Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Wait Til He Discovers Shirley Jackson*

Chuck Palalniuk's new novel Pygmy is out today. As part of the marketing blitzkrieg, Chuck spoke to the Baltimore Sun's "Read Street" blog. He dishes authors--who he likes, who he can't read. His favorite? You'd never guess...

"I read Erma Bombeck's humor writing like crazy when I was little, books with titles like The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank, and If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits? She'd write about alcoholism and the same really dark topics in suburbia that John Cheever was writing about, but she'd write about it in a really light way. Check out some of her books. You'll see."

The full interview is here.--David E

2 comments:

Liz A. said...

You know, *I* read a lot of Erma Bombeck when I was young, like in junior high. Even today, seeing a pair of "wedge" shoes reminds me of one of her essays. I also liked Peg Bracken. I guess I was a frustrated homemaker in the making, even then!

Magers and Quinn Booksellers said...

Well, if middle school reading is destiny, you've got a future writing disturbing, semi-apoclyptic fiction. You're wasting your time writing that "technical" stuff.


DHE