The following three book reviews are by the Planet's beloved critic- Andrew Robulack When Planet editor Paul Shoebridge gave me the idea to write a piece about books that have “deeply affected” my life, my mind flooded with ideas: | began to relive the weirdness of Joyce’s Ulysses (the old stand-by for anyone claiming to be into literature) and the stark realism of attitudes contained in Jack Kerouac’s masterpiece On the Road, a book he wrote in only three weeks. | recalled Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poetry in A Coney Island of the Mind and the more recent novel by Tom Robbins Skinny Legs and All (a book that should be mandatory reading for the entire human race); Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, Robert Graves’ The White Goddess, Georges Bataille’s Story of the Eye—my list could go on forever. However, | decided to expound on only three books which fit into a somewhat more contemporary context. All of these books have struck me in a very profound manner. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn Warner Books, 1990 Katherine Dunn is an American author and Geek Love is her third book. Wrought of personal experience and tempered by Dunn's broad imagination Geek Love is very moving. The story is based around a family of circus freaks who were bred by their parents specifically to save the family carnival. The protagonist, Olympia, is an albino and her siblings are a half-fish brother, siamese twin sisters, and another brother who has telekinetic abilities. These characters form the basic cast of the majority of the book and Dunn places them in an almost surreal landscape filled with all of the stereotypes that reality would freely offer them as enemies. They are constantly being put through unusual situations like ancient gods being put through divine rites designed to test their unique powers and abilities. Through the course of Geek Love the characters grow into confident people capable of dealing with, and sometimes manipulating, the world around them. There are many kinds of love in reality and Dunn succeeds in exploring that one type which few experience. It is the love that evolves of simply not wanting to hate. The main characters in Geek Love are, as they call themselves, deformities. Dunn stresses their uniqueness as a sort of archetype of society's handicapped without offering any pity. Instead she instills all of her characters with a vast sense of pride and an ability to manipulate (and take dominion over) the way society views them. Thatis where their love begins, in the way they understand and must depend on one another in the face of a discriminatory world. All of the characters come to terms of endear- ment with their ‘disabilities’ and their positive restitutions emit a compassion that is irrefutably present all through the novel. But Geek Love is not a sappy, naive story of freak children learning how to cope with their differences. Throughout the book there is a residual tone of tragedy and it indeed comes to a head twice in the book (Geek Love is actually composed of two, interdependent plots). The result is that the reader, in the true tradition of the classical tragedy, comes out of the book feeling somewhat cleansed or self- redeemed. Andrea Abramson A Tree Within by Octavio Paz (translated by Eliot Weinberger); New Directions, 1987 Octavio Paz from Mexico (and 1990 Nobel Laureate) is one of the few human beings left on this planet who can truly be considered a ‘poet’ in that term’s most essential sense. To be a poet one must be able to tap into the massive harmonic subconscious while always remaining stable on an earthly, conscious level. Very few can do it. Even fewer can do it well. Octavio Paz does it with eloquence and mastery. A Tree Within, by Octavio Paz (translated by Eliot Weinberger) is a collection of some of the most concise and graceful renderings of emotion and spirituality ever. Paz’s words, when read, strike familiar tones within the reader’s body, and the poet's vast intellectual capabilities (which Paz demonstrates elsewhere in his brilliant politi- cal prose) are lost in pure, mystical insights. This man knows. You know what | mean? Octavio Paz knows. Literally abstract, Paz’s words and phrases should not be permitted to pass through the mind. His poems can be broken down and analyzed quite easily, revealing their stark spiritual and/or intellectual content. The poems themselves, however, should be allowed to rise above any paltry ideology. It is only natural with Paz’s work to allow your eye to travel over the words not knowing, not even understand- ing what you’re reading. One section in A Tree Within titled ‘Seen and Said’ explores the work ofanumber of twentieth century visual artists, Marcel Duchamp, Antoni Tapies and Rob Rauschenburg among them. Paz does not always refer directly to specific pieces by the artists which he may have seen. Rather, he tends to elaborate on the spirit and individuality of each artist, offering his interpretation of their artistic objectives. The most powerful lines in A Tree Within are granted to ‘A Fable of Joan Miro’. The two final stanzas of this poem are amazing; here are the last three lines: Sight is seed, to see is to sow, Miro works like a gardener and with his seven hands endlessly sketches—circle and tail, oh! and ah!— that grand exclamation with which the world begins each day. Planet of the Arts Volume 7 IssueS page 14 Generation X by Douglas Coupland St. Martin’s Press, 1991 Yuppie Wannabe's: An X Generation subgroup that believes the myth of a yuppie life-style being both satisfying and viable. Ten to be highly in debt, involved in some form of substance abuse, and show a willingness to talk about Armageddon after three drinks. Probably the best, if not most original, book of last year, Generation X resonates with all of the elements of a magnificent piece of literature--but why, oh, why didn’t Coupland put it through two more drafts and the publishers take more care in typesetting it?. At last a modern author has tapped fully into the new, contemporary language of the 1990's. Author and Emily Carr graduate Douglas Coupland’s book could be referred to as a period piece for this decade; it is draped in consumerist black humor and written with the wry wit of a disillusioned statistician or societal analyst. Everybody gets an elbow in the ribs in this book, from generous, dog-leash parents to the “basement culture” of the society dropouts (“Basement People rent basement suites; the air above is too middle class,” reports Coupland’s character Dag). As for yuppies (‘And before you start getting shrill and saying yuppies don’t exist, let's just face facts: they do.’”) Coupland again uses Dag to express his opinion: “Yuppies never gamble, they calculate. They have no aura: ever been to a yuppie party? It’s like being in an empty room: empty hologram people walking around peeking at themselves in mirrors and surrep- titiously misting their tonsils with Binaca spray, just in case they have to kiss another ghost like themselves. There’s just nothing there.” Generation X is not your typical novel, insofar as novels go. The larger plot of the book takes the position of a minor sub plot in the face of the numerous stories and fables that Coupland’s characters share with one another. Separated into chapters with titles like “Our Parents Had More” and “Dead at 30 Buried at 70” some of the short tales take on quite moralistic overtones. For people of the ‘twenty something’ age-group these morals will ring far truer than those put forth by Aesop so long ago. The book itself doesn’t even look like a novel, rather more a college course text book with margins drenched in sometimes incomprehen- sible text-related definitions and illustrations (drawn by Coupland’s ECCAD accomplice Paul Rivoche). Paradoxically, Coupland’s language in forming the text is human and readable. His characters are indisputably believable and this forms an often scary aspect of the book. You will actually see yourself as you read Generation X and will feel that the author has pressed a slab of soft putty against some aspect of your beliefs or personality and then interpreted it into words. Coupland is unforgiving in his brilliant presentation of personalities in a very Capote-esque fashion, never denying any aspect, negative or positive, of the human condition. The stereotypes present in Generation X are those that you would be privy to meet in any office tower in downtown Vancouver. They are the stereotypes that people allow themselves to fall into. | suppose Generation X might be called the consummate represen- tation of the confused ideologies of today and a sort of potpourri of figures of a misrepresented age group, all finally organized under one heading: the X generation. The next step is to interpret the ‘X’. In the meantime, go read this book. RI The following three book reviews ar by the Planet's beloved critic. ‘Andrew Robulack ‘When Planet editor Paul Shoebrdge gave me theiea to write opece about books that have “deply affected” my ie, my mind fooded with ideo: began to relive the weirdness ofJoyce’sUysses (the old standby for anyone dining to be ito Hteroture) ond the stark reosm of cttudes contained in Jack Kerouo’s masterpiece Onthe Rood, c book he wrote in only three weks.Ireclled Lawrence Feringhet’s poetry in ‘AConey sland of the Mind ond the more recent novel by Tom Robbins ‘tinny Legs ond Ala book that should be mandatory eding fo the ‘nie human ce; Dan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, Robert Groves’ The White Goddes, Georges Boal’ Story ofthe Eye—my list could 0 0m forever, However, decided to expound on only three books which into a Somewhat morecontemporry context. Alf thesebookshavestuckme ina very profound manner Geek Love by Katherine Dunn ‘Wormer Books, 1990 Katherine Dunn san American author and Geek Loveis er third book. Wrought of personal experience and tempered by Dunn's ‘broad imagination Geek Love is very moving. The story is based around 2 family ofcicus freaks who were bred by ther parents specifically tosavethe family caval. Theprotagonst, Olympia san albino ad her siblings ae a hal-fsh brother, siamese win sts, and anther brother who has tlkineti bites. These characters form hebasicast ofthe maori ofthe book and ‘Dunn places them in an almost sucealandscape filed withal of the stereotypes that realty woul rely ofer them as enemies. They are consantly being put through unusual stations ike ancient gods being put through divine ites designed to test ther unique powers and ables. Through the couse of Gek Love the characters grow into confident people capable of dealing with, and sometimes ‘manipulating, the word around them. “There ae many kinds of lve in realty and Dunn succeeds in exploring that one type which few experince It isthe love that cxclves of simply not wanting to hate. The man characters in Geek Love are, a they al themselves, deformities. Dunn stress thei uniqueness 35. soto archetype of society's handicapped without fering any py. instead she instil alo her characters witha vast sense pride and an ability to manipulate and take dominion ove) the way ociey views them. Thatiswherethe love begins, ntheway they understand and must depend on one another inthe face of a