare to draw. Some of the comments I’ve seen about the book, state that the art gets in the way of the story or in differentiating between two characters, but that is ridiculous.

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The Demon (Drama) (Experimental Fiction)

by Hubert Selby Jr.   

Publisher: Penguin Books (August 1, 2011)

Softcover, 288 pages

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“And with this new consciousness came the pleasure of being able to make a game out of it. At least for now. Someday the killing would have to be a reality, but for now just the contemplation of it exalted him. That was one of the great things about this experience. He could delay the action almost indefinitely, and it added to the excitement. Nurture, pet, and caress the anticipation. That was the thing to do. And he would. He would tantalize himself just as long as possible. Someday the act would be a part of history, but now he would just dangle it in front of himself. He could create his own suspense. And master it!”

This is a sad story of man who achieved much, but couldn't conquer his demons. Many reviews claim that the main character is a sociopath, but this is obviously not the case. The protagonist is much more nuanced than that. He has genuine feelings for his parents, wife, and child. But is obviously suffering from an impulse control disorder which results in severe depression unless the main character indulges in some form of risky behavior. Once done, he is capable of living, the mental tension and anxiety that grows leading up to event is relieved, but never ultimately banished.

Author Hubert Selby, Jr.

The titular demon here is the mental illness afflicting the protagonist. While brilliant in his field, he pays the price for his genius by needing to indulge in increasingly risky behavior. Beginning with compulsive sex, he moves onto banging dirty, possibly diseased women after he married, then kleptomania, burglaries, riding trains like an old-time hobo, and finally murder. But like the old tale of Crom-Cruicak, one can satiate the demon but never ultimately satisfy it. The protagonist is no exception and suffers the ultimate penalty.

What may turn some readers off is the stream-of-consciousness writing style that plays fast and loose with punctuation, paragraph formation, and any actual punctuation you might like. Typical of the author's style, this formation is reflexive of the protagonist's mental state and becomes increasingly erratic the further he dips into his illness. Some critics claims that this style is weird simply for its own sake, but I found it consistent with the context of the book.

The only negative part is that the book tends to drag about a third of the way through. About twenty five pages could've easily been jettisoned without loss, and it would've kicked up the momentum. However, once the protagonist starts stealing the story steers right back on track.

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The Atrocity Exhibition (Experimental Ficton)

by J. G. Ballard 

Publisher: Flamingo; 60064th edition (May 21, 2004)

Softcover, 192 pages.

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“Impossible Room: In the dim light he lay on the floor of the room. A perfect cube, its walls and ceilings were formed by what seemed to be a series of cinema screens. Projected on in was a close up of Nurse Nagamatzu, her mouth, three feet across, moving silently as she spoke in slow motion. Like a cloud, the giant head moved up the wall behind him, then passed across the ceiling and down the opposite corner.  Later the inclined, pensive face of Dr. Nathan appeared, rising from the floor until it filled three walls and the ceiling, a sow mouthing monster.”

To call this book a novel may be a bit of a misnomer. It may be a series of interconnected short stories. It may be, as the author claims, a number of “condensed novels”. Or they may be a series of short vignettes under a blanket tarp. What it can be clearly called is, “experimental fiction”. If you’re not interested in a book that plays with forms, themes, functions, and reality, then you will not want to read this book.

 

If you are worried about things like plot or character development then you are reading the wrong book. There is no clear beginning or end to the book, and it does not follow any of the standard novel conventions. The main character, Talbert (?) changes name with each chapter, just as his role and his visions of the world around him seem to change constantly. If you insist on a plot, then you must look on it as a man having a series of nervous breakdowns in a mental hospital, or a man who is manipulating reality to cause World War Three.

If you are wondering how such a book became an underground classic, it's all due to shock value. Like Gravity’s Rainbow and Naked Lunch, the unconventional prose is riddled with sexually explicit descriptions and activities. So much was packed in that the book was brought up on various obscenity charges and banned in a host of countries, thus immortalizing it.

 

The author himself suggest reading it by randomly flipping pages and only taking in those snapshot scenes which catch the eye. This might be the best way, as going through it sequentially is a chore. Another flaw is that this is an obviously boomer book to appeal to the boomer generation. Constant references to people, images, and events from the sixties dates the book severely. While older, well read, people will recognize most of them, but you’d be surprised how many have forgotten them completely.

The book has seen various publications over the years, and various parts have been printed in magazines. Each addition seems to add a little to the whole of the book. Every “chapter” is followed by annotations (many of which are more interesting than the actual text), while the RE/Search edition added a series of stimulating photographs and illustrations. So you’re exact experience with this book will differ greatly depending on which edition you read.

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Soft City (Experimental Fiction) (Graphic Novel)

by Hariton Pushwagoner, with Care Ware (introduction) & Martin Herbert (afterword)

Publisher: New York Review Comics (October 4, 2016)

Hardcover, 160 pages.

Apparently it is a miracle that this book even exists. Considered lost for thirty years, it was then wrapped up in legal disputes for at least fifteen more, and now has finally been published to less than commercial fanfare, but to the joy of graphic artists and comic connoisseurs across the globe. The joy some of these guys displayed at getting their hands on this volume was similar to my own when the Mircleman legal disputes were finished and they reprinted all the old issues – which I never had a chance to learn. You know a book is rare when the trade paperback of collected issues go for over $100.

This is the city high-rise, middle manager, version of Solzhenitsyn’s “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”. We see the actions of one family as they go through their regular day of wake up, commute to work, do their job, shop, TV, sleep. This is reflected by thousands of people about them doing the same actions. The commuting parts I appreciate, as they go on for pages and pages, accurately reflecting the tediousness of going to and from work, and just how much of your valuable life is eaten up in this activity.

          One might discuss the action (or perhaps non-action) of this book in terms of the banality of existence, the dehumanization of the individual in corporate society, the purposelessness of modern Western first world life, but it is more than that. The people here aren’t mindless drones. We see snatches of their dreams and fantasies popping up in the urban landscape. These are of the escapist sort: desert islands, beautiful women and men, flying aces in an old war. These are people with dreams not just drones.

The people here do not live in a bubble. Their job is not the world. Images of TV and the newspapers (this was drawn in the 60s when people still read such things) depict the horrible life in third world countries, making the people of Soft City feel grateful for the security of their lives, the banality becomes a virtue. At least they are guaranteed to live another day.

As for the artistic style, I think Chris Ware from his introduction sums it up better than I could. “It is more Schopenhauer than Schultz, more Kubrick than Kirby. In fact my mental abbreviation for Soft City, when I’d first only glanced at it and then couldn’t stop thinking about it, was ‘The Stanley Kubrick Comic Book,’ and it does share some common ground: a near-tyrannical symmetry, a Cinerama sot of scope, alternations between seemingly limitless vistas and close-ups of the human face, and a lack of any real central character, as in 2001: A Space Odyssey.”

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