I feel like a bad guy. Blake Butler sent me a copy of this wonderful book a while ago, and I totally forgot to talk about it, and tell you how great it is.
Blake Butler has been doing great work for a while now, to be honest, his end of the world is just starting to come into focus for me. I’ve been looking around at people who publish smaller more personal books, things outside the mainstream, and totally original.
Blake’s one of these people. His book looks like it’s went through Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, and was carried by the father in that story. It seems worn in, worn out, and has the feeling like it’s been places. It’s guidebook shape gives you no idea what kind of writing is inside it’s covers.
Stories, long and short, anecdotes, mysteries, myths, all attached to each other in this book. Like the sticky handshake of a stranger. I’m not one-hundred percent sure you won’t get it the first time around, but you’ll be sorry that you don’t have one of these great books to carry with your where ever you go.
I'm teaching SA this term!
how cool is that?
You should check out the video of them mangling each copy of Scorch Atlas. It reminds me of my other business idea of selling Siegfried and Roy Siberian tiger printed couches that USED to be white satin couches before weeks of me using them "Porky Pig Pantsless style." Don't tell anyone about my idea, the business idea is still in crayon stage.