Create your own short story collection!

[Waffiesnaq]

Quote Originally Posted by luciferfell

And once again I must lament the almost utter lack of Asian literature in these lists... I want to be more read in that field but there seems to be not much in the way of translated books available.

My interest in Asian literature is largely confined to Japan, sadly, but that country really has expelled some remarkable writers. In terms of contemporary short story authors, most Western bookworms will have at least heard of Haruki Murakami, and for good reason: he is a master storyteller and reading The Elephant Vanishes is hardly an abysmal way to get acquainted with his work. Critics have labelled him Kafka reborn but I think Murakami is totally his own.

Salmonella Men on Planet Porno is a totally bananas voyage into the mind of Yasutaka Tsutsui; maybe the funniest collection of short fiction I've read. One of the stories on my list, "The Last Smoker," is included in this book: it's a dystopian skit in which society starts placing increasingly ludicrous restrictions on tobacco smoking. (Sound familiar?)

EDIT: I found the full story online.

http://kyotojournal.org/the-journal/...f-the-smokers/

I once read an essay that compared Junichiro Tanizaki to Edgar Allan Poe in their mutual affinity for the macabre, the supernal, and the degeneracy of subjectivity. His stuff is widely translated, and inexpensive; "Terror" is my favorite story of his.

Osamu Dazai and Yukio Mishima have both written some wonderful and disturbing short stories, but I tend to prefer their novels. Dazai's No Longer Human and Mishima's The Temple Of The Golden Pavilion share Ligottian and misanthropic themes without being overtly horrific in style.

As for Japanese horror, it can be difficult to avoid the campy stuff simply due to its ubiquity in the marketplace, but Junji Ito has always been a unique voice. If you don't have a knee-jerk aversion to comics (or, to be politically correct, graphic novels) his Uzumaki series is a sweaty spiraling into the most depraved depths of body horror.

Come to think of it, I think my favorite Asian short story might actually be "I am a Cat" by Natsume Sōseki, if not solely due to its plangent cuteness. You can't beat the cat, even when artistic horror rears it face. The story was expanded over the years and ended up as the first chapter of a novel, which I haven't got around to finishing. That first chapter is king, though.

I know there's one expert on this forum who's exceedingly knowledgeable on Japanese literature, and I hope he'll chime in and give us all some more recommendations.

[ramonoski]

Quote Originally Posted by Waffiesnaq

As for Japanese horror, it can be difficult to avoid the campy stuff simply due to its ubiquity in the marketplace, but Junji Ito has always been a unique voice. If you don't have a knee-jerk aversion to comics (or, to be politically correct, graphic novels) his Uzumaki series is a sweaty spiraling into the most depraved depths of body horror.

Ito's drawings are incredible. He's drawn things that actually made me cringe or panic upon turning the page. He brings to mind what Lovecraft wrote in “Pickman's Model”: . . . only a real artist knows the actual anatomy of the terrible or the physiology of fear—the exact sort of lines and proportions that connect up with latent instincts or hereditary memories of fright, and the proper colour contrasts and lighting effects to stir the dormant sense of strangeness.

Sadly, I've always felt that Ito needs to improve a lot on the writing department. I think his biggest problem is that he often feels that he has to offer an explanation as to why his worlds are crumbling into a nightmarish chaos—or perhaps he's asked to do so by editors, who prefer selling straight horror over weird fiction? I don't know. But I've always felt Ito's otherwise fantastic tales deflate the moment he tries to rationalize what's going on. Though sometimes he makes it work in his favour, a good example of which would be the different explanations behind the mystery of the Amigara Fault story.

Anyway...

Yeah, I think my contact with Asian literature has been mostly in the