Neglected/Underrated Writers

[Shear]

For the last few years I have been dipping into the many works of James Purdy. There's a lot to digest between the short story collections and novels, but the "weird" element carries through a good seventy percent of his books. Not weird as in Lovecraft or Aickman, not really even having a thing to do with the supernatural, just truly, deeply bizarre and unique writing. For those uninitiated, think of Peyton Place domestic drama crossed with Flannery O'Connor and Faulkner at their most brutal. But then there is something else with Purdy, an almost cosmic outlook or a hard to peg mysticism. This is most evident in the novel In a Shallow Grave, which I think is an absolute masterpiece. Eustace Chisholm and The Works, another of his novels, has the same quality, a sort of relentless poetic brutality. I would recommend these as well as the short story collection The Candles of Your Eyes to anyone who wants to get started. His books can be found cheaply almost anywhere.