the absolute sandman
For Your Consideration: Christmas Gift Suggestions 2008
Still trying to figure out what presents to get a friend or a family member? Here’s a convenient list that I dreamt up made entirely out of books old and new that have at some time caught my attention during the course of the year. I don’t own them all, and it should be obvious which I do and which I don’t, but if I don’t, it’s simply because they’ve been generating a good buzz and are proving to be hot books for the holidays.
Prices and links are taken directly from Amazon (obviously). They’re merely for convenience. Prices are in US Dollars, and are there to give you a rough idea of how much each book costs. I’m sure you can find better prices if you poke around. Also note that prices will change. Offers and exchange rates and stuff.
Where available, I’ve included local prices from Kinokuniya. Local prices. In Singapore Dollars. Before any sort of promotional discount they might be having. Some of those where I don’t list the prices are just not in stock and will probably be in if you check at a different time. And I’m sure if you’re a local shopper there are a few other bookstores you can be looking around at too.
They are not in any particular order because I thought it would be more exciting this way. Included are coffeetable books, comic books, fiction and non-fiction.
Here we go:
The Savage Detectives
Roberto Bolaño
The best contemporary book I’ve read all year. A visceral, semi-autobiographical epic of two modern-day Quixotes and their upstart literary movement, this is quite simply a gem of a book.
[USD10.20 from Amazon]
SGD27.70 from Kinokuniya
2666
Roberto Bolaño
And while we’re on the subject of Bolaño, I hear that his latest (and last) may be the best book since the turn of the century. Based on the evidence of The Savage Detectives, I think that might not be an exaggeration. Bolaño’s magnum opus is described as “a landmark in what’s possible for the novel as a form in our increasingly, and terrifyingly, post-national world” by Jonathan Lethem.
It comes in two editions, a hardcover and a three-volume paperback set. (Personally, I should be getting the three-volume boxed set.)
[Hardcover, USD18.00 from Amazon]
[3-volume paperback set, USD18.00 from Amazon]
Both SGD53.95 from Kinokuniya
The Road
Cormac McCarthy
The movie is coming out during the winter, so I guess it’s a great time for folks to pick up on McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic tale. This slender novel features a father and son in their sturggles to survive in the wasteland, and with remarkable poeticism and precision, serves as a testament to the goodness of Man. While the condition of my copy (yellowed, slightly battered) might not reflect it, this is a book I love a lot.
If you’re the sort who looks out for prizes (and I know a few), this won the Pulitzer and was on Oprah.
Edit to say that I just learnt the film got pushed back a second time. Still a great time to get the book.
[USD10.17 from Amazon]
Film tie-in edition, SGD17.07 from Kinokuniya
The Rest Is Noise
Alex Ross
The New Yorker‘s music critic Alex Ross’s acclaimed twentieth-century music history book sees a paperback edition, just in time for the season. I’ve not read it (it’s one of the many books that put my Roth Winter plan to sleep) but I’ve only heard good things.
[Paperback, USD12.24 from Amazon]
SGD30.43 from Kinokuniya
A Mercy
Toni Morrison
Morrison’s latest has been garnering praise in every imaginable way. Described as a powerful, tragic fable that explores the early slave trade and the nature of mercy, I’m sure this is one of the biggest books of the season.
[USD14.37 from Amazon]
SGD34.94 from Kinokuniya
The Dead Fish Museum
Charles D’Ambrosio
The best contemporary short fiction anthology I’ve read, and definitely one of my favourite books of all. Remarkably, D’Ambrosio works purely with characters and somehow manages to pull off what one would call a consummate performance.
[USD11.16 from Amazon]
SGD24.61 from Kinokuniya
All-Star Superman
Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Jamie Grant
I always think of Grant Morrison’s work as hit-or-miss. When he misses, it tends to be because his ambition overtakes him. But when he scores a hit, it’s usually something quite extraordinary, and I think this take on Supes is probably deserving of that superlative. It’s helped in no small part by Frank Quitely’s magnificent art. A remarkable mythic reimagining that stands as one of the very best representatives of the comic book form.
The first half has been released as a trade paperback, with the second volume to turn up later.
