trashy funny mid-list novels

sterling, have you ever read stanley elkin? he isn't trashy, he was a great writer, but he often aimed low, he was always barbed, and funny as hell. try *the magic kingdom*. also, in the same vein, ANYTHING by peter de vries. another amazing writer who was HIGHLY entertaining. and who also aimed below the waist a lot. much of his stuff is out of print unfortunately, but used copies are easy to come by. (you will love the linguistic derring-do of both authors.)

I second De Vries. Also, Evolution Man, or How I Ate My Father by Roy Lewis is entertaining and fun.

Here's a little Stanley Elkin anecdote. When I was growing up, I had a good friend whose mom had a bunch of famous relatives. Her brother was in the Blue Oyster Cult (still is), and Stanley Elkin was her cousin.

She was quite a reader herself, but she found her cousin's books to be filthy and distasteful. He was aware of this, and perversely dedicated just about all of his books to her. Go to your local library and check it out -- they all say "To Joan."

For the record, I really like Stanley Elkin's books. I'll have to try me some De Vries.

i love peter de vries- couple years back i bought 'the tunnel of love' off this old lady for a quarter cuz we'd just read one of his new yorker short stories in high school english and man i probly gone back to it at least 5 or 6 times since then, its just so funny and immersive and sad. i dunno he had this real crisp, melancholy wit it reminds me of like 50s/60s billy wilder more than anybody, all so funnily readable and popular but w/ this tone of sadness runnin thru every joke. tunnel is all early 50s adultery, abortions & asshole artists shit, the main dude is genuinely selfish for the whole book in that real life relatable way, you get alot of homer simpson/dude in office space style 'fuck YEAH!' type moments. i also got 'but i saw the movie' out from the library and read it once, i cant remember as much cuz i was like 18 but its a good one too. i keep meaning to check for his later shit but i never see it round here, i know he had a couple stories in that big new yorker humor anthology but i need a novel length book! i love the b&w photo of him on the back cover, eyes heavy lidded in a room full of large hardcovers and liftin up the spine of one aiming his nose directly at it, nose pointed like a dog's nose (tm malcolm x), weak clefted chin, very intellectual head of tousled wavy hair, balmy tweed jacket with checked tie left untied at the neck, knobby writer's knuckles

'the' blue oyster cult sounds like the name of the band's fan club

I love Stanley Elkin's essays, but have generally found his novels to be too much of a good thing. Then again, I've never tried The Magic Kingdom-- I'm willing to be persuaded.

Incidentally, Joan was the name of Elkin's wife. It may have also been the name of a cousin who hated his books, but I suspect the dedications are to the former.

I'm just about done with the Kings of Infinite Space by James Hynes, and I love it--it's weird and creepy and really funny, reminds me of David Lodge crossed with Stephen King and Shirley Jackson. It continues the sad saga of the cat-murderer Paul from Publish and Perish, which was also great. What is mid-list, exactly? Not really literature, and not really trash? I guess that's what this is, but he is terrific, I think, with a very distinctive satiric tone—I've liked everything I've read, including the Wild Colonial Boy

yeah, i think that's as good a description of what i meant by mid-list as any. something clever that surprises me and is snappy but that doesn't ask me to commit enormous emotional or mental energy and whose payoff isn't all moments of small revelations or loving description or metafictional silliness. and ALSO whose payoff doesn't involve nazi/catholic/mason/terrorist/american medical association/bar association/etc. conspiracies to blow shit up being foiled.

Look, I'm sorry to bring chick-lit into this but I have to stick up for THE BIG LOVE by Sarah Dunn. Even reading it the second time, I kept laughing aloud on the train -- she's spot on the fucking money about growing up Evangelical and large bits of dialogue sound as if she was eavesdropping on my conversations of the last two years.

So I guess what I'm saying is that it's hilarious to me because it's Me reflected. So shoot me.

sterling, i do not like these new names of yours. i do not like them.

b-but josh, simply everyone was doing it....

DO NOT LIKE

so just the name changes i picked, or name changes in general?

you had a perfect name!

but most name changes are not so good.

Don't think of it as boring, Sterling. Think of it as ideal.