I've wondered WTF about a lot of his stuff over the years.

I'm not familiar with his other work, amy-- is it as, erm... WTF as LIVER sounds?

Also spotted-- VAMPIRE SUFFRAGETTE-- a young woman in NYC in the twenties working for equality for all, including the undead. I thought they'd hit the vampire limit with the Jane Austen as vampire story, but apparently, I was wrong.

I wonder if that's part of some viral marketing thing? There're ads at bus stops all over Chicago for some blood-based energy drink marketed at vampires. I keep meaning to poke around and find out what that's all about.

Self is one of those writers of very clever and pointy literary satire who always seems to be walking a super-fine line between "possibly almost brilliant" and "dude, get over yourself". The WTF is often in the subject matter (Wikipedia descriptions):

* Cock and Bull (1992) — the stories of a man and a woman who develop sexual organs of the opposite sex.

* My Idea of Fun (1993) — a lonely boy grows up just outside Brighton in a caravan park with his over-sexual mother and Mr Broadhurst who takes the boy on a disturbing and often violent journey.

* Great Apes (1997) — a man wakes up in a world where chimpanzees evolved to be the species with self-awareness, while humans are the equivalent of chimps in our world.

* How the Dead Live (2000) — an old lady dies, only to be moved to a London suburb where the dead have taken residence.

* The Book of Dave (2006) — The story of a London cab driver who suffers a mental breakdown due to failed relationships, estrangement from his son and an obsession with The Knowledge. He writes a book of rantings which he buries, that is discovered 500 years later and used as the sacred text for a religion that has taken hold in the flooded remnants of London.

{{{{{Drew, PixK and family}}}}} You all were on my mind all day. I'm glad things went as well as they did. This is, indeed, a Monday-ist of Monday's.

Great Apes (1997) — a man wakes up in a world where chimpanzees evolved to be the species with self-awareness, while humans are the equivalent of chimps in our world.

Isn't that ... Planet of the Apes ?

Isn't that ... Planet of the Apes ?

Pretty much. Only it's also Metamorphosis, because the dude wakes up as a chimp one day. And he's bitchy about his shrink in all his books, or some such. Erm, whatev.

Only it's also Metamorphosis, because the dude wakes up as a chimp one day.

::runs out to buy copy::

NOT.

* The Book of Dave (2006) — The story of a London cab driver who suffers a mental breakdown due to failed relationships, estrangement from his son and an obsession with The Knowledge. He writes a book of rantings which he buries, that is discovered 500 years later and used as the sacred text for a religion that has taken hold in the flooded remnants of London.

The Knowledge?

Oh puh-leeze. *sigh* Yet-- I shouldn't talk-- he sells and I,well... don't.

I wonder if that's part of some viral marketing thing? There're ads at bus stops all over Chicago for some blood-based energy drink marketed at vampires. I keep meaning to poke around and find out what that's all about.

Those are for the upcoming HBO series that's based off of the Sookie Stackhouse books.

I thought they'd hit the vampire limit with the Jane Austen as vampire story, but apparently, I was wrong.

There is no such thing as a vampire limit. There are those of us who LIKE vampire fiction and yet cringe at most of it that is out there.