Hubert Selby Jr

I though of him because of the thread on the next big Americain writer.

Selby is the unlucky guy,whom with an unquestionable talent never really made it to the spotlight(or for a short period)
I did not read all his book,and they are unsualy quite an unpleasant experience.But the man know is job and very seldom i have been so impresed buy the strengh of an autor.
The demon is for me his masterpiece.The life of a normal average guy haunted by something.You never know if the man is crazy or if it's real.He gets better,than sink again.It is one of the hardest book i ever read but also one of the best.The writing is pure and classic,not effect,not trick,just the work.
I read the Willow tree,another great book.Not as good as the demon but still largely worth the read.

So here is a fabulously great Americain that never got the laurels he deserved.

I've only read 'Last Exit to Brooklyn' but I've read it twice.

He must have done pretty well out of that book, and the film rights. Pity the film murdered the book though.

jaybe said:

I've only read 'Last Exit to Brooklyn' but I've read it twice.

He must have done pretty well out of that book, and the film rights. Pity the film murdered the book though.

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I have not read Last exit yet but i sure will.
It was a long time ago,and money goes fast.
It is more of a question of status.He was a drifter of the beat generation,the hard side of them, and pionere of the Palnhuk-Ellis-cyberpunk group.He should have been a legend.
I also like the fact that he wasn't alway playing the same tune;He made a name with sex-drug-rock'n roll,then change.The Demon is a perfecct classic book,as well as the willow tree.Both very different stories and atmosphere.

Somehow i dout his book gone end up with the Orpha-book-club on it.So maybe fame is not needed hear,but you the one of you who like real thing should give it a go.

I just finished Last Exit to Brooklyn. It was very impressive and the subject matter pretty dark and twisted for being written in the 50s. These days, it's not going to make you cringe as much as it would have back then. It's very brutal and holds nothing back. Selby clearly was disgusted by humanity and I can't wait to read the rest of his work.

Last Exit is more of a collection of short stories than an actual novel, but the characters are used in each story along with some that are exclusive to each story. The one about Tralala was probably the best and the most vicious.

I'm glad you liked it.
Read The demon Dude, on of the best books ever written.
Amazing and not has depresing has most of his others.
Well, not a field of pansies ether but just active.
A terrible thing The demon his.

I've only read Last Exit to Brooklyn and it is among the most unforgettable books I have ever read. Thank you all, for your recommendations of other of his works. I'll certainly get around to them now. :flowers:

saliotthomas said:

I'm glad you liked it.
Read The demon Dude, on of the best books ever written.
Amazing and not has depresing has most of his others.
Well, not a field of pansies ether but just active.
A terrible thing The demon his.

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The Demon is next on the list.

Ok I finished The Demon today. My previous statement about Selby being disgusted with humanity was amplified by about 1000 after reading this. Lots of authors attempt the "sane person who loses his mind" story, but no one will compete with this book in that regard. I've never been more convinced of a character in a book going just completely insane.

Selby's erratic and unconventional writing style really adds to the atmosphere too. His books aren't for everyone and they can leave you feeling either dirty or just unnerved. The last section of Last Exit to Brooklyn is some of the most intense stuff I've ever read. A little over half through The Demon, I knew it wasn't going to end positively and the more it went on, the more you sort of knew where it was going. But even so, as the events unraveled, it didn't make it any easier to keep reading.

What an intense writer.

I have read Last Exit to Brooklyn, The Demon and The Room ( and a few others I cant quite remember ). The Room is the most wrenchingly intense novel I've ever read. Really finished it thinking i'm not sure if it did me good or not. Selby was essentially a very very negative person with a lot of bitterness fueling his creative energy.... made an intense raw prose but doesn't have much beauty to compensate for the pain. If you read up on his life it's understandable why his was so ruthlessly nihilistic.

Funny thing here , I first heard of him TODAY - never heard of him prior to this , he was mentioned ona YouTube clip from Henry Rollins - a punk musician/singer and now comedy/spoken word performer . Recommended strongly by Rollins , maybe I am destined to read Selby Jr . Funny how some one I have never heard of has cropped up twice on the same day on different places.