I'm looking for books that are a bit off-the-wall crazy, zany, wildly imaginative; even cult underground sort of writing, not necessarily well known (although it would be a plus if it were famous for the prose itself). I'm really looking for something a bit raw: weird situations, dark humour. I think there's a whole sub genre of books known as 'bizarro' that might fit the bill, but in my experience while the subject-matter is mad, the writing is usually sub-standard quallity. Can any one think of any recommendations? Responses would be appreciated
The Rough Guide to Cult Fiction has got a great list of authors and their offbeat fiction, but it's mainly for known and vintage authors - like Angela Carter , Richard Hell , even Nabokov makes the list.
Ah, thank you. That's a good place to start. Nabokov probably made the list because of invitation to a beheading and Pale Fire? Both sound intriguing...Has anyone read either of these books?
William Burroughs is very good and if you like him then Nick Cave ('And the Ass saw the Angel') might suit, Mervyn Peake and possibly Iain Banks 'The Wasp Factory' very dark/ funny/ surreal and it was his first book he has written many since ( slightly more conventional perhaps) and he also writes excellent Sci Fi. Hope that helps
Which of Burroughs in particular would you recommend? Naked Lunch is his most well-known of course, but others like Junky seem interesting. No matter where I go in search of books the beat writers such as Kerouac and Ginsberg keep coming up, so I think I have no choice but to read them to see what all the fuss is about The Mervyn Peake fantasy trilogy sounds fascinating, so does the wasp factory. I love the idea of books having humour in places where humour shouldn't be
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First post by a lurker, but I love that dark humor. There are loads of great reads that I think you'd love. Chuck Palahniuk of Fight Club fame has many dark, bizzare books to blow your mind. Invisible Monsters, Pigmy, Rant - loads, all amazing. I often lurk on Litreactor, it's another writers site but leans toward the darker stuff and they often discuss other books that I'd never have discovered, as well as they write some fantastic stuff too. From that site, I found 'Malice in Blunderland' by Jonny Gibbings, and it is gross, disgusting, yet amazingly funny. Truly side splitting. I've never laughed out loud at anything before this book. And bizarre too. It makes you laugh at things you shouldn't and I loved it for that. Oh, and Paul Neilan's Apathy and Other Small victories is another funny, dark book. What have you read that made you want to find similar as a pointer?
Robert Heinlein? Hi Mackers ... Not sure if you are a Heinlein fan, but I just finished Job: A Comedy of Justice which follows the path of an evangelical pastor, skipping through dimensions. It deals heavily with Christian dogma in its actual application and gets quite strange when this pastor comes face to face with the true workings of his faith. It's considered a satire by some, but as with all of Heinlein's stuff, there's a lot more to it underneath the surface. Still, it's pretty whacky for sure. I prefer his hard science fiction, but I still found this one interesting enough to recommend.
If you don't mind devoting a month of your life to a book, I would check out David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. Unreal, and you'll be glad and proud of yourself for reading it. The whole thing is brain candy. If that book is too daunting, try his first book, The Broom of the system.
Not underground at all, but Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut really fits everything else you are looking for.
Okay, so, today I just bought: Pale Fire by Nabokov The Wasp Factory by Banks Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut And, completely unrelated to this thread, Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine. I am really excited to read these books I was going to buy something by Burroughs, but I'll leave that for another time
While not so much underground or dark, I highly recommend the weird, imaginative, downright hilarious Christopher Moore. There's no way I can do justice to his style, but if you want to laugh at raw humor till it hurts, start with his book, 'Lamb' and/or 'The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove'.
As of today I've just got: Naked Lunch by Burroughs Infinite Jest V. by Thomas Pynchon Please if anyone sees this keep the suggestions of crazy literature coming (even though I have enough books to do me now for months )
This is one of the most depressing books I've ever read, but it's still a great read. For similar books, try Celine's Death on the Installment Plan and Jean-Paul Sartre's Nausea. By the way, you've got quite an awesome reading list so far. I'm jealous.
I hope people don't mind me bumping this thread. Hopefully there's a new wave of members who could help me out with some interesting suggestions.
I suggest The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. I'm currently reading it right now and I think it might fit into what you're looking for. It's very bizarre and Rushdie's writing style is unique in itself.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. Funny, bizarre and genius prose. You'll either understand it or you won't but either way you'll be entertained. And you'll be introduced to a whole different style of writing. I recommend this book to any writer who's looking to step outside of their own box and sample a very unique style.
You could check out my all time favourite, Chuck Palahniuk. If you want some titles, I'd suggest 'Lullaby', 'Choke' and 'Fight Club'.
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