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NightOfTheLivingDon · #1

Will Christopher Baer put together the Phineas trilogy: Kiss Me Judas, Penny Dreadful, and Hell's Half Acre. It is one of the most honestly written pieces of literature you will ever get your hands on. If you are at all a fan of Palahniuk or Clevenger you must get your hands on this anthology.

And speaking of Chuck and Craig, I also highly recommend Haunted and The Contortionist Handbook

kahljorn · #2

"It is one of the most honestly written pieces of literature you will ever get your hands on."

John Fante is the most honest writer in the entire world. You could get any of his books but I reccomend 'the road to los angeles' because it's about when he is a teenager and he's an asshole.

other than that I've never heard of those books before : (

NightOfTheLivingDon · #3

I think I'm going to, you're the second person to recommend Fante in the past week. My brother suggested Ask the Dusk. I believe there is a movie. I usually tend to steer away from 30's lit unless it was part of the Harlem Renaissance. I really can't stand Fitzgerald and I think Steinbeck is overrated, but from what my brother told me Fante is in a different class.

Phineas Poe really is something else! Seeing as it's a trilogy, there is far too much to give you a proper rundown. Trust me, you're going to like it. To borrow a line from a review: "PHINEAS POE is equal parts noir romance, revenge fantasy, suicide pact, urban myth exploded, and nihilistic tragedy." That wraps it up pretty nicely. I've already pre-ordered his new book.

As for Chuck Palahniuk, he also wrote Fight Club, and his second book Survivor was supposed to become a movie as well, but a movie based on a book where the main character is telling his story while crashing a plane into the Australian outback didn't go over well post 9/11. As lame as it might be, he's my favorite contemparary writer since Salman Rusdie went downhill. Though Salman still owns the 80s and 90s.

As for Clevenger...I'm not a huge fan, but he's alright. I only got into him because he's in cahoots with Baer. You have to put up with a little too much arrogance in his work for my tastes.

sadie · #4

what is this "honest" writing?

kahljorn · #5

Ask the dust did get made into a movie recently and I made a thread for it in the movie section :O it wasn't half bad. John Fante wrote alot of screen plays after he got relatively famous and i think alot of his books became movies.
I really love the ending because it has a typical plot line with a not-so-typical ending. Also all of his books are actually about himself.

i don't know what honest writing is but if you get one of john fante's books within the first chapter you'll realize how somebody could call it honest writing

the road to los angeles is fucking great I can't tell you how amazing it is but it's great. go buy it sadie :O it's probably like ten dollars but you might have to special order it. if you're going to start with a fante book start with that one because that book is great.

now i remember that fight club guy.