Well this horn's for honking.
A few years back, in our third Canuck Noir anthology published by Insomniac Press, Peter Sellers (NOT the dead actor) and I included Vern Smith's short story "Green Ghetto", which he wrote upon discovering a significant chunk of Detroit's once bountiful urban landscape had reverted to prairie. Vern grew up just south of Motown in Windsor Ont. and after a few years in Toronto, is back hosting a weekly country radio show on community radio. Among other stuff probably, but that's what he tells me about.
I enjoyed Vern's work for its fast-paced, straight-ahead style combined with oblique points of view. "Green Ghetto" is mostly about square pegs and round holes. I'd say it combines realism and absurdism, but then I can't think of many experiences that don't.
Best,
Kerry
----- Original Message -----
From: jacquesdebierue
To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 11:13 PM
Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: Nag, Nag, Nag Noir
--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Allan Guthrie" <allan@...> wrote:
>
> Well said. All narratives are explorations in hyperreality. We can suspend
> our disbelief, or we can accept the fact. Realism has been dominant in
> fiction for some time, but I'd hate to think that there's no room for
> anything else. Especially since I've not got much of a handle on realism. Or
> reality, come to that.
>
How do you do justice, today, to Detroit in its present state? You could use realism but you could also do a postmodern take on it, ironic and even absurdist. Such a treatment might be more effective than a realistic portrayal of this destroyed city and the life in it.
Best,
mrt
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