Comments on: books out, smelly candles in

By: mir

mir — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:17:51 +0000

You are right Alexandre, I wasn’t being clear, the critique was of novels not books, and my defense was of the novel not of books in general.

I also should have said “people who don’t read novels or fiction not just read.

Let’s start again:

Yes storytelling comes in many forms. The novel as a form of storytelling is not in my opinion anywhere close to extinction, I dislike it when people say, ” I don’t do A, therefore A is irrelevant.

I just tried watching the movie “House of the Spirits” based on the novel by Isabelle Allende, and to me it was not an acceptable adaptation. When I see a movie butcher a novel, I don’t think in terms of one medium being better, or replacing the other, I think of the inherent strengths of each.

So I don’t think suggesting that novels are a historical artifact is correct either.

By: hugh

hugh — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:02:35 +0000

@alexandre: yes, same old story. selling sausages. which sausage sells the most, then make more of that. luckily the internet came along to shake up the system, but it seems to have yet to have a big impact on books.

@mike2: *i* want more new novels, that’s enough for me. you don’t need new novels, which is great for you. as for the world, who knows? what would it mean to know the answer to your question, anyway?

By: Alexandre

Alexandre — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:41:44 +0000

Erm… Mir, did Mike2 diss books or say something about novels?
Storytelling comes in many shapes and forms, from oral genres like epics, urban legends, folktales, and jokes to interactive genres like the ones you mention.

By: mir

mir — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:19:11 +0000

Mike2 I’d flame you but I really don’t have time for people who diss books.

Okay actually I do:

Even if quasi-narrative 3d adventures are the next generation of story-telling. Until you can find me a game that is as emotionally compelling, imaginative and inspiring as let’s say..

White Teeth, Midnights Children, The Color Purple, 100 years of Solitude, The War with Mr Wiizzle, The Secret Garden, The Confusion, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Anastasia the Spy, Nana, Anna Karenina etc… Okay I’ll stop now.

I get annoyed with people who say they don’t read in the same breath that they say reading is not relevant - I don’t do a lot of things, (fly fishing and golf spring to mind) that doesn’t make them irrelevant.

By: Alexandre

Alexandre — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:59:37 +0000

@mike2 Before you get flamed… I actually think you’re on to something. After all, the novel didn’t exist from times immemorial. It was born in a specific context, radically different from ours.

By: mike2

mike2 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:36:03 +0000

Does the world really need new novels?

Can’t we just say: “no more required we’ll make do with the ones we already have?”

I haven’t read a novel in years.

Maybe I’m to blame.

By: mike

mike — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:18:34 +0000

“pelting them with old penguin pocket classics”

how dare you do anything with old penguin pocket classics but attend to them tenderly at that late stage in their life, when they are hoping to uplift and enlighten just one or two more readers before they go to the great big recycling bin in the sky!? you shall be the first one we turn on and banish when we create our little elitist group! ;-)

By: choz

choz — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:45:07 +0000

Eh, “Pétoche” (http://www.koztoujours.fr), c’est drôlement chouette de sympa de garder le MESSAGE que je dois faire passer à cette GROSSE TACHE qui vit, là-haut, sous les combles, LE MANIAQUE DE L’ÉLECTRICITÉ, qui aboie quand on lui parle et se tient toujours au garde à vous prêt à obéir, le MESSAGE étant : ” ELLE… A DIT : “CALTEZ, VOLAILLES !” .
Merci pour ce fabuleux espace démocratique du chien (premier couplet)

By: Alexandre

Alexandre — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:51:29 +0000

Isn’t the same set of changes happening in many “Arts & Entertainment” industries? Movie studios spending more and more to produce risk-free blockbusters, record companies betting on a few heavily-marketed names, videogame franchises…
At the same time, there’s a move toward independent art, user-created content, playfulness, no-budget productions, open access, creative commons, slam poetry, garage bands, podcasts…
Kind of a two-culture model. The commercial world of entertainment industries (making money off arts and artists) vs. people empowering themselves through creation.
You can bet on which side I tend to sit. But I also like to observe the other side. They’ll burn themselves with those candles.

By: Hugh

Hugh — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:04:50 +0000

every time i go into those stores, i think, where are all the books? it’s almost all crap now.

it was crazy when they first started opening, i thought: “surely there are not enough book buyers to pay for all this retail floorspace…” but in the mean time they forced all the independent book sellers out of the market, and then it turns out, no there are not enough book buyers to pay for all that floorspace.

but the fault lies with us book buyers and book lovers. if we’re so excited about book stores that sell books, then, as you suggest, we ought to build such stores and frequent them.