Should Robert Aickman be Published by Penguin Classics?

[Doctor Dugald Eldritch]

This thought occured to me last night whilst reading The View. For all his elegance, sophistication and urbane prose, erudition of classical and highbrow literature and perfect perception of the human consciousness, Robert Aickman ought to be published by Penguin Classics. Reading Aickman's prose is, for me, the equivalent of eating chocolate and ice cream. As a general writer he triumphs above those toads who can write of crude amatory affairs and call it ''literature''. Yet his ghettoisation as a 'ghost-story' writer puts off they who do not appreciate the Imagination. The swines do not want the world to read books that feature faeries, ghosts or the cosmic, they want maudlin trash books that contain ordinary people in love. They do not want to drive Rolls Royces, they would rather drive ugly Fords.

[qcrisp]

Quote Originally Posted by Hell-Ghost

This thought occured to me last night whilst reading The View. For all his elegance, sophistication and urbane prose, erudition of classical and highbrow literature and perfect perception of the human consciousness, Robert Aickman ought to be published by Penguin Classics. Reading Aickman's prose is, for me, the equivalent of eating chocolate and ice cream. As a general writer he triumphs above those toads who can write of crude amatory affairs and call it ''literature''. Yet his ghettoisation as a 'ghost-story' writer puts off they who do not appreciate the Imagination. The swines do not want the world to read books that feature faeries, ghosts or the cosmic, they want maudlin trash books that contain ordinary people in love. They do not want to drive Rolls Royces, they would rather drive ugly Fords.

Do you know what technical criteria (if any) there are for works to be published as Penguin Classics? (Of course, recently, whatever criteria there might have been were torn up to make way for Morrissey. Even as a fan of his music, I have to say I thought this was cultural vandalism, and it tends to convince me that practically no one in the world has a clue these days what good prose actually is.)

[Michael]

Yes. Unequivocally yes.

[teguififthzeal]

Yes. Absolutely Yes.

"The Wine Dark Sea" should be made available to everyone. "Bind Your Hair" and "My Poor Friend" are unforgettable gems.

[ramonoski]

Quote Originally Posted by qcrisp

Do you know what technical criteria (if any) there are for works to be published as Penguin Classics? (Of course, recently, whatever criteria there might have been were torn up to make way for Morrissey. Even as a fan of his music, I have to say I thought this was cultural vandalism, and it tends to convince me that practically no one in the world has a clue these days what good prose actually is.)

I think that particular case is only comparable to when Criterion decided that Michael Bay's Armageddon was worthy of being included in their catalog

So, yeah. Unsure what qualifies as Penguin material anymore, but sure, I'm up for anything that brings more readers.