Sunday Morning! Two by Hubert Selby Jr.

Rufus F.

Rufus is a likeable curmudgeon. He has a PhD in History, sang for a decade in a punk band, and recently moved to NYC after nearly two decades in Canada. He wrote the book "The Paris Bureau" from Dio Press (2021).

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3 Responses

  1. Aaron David says:

    Somewhere around here, I think I have a copy of Last Exit… Never read any of his works though, it has never seemed the right time. Back in my logistics days, one of the forklift drivers loved his work and was always wanting to talk about it. I never got the impression that it was voyeuristic for him, but a genuine love of the worlds and writing Selby created with. I do understand what you mean with the comparison the Dostoyevski, as the search for a more purposeful and fulfilling life does drive many to the heights of madness and despair. The release of those twined mental states is often the most crushing.

    Finished Death Ship, not sure what I think of it outside the usual Class Warfare aspects. It is better than Lady Chattelys Lover, which was so heavy-handed whenever politics are brought up that I had to put it aside. Nowhere near as good as his short stories. Still reading the new Elroy, and as I said, much better than the last one. He still has the loose ends from that one running around a little (both books are part of a series) but has done a lot to get rid of the things that made the last one for the worse. I also have a stack of Lafcadio Hearn books that I am reading snippets of. An absolutely fascinating perspective. He was a Greek/Irish writer who emigrated to Japan in the 1890s.Report

    • Mike Schilling in reply to Aaron David says:

      I didn’t enjoy the previous Ellroy at all; his unrelieved staccato-ness got very wearying, as did his black/gray morality.Report

      • Aaron David in reply to Mike Schilling says:

        The staccato has been toned WAY down, I never minded the black/grey morality (indeed, I think it is one of the features that really elevates him when it is done well) but what really bugged me was the ret-conning and stuffing every old character in some sort of pigeon hole.

        It flows a lot better, seems to have a strong backbone, but it does need some of the rather silly retconing due to being in a series and having to work around those characters. I will probably go back and reread the last one, just to connect all the dots. Overall, I would say someone got a talking to.Report