Robert Coover
Autor(a) de The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop.
About the Author
Robert Coover is a midwesterner who has earned a reputation as one of the most innovative of contemporary writers of fiction. Coover likes to experiment with an abundance of differing styles. The Origin of the Brunists (1966), his first novel, is a religious parable heavily loaded with symbolism mostrar mais and mythical parallels. It deals with the rise following an Appalachian coal-mine disaster of a sect of worshipers made up of fundamentalists and theosophists whose leader, Giovanni Bruno, is less a preacher than a silent enigma. The principal analogue is apparently meant to be the founding of the Christian religion, but Coover's extensive irony requires that he reverse many of the traditional features of the Christian legend. The Universal Baseball Association (1968), Coover's most accessible novel to date, is also dominated by religious symbolism. Over the years, J. Henry Waugh, a middle-aged bachelor and accountant, has developed an elaborately structured game, which he plays with dice. His game is based on the mathematical probabilities of baseball. Every evening Henry plays his game and maintains his extensive record books. J. Henry Waugh is a surrogate for God, and the participants in his imaginary baseball league seem almost to come to life, raising as they do age-old questions about fate and free will, success and failure, games and religions. Coover's Pricksongs and Descants (1969) is a collection of 20 short pieces and a theoretical "Prologo" in which the author states his belief that contemporary fiction should be based on familiar historical or mythical forms. Most of the stories in this volume, which was well received by critics, are based on biblical episodes or classical fairy tales retold in startling new ways. The Public Burning (1977) is based on the controversial trial of the Rosenbergs. With the exception of a novel, A Night at the Movies (1992), Coover's publications in recent years have consisted mainly of shorter works, written at various stages of his career, published in limited editions to appeal to collectors. Coover is one of the founders of the Electronic Literature Organization. In 1987 he was chosen as the winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story. Coover is indeed one of the foremost short story writers of the postmodern period, as exemplified by the "Seven Exemplary Fictions" contained in his 1969 book Pricksongs and Descants. (Bowker Author Biography) mostrar menos
Séries
Obras por Robert Coover
Vampire 3 exemplares
The Waitress 3 exemplares
Nighttime of the City 2 exemplares
The Colonel's daughter 2 exemplares
Matinée 2 exemplares
A Pedestrian Accident 2 exemplares
The End of Books 1 exemplar
Visitation (in Ghost Writing - WEINGARTEN) 1 exemplar
Seaview: A Novel (Rediscovery) 1 exemplar
You Must Remeber This {story} 1 exemplar
Last One 1 exemplar
Invasion of the Martians 1 exemplar
Grandmother's Nose 1 exemplar
Heart Suit (in McSweeney's 16 - EGGERS) 1 exemplar
Associated Works
Spells of Enchantment: The Wondrous Fairy Tales of Western Culture (1991) — Contribuidor — 562 exemplares
For the Love of Books: 115 Celebrated Writers on the Books They Love Most (1999) — Contribuidor — 451 exemplares
You've Got to Read This: Contemporary American Writers Introduce Stories that Held Them in Awe (1994) — Introdução — 377 exemplares
McSweeney's Issue 24 (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern): Trouble/Come Back, Donald Barthelme (2007) — Contribuidor — 280 exemplares
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Nineteenth Annual Collection (2006) — Contribuidor — 236 exemplares
A Convergence of Birds: Original Fiction and Poetry Inspired by Joseph Cornell (2001) — Contribuidor — 193 exemplares
Field of Fantasies: Baseball Stories of the Strange and Supernatural (2014) — Contribuidor — 44 exemplares
Granta 2: George Steiner, The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H. (1980) — Contribuidor — 36 exemplares
Antaeus No. 64/65, Spring/Autumn 1990 - Twentieth Anniversary Issue (1990) — Contribuidor — 12 exemplares
The Review of Contemporary Fiction: Robert Coover Festschrift: Spring 2012 (2012) — Contribuidor — 4 exemplares
Etiquetado
Conhecimento Comum
- Nome legal
- Coover, Robert Lowell
- Data de nascimento
- 1932-02-04
- Sexo
- male
- Nacionalidade
- USA
- Local de nascimento
- Charles City, Iowa, USA
- Educação
- Southern Illinois University
Indiana University (BA - Slavic Studies, 1955)
University of Chicago (MA - General Studies in the Humanities, 1965) - Ocupações
- writer
- Organizações
- Electronic Literature Organization (Co-founder)
United States Navy
American Academy of Arts and Letters (Literature, 1987) - Prémios e menções honrosas
- Lannan Literary Award (Fiction, 2000)
Rea Award for the Short Story (1987)
American Academy of Arts and Letters Academy Award (Literature, 1976)
Membros
Críticas
Listas
Prémios
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Estatísticas
- Obras
- 62
- Also by
- 43
- Membros
- 5,036
- Popularidade
- #4,965
- Avaliação
- 3.6
- Críticas
- 98
- ISBN
- 198
- Línguas
- 11
- Marcado como favorito
- 18
None of us noticed the body at first. Not until Roger came through asking if we'd seen Ros.
It is Ros who is laying on the floor still bleeding from a knife sticking out of her chest. Somebody calls the cops, but the party goes on; everybody is out on their feet. It seems that all the men at the party have had sex with Ros at some time and tales are told. Inspector Pardew arrives looking like something out of a 1930's movie and starts his investigation and it is only when he removes the knife and hands it round for the partygoers to look at, that I realised this was going to be a blacker than black comedy. Roger hopelessly infatuated with Ros stumbles back into the room and throws himself on top of Ros: he has to be dragged off the body. The investigation goes on, more cops arrive Ros's clothes are removed pictures are taken and someone wants to re-create the crime scene, meanwhile Gerald has the hots for Allison and is searching the house to find her, while his wife is calmly preparing more food or clearing up the mess.
Gerald is constantly interrupted; either in his search for Allison or dealing with other issues. People are arriving, blocking doorways, having sex in various rooms, Geralds young son is wandering around and a teenage girl is desperately wanting to have sex with Gerald, the upstairs toilette is blocked and one of the women can't stop poohing, people are trying to clean her up. There are more murders and something is going on in the basement, but Gerald can't get down there. He lurches from one crisis to another never managing to see anything through. His house is wrecked, people are stealing things and he hardly bats an eye and one of the cops hands him a gun to finish off one of the guests who has been shot, but is taking too long to die.
The party seems to go on forever; 330 pages of forever and I found it an exhausting read. There are graphic descriptions of bodily functions and different types of sexual intercourse, police brutality of course and extreme drunk behaviour. I get the black comedy and the irony of rich people behaving very badly and in many ways it is a brave and technically impressive novel which sometimes lurches into social commentary, but just not for me and so 3 stars.… (mais)