[Volume 1, paperback, USD10.39 from Amazon]
SGD17.41 from Kinokuniya
Acme Novelty Library
Chris Ware
Chris Ware’s excellent series continues with Rusty Brown. The latest volume is the hardcover volume 19. If you’re not sure of what it is, I think the wiki is clearer than I’ll ever be:
Acme Novelty Library is a singular and artistically adventurous comic book created by Chicago cartoonist Chris Ware and published first by Fantagraphics Books, then Drawn & Quarterly. It is considered a significant work in alternative comics.
Issues are printed in different sizes and formats, sometimes a small paperback, sometimes a standard comic book, and sometimes a large “poster book” measuring 17 inches on a side. Each issue is typically composed of multiple stories with their own style and recurring characters, suggesting a compilation of strips, although all the work is done by Ware. A meticulous attention to detail is evident in every issue, making each volume a unique artistic work, with virtually nothing in common with traditional comic books.
[Volume 19, USD10.85 from Amazon]
Not listed in Kinokuniya’s database, but other volumes might still be available there
How Fiction Works
James Wood
When I tried James Wood’s recent book earlier this year, I found it engaging, accessible and erudite, and it’ll definitely make a good gift for anyone interested in the nature of the form.
[Hardcover, USD16.32 from Amazon]
Hardcover, SGD42.02 from Kinokuniya, and I think the paperback goes for about SGD35
Diary Of A Bad Year
J.M. Coetzee
Now available in paperback!
Coetzee’s latest is described as such in wikipedia:
The protagonist, called Señor C. by the other characters, is an aging South African writer living in Australia. The novel is composed of essays and musings by the writer, in addition to diary entries by both Señor C. and Anya, a neighbor whom he has asked to type his essays. The essays, which take up the larger part of each page, deal mostly with contemporary issues like George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Guantanamo Bay, and terrorism. The diary entries appear beneath them and reflect the relationship that develops between the two characters.
[Paperback, USD11.20 from Amazon]
SGD17.12 from Kinokuniya
Death With Interruptions
José Saramago
Saramago’s latest is about a time where everyone just stops dying. Ron Charles of the Washington Post says:
If this sounds campy, it is, but Saramago is always ten steps ahead of us, subverting cliches, interjecting ancient philosophical concerns into his gags and scattering grenades of bitterness among the laughs…This is a story that can’t possibly work or affect us, but it does, deeply, sweetly. It’s a novel to die for.
Sounds good to me.
[Hardcover, USD15.57 from Amazon]
At the time of writing, not available at Kinokuniya, but I saw it at Borders once
The Absolute Sandman
Neil Gaiman
Pamper the Sandman fan in your life with these luxurious remastered editions. I have them. All thirty kilograms (or something). The recoloured pages are quite glorious (particularly the early issues). And your Sandman fan friend will adore you for this.
[Volume 1, USD77.62 from Amazon]
SGD132.58 from Kinokuniya
[Volume 2, USD62.37 from Amazon]
SGD128.50 from Kinokuniya
[Volume 3, USD62.37 from Amazon]
SGD132.58 from Kinokuniya
[Volume 4, USD62.37 from Amazon]
SGD132.58 from Kinokuniya
Richard Avedon: Photographs 1946-2004
Richard Avedon (Editor: Michael Juul Holm)
As far as coffeetable books go, I’m going to recommend a few, and this, coming from one of my favourite photographers, looks like a sure-bet.
[USD44.10 from Amazon]
SGD126.48 from Kinokuniya
The Americans
Robert Frank
Robert Frank’s masterpiece has been re-released by Steidl for its 50th anniversary. A cultural touchstone and a photography classic, I’ve no doubt this makes a good gift.
[USD26.37 from Amazon]
It sold out at Kinokuniya, it seems.
Leaves Of Grass
Walt Whitman
Recently, I bought myself a copy of Leaves Of Grass to add to my library. It had been quite a while since I first read it, and I took the chance to explore it once more. I think the one thing that didn’t change between my first reading and the recent one is the recognition that I was a really tiny man standing in the tall shadow of a genius.
In his introduction to the 150th anniversary edition, Harold Bloom describes Whitman’s most famous work as a thing of beauty comparable to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel work; and I suppose it would be fair to say that that a work of art of such magnitude would always make a great gift.
[150th anniversary edition, 1855 version, Harold Bloom introduction, USD10.20 from Amazon]
SGD23.49 from Kinokuniya
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
Haruki Murakami
For the Murakami fan(s) in your life, this volume is a collection of essays by the Japanese author. Currently available in hardcover.
[USD14.28 from Amazon]
One of the editions is SGD 32.95 from Kinokuniya
Netherland
Joseph O’Neill
Joseph O’Neill’s third novel is about a Dutchman in post-9/11 America. It’s been generating a tremendous amount of buzz and has been likened to a more fiery The Great Gatsby. Siri Hustvedt of The Washington Post says:
Always sensitive and intelligent, Netherland tells the fragmented story of a man in exile — from home, family and, most poignantly, from himself.
[USD16.29 from Amazon]
SGD42.95 from Kinokuniya
Maus
Art Spiegelman
It probably isn’t the brightest idea to celebrate Christmas with a book on the Holocaust, but Art Spiegelman’s classic is at its heart a profoundly moving tale about a son and father and the difficult relationship that they share.
There’s a cheaper paperback edition available in two volumes too, but I’m listing the one-volume hardback.
[Complete collected edition, hardcover, USD23.10 from Amazon]
SGD58.22 from Kinokuniya
It’s A Bird!
Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen
This is a Superman comic that isn’t about Superman. It’s about the writer’s struggle with mortality, framed against the invincibility of Clark Kent. It’s about life, death, and the forces that good literature tries to wrestle with. One of my very favourite Superman books.
[Paperback, USD14.39 from Amazon]
SGD23.36 from Kinokuniya
American Music
Annie Leibovitz
The last book I’m going to recommend marries my love of photography with my love of music. No matter your opinion of Leibovitz’s work, I think this is a lovely book that will delight anyone with an interest in either field, and certainly those who have a passion for both.
[USD29.67 from Amazon]
Not in stock at time of writing in Kinokuniya
And that’s it. I hope it proves helpful.
Give the gift of art. It’s a good gift.
d
Back In Business
Exams Are Over
And the verdict is… I think I did okay overall. I messed up my paper on Monday quite badly, but other than that mostly without incident. I just hope the results don’t go awry either. We’ll find out in a few weeks.
Write!
I’ll be reading Flann O’Brien during the holidays. I’ll also be going through The Absolute Sandman. Many big changes to implement in The River. And some shopping to do. But mostly, it’ll be just those few things.
I might be editing some essay work for people too. And with some luck I might earn a little pocket money by taking that on as a part-time job, though that’s yet to be confirmed. All looks very uneventful and normal for the holidays, though, which I guess is a good thing.
Oh, I scrapped my Roth reading plans because there simply are too many books for me right now.
22 Days
To Christmas of course! I’ll be coming up with a short guide on gift ideas some time this week, I think. It’ll be just books, if things go according to plan. I’ll aim for the weekend.
Otherwise, have a good week, and it’s great to be back. Blogging service will resume from here.
d
On The Sandman
Yesterday, I got my hands on the fourth (and last) volume of The Absolute Sandman, to much joy (which fluctuated whenever I turned my gaze towards my bank account). There it is now, sitting on my shelf, all thirty kilos of it, waiting for me to go through it during the December break with as much relish as I did when I first read the series what I think must be seven or eight years ago now.
I think I must say that the series has always been quite important to me, a motif you might come across again in the future, so I thought it would be good to explain it.
Back then I was writing badly, reading poorly, and suffering from what I now think of as a slow creative poisoning. At one point, I stopped writing creative material for more than two years. And because most of what I read was nonsense, I read less and less, until at one point I was really only reading my notes and random news magazines.
At that point, too, I had given up on comic books, figuring that they were a portion of my youth that I ought to leave behind if I were ever to grow up. I stopped reading Spider-Man shortly (okay, maybe a few months in, or maybe even a year or so) after the clone saga, which in retrospect I really didn’t like. I must have been sustained purely by my love of the webslinger.
So, essentially, I had given up on some pretty big things, things that were once important to me. I was now writing argumentative essays, a joke column we ran in class, and silly love songs. I was reading TIME, The Economist and a bunch of textbooks. I was pretty much running on empty.
The first Sandman volume I got was The Dream Hunters. I didn’t know why I bought it. Probably on a whim, I think. It’s the hardcover (because it was new back then and the trade paperback really appeared only a couple of years after, as I remember it). It was some time before I decided to try out Preludes And Nocturnes. Months, I think. Or maybe even a year or two.
And with that introduction, I was hooked. So the following Christmas, my family got me the entire series in the ten volumes.
One of the reasons I treasured this discovery of mine so greatly was that they were beautiful. The art was often spectacular, and mostly appealing. The writing was sublime and remarkable (especially for a which had shown me Ben Reilly and Peter Parker complaining week after week about being clones and feeling that life is artificial and empty). And the characters were all pretty unforgettable (in a Planescape: Torment way). It was all stitched together in this cohesive, sprawling mythos, and cried out to the adolescent imagination that I had put into hibernation.
Because of this series (and Grant Morrison’s brilliant Arkham Asylum), my faith in the graphic form was restored, and I was encouraged to explore it further (and of course I still do today). Also partly because of this, I was reminded of the power of stories; Joyce’s Dubliners, for instance, had an effect on me that I never understood and never tried to understand until I came across this and felt intellectually mature enough to revisit those themes. In other words, I believe it was part of a list of factors (and a big part, at that) that caused me to embark on the frustrating and depressing journey to discover writing again. It was one of the main things that pulled me out of the humdrum existence I was leading and the creative death I was marching towards.
The conclusion of The Kindly Ones and some of the writing in The Wake moved me in a way I still know no comparison to. One might conclude that this is all rather naive, that there are works of literature that surely I’ve read that far surpass what I might find in (as they so often assume) a comic book; and at some level, that’s certainly true. Yet, while Dostoevsky would later show me the power of the written word and Cormac McCarthy would crush my soul and bring me to the verge of tears, The Sandman stuck with me at a different personal level. It seems that while the literature of the years that followed seemed to wrestle with the greater forces from the individual, The Sandman started with gods and beings greater than gods to touch the heart on an intimate level. And through that I learnt the power of mythology, which is why, even today, my main writings all have a mythological slant.
So you see, I’m indebted to this series in a way that is similar to the way I’m indebted to Dubliners, Leaves Of Grass and Beckett’s Trilogy. To the academics, it might never compare, since it is after all a comic book series, but it has no obligation to claim legitimacy in the face of the classics, especially not to me. I know what it’s done for me and what it’s taught me; and that puts it in the secret corner of my heart (and mind) where I keep it side by side with all the other books that have been and continue to be important to me.
The series is also the home of fond memories. Many fond memories. Many hours holed up by myself reading it. Many occasions of research trying to learn of some of the mythologies that were less familiar to me. Many bouts of self-education in the techniques of art and literature (Jacobean tragedy, pencil art, stained glass, gothic horror stories, collage, et cetera). All good memories, definitely.
(And then there’s the little matter that I used to read them with a girl I was extremely fond of…)
I’ve actually not read the entire series at a go again after my second reading in, if memory serves, 2002-2003. I’ve never read Preludes And Nocturnes again after that, for example. On the other hand, I’ve reread a few volumes multiple times (notably the final two volumes, Dream Country and Seasons Of Mist). I suppose this is a really good time to revisit all of them, with my new perspectives on what I want to do, what I can do, and what I will do. I’m sure the nostalgia will take over at some point, and I’ll begin to remember what I was doing when I read this bit or that.
So I’ll just round this off by saying: The Sandman is something really special to me, something I regard in debt, respect and adoration because it pulled me out of that sad hole I was sinking into and sparked a creative realignment. It also taught me of the power of graphic forms (Morpheus’s face when despairing was so stark and bare that I remember the effect the contrast had on me up to this day), reminded me of the depth of a few good words (as opposed to many bad ones), and reinforced my exuberance for the imagined. It is the house that shelters some of my best memories, and the monument that reminds me good art and stories will remain good art and stories no matter what form they take.
I’m sure I could just as easily curse and swear at it because it was one of the things that led me down to this decidedly difficult path (and curse you too, Mr. Joyce!), but I think it’s important to remember that in that blackest of crucibles, I uncovered the love of what I do and embraced the littlest flame we call inspiration.
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