Welcome to Litsy!

I bailed, not because this is a horrible book - the writing is exceptional, poetic, provocative - but it's not for me.

" A man called Berg, who changed his name to Greb, came to a seaside town intending to kill his father..." are the starting words of a unique book from a female writer at the head of the 1960's avant garde movement. I love gritty 60's fiction of silitoe, Waterhouse et al but this adds an absurdism+ magic to a sinister tale set in a down at heel bed sit, add in a ventriloquist dummy, murdered cat, and scarred tramps - not for all but i loved it.

Ann Quin is a writer i hadn't heard of before . Living in a bed sit in 1960's Brighton she created a small body of work, wonderfully crafted word play set in an entirely English setting, here that classic down at heel British sea side town. All smoke stained curtains and bedspreads. She committed suicide by swimming out into the Brighton sea- i am totally hooked by her prose and plan to read more. Just thought I'd give an example.

Friday and tonight i went a really interesting event at manchester's Anthony burgess centre on Ann Quin and the avant guarde - the love of the subject was so enthusiastically expressed by the speakers and i can't wait to delve into the book. Had loads of questions i wanted to ask but it's so nice to see such joy of writing.
Ill now try and catch up on a few reviews of books read over the weekend.

Here is Deborah Levy, whose 'Hot Milk' is currently mesmerizing the heck out of me, with a tribute to novelist Ann Quin, who I've never heard of. But if Levy appreciates her, I probably will too!

http://www.musicandliterature.org/features/2016/9/15/ann-quin-and-me