Forgotten authors

I recently saw the film "Revolutionary Road" based on the novel by Richard Yates. I have since done a little digging and discovered that despite Yates' work being considered in the same class as John Cheever and cited as influential by authors including Richard Ford, Raymond Carver and Andre Dubus, his novels were out of print for many years. Naturally the success of the film will probably change that. But it got me thinking about other authors whose work, though critically respected and influential,has either been out of print in the past or is currently out of print. (or heading that way)

There are too many authors - some naturally have to die. This was, I guess, one of them. I have an anthology of Canadian poetry from the turn of the century which has names no one has ever heard of, and quite frankly, there could be no way anyone would ever hear about them, unless they were an Early-Canadian-Literature-Specialist. Though popular, there are always good books. Occasionally, good books are dug up, but more often, popular books are buried. It is all part of the process. Nothing lasts forever, and no minor voice is really of much interest to anyone but era-specialists.

Of course, much of 19th century literature went out of print until the early-mid 20th century.Those authors needed digging up. Even Zola did to an extent, as did Flaubert. It's only natural.

Keep in mind, Mendelssohn put on the first performance of Bach's St. Matthew's Passion outside of Bach's life. All art forms can be subject to this; the reemergence of giants. Still though, it is necessary that books die, and I am grateful that I think Bliss Carmen, and other minor poetic figures no longer make the Canadian Literature text-books.

poor poor Andrei Bely ='(

Lets thank Malcolm Cowley for the Portable Faulkner.

Excellent topic btw...

Yes, Richard Yates has had a recent re-discovery, even before they hollyooded Revolutionary Road...He has a re-newed following esp in the UK and tho I haven't personally read him, I have picked up all his novels (which are being re-issued) and most are by consensus outstanding reads...

Another more obscure author who's works are still mostly out of print but is drawing raves is the Irishman (who became a Canadian citizen) Brian Moore. His Emperor of Ice Cream is by all accounts his defining work and is pretty much only available on out of print book sites like Abe
Interestingly, Yates admired his work...

On the continent, Pre-WWII writer Robert Walser is now being recognized as being a major contributor to the modern fiction and his writings influenced Kafka.

Really forgotten and obscure but once considered influential is turn of last century Gabrielle D'Annunzio an Italian poet, General and Novelist. Try to find his novel Triumph of Death It was said that he drank wine out of the skull of a virgin or something to that affect. Hemingway admired him (logical respect of one chauvinist for another...:))

I could go on and on, but they are obscure authors and some of the work is esoteric in nature and/or difficult therefore of little interest to this forum's
readership..

There is a neglected books dot com site that is pretty informative.

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Originally Posted by NickAdams

Lets thank Malcolm Cowley for the Portable Faulkner.

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Thanks for the Nobel Prize too

Now on the subject, I think I will add that there is a movement in Canadian academies now to unearth unpublished modernist texts (mostly novels) from the archives in Canada, which due to political, and social reasons, never have been published.

In truth, until about 5 years ago, it was common thought that Canada didn't really have a modernist movement (novelists at this time generally wrote in a realist vein, or wrote poetry). It will be interesting to see what people dig up. There could be an invisible Faulkner hiding somewhere.

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Originally Posted by promtbr

Really forgotten and obscure but once considered influencial is turn of last century Gabrielle D'Annunzio an Italian poet, General and Novelist. Try to find his novel Triumph of Death It was said that he drank wine out of the skull of a virgin or something to that affect.

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Just ordered four of his books from eBay thanks to you :)

I'd mention Jane Porter, but I've forgotten her name.

Has anyone heard of Stig Dagerman?

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Originally Posted by mayneverhave

Thanks for the Nobel Prize too

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:lol:

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Originally Posted by JBI

Now on the subject, I think I will add that there is a movement in Canadian academies now to unearth unpublished modernist texts (mostly novels) from the archives in Canada, which due to political, and social reasons, never have been published.

In truth, until about 5 years ago, it was common thought that Canada didn't really have a modernist movement (novelists at this time generally wrote in a realist vein, or wrote poetry). It will be interesting to see what people dig up. There could be an invisible Faulkner hiding somewhere.

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That is very interesting. I read The Manticore some years ago and am curious as to what else I might find authored by a Canadian pen.

Robertson Davies was though, quite popular, and to an extent, still is. These people are essentially known but to a handful of academics - like I said, they haven't yet been published. It should be interesting.

Of course, Canada most certainly has a post-modern and contemporary presence, but, with the exception of the half-modernist novel "As for Me and My House", which would be realist, except that its narrator is almost accidentally ambiguous, and therefore the book floats into a problematic zone, where it gets redefined under modernist conventions. But still, there really isn't a modernist prose movement published from Canada yet. Hopefully something good comes out of this - they are still unearthing and editing manuscripts.

Stig Dagerman? Certainly. I have a volume of short stories entitled, Games of the Night that I found quite strong... dark... Kafkaesque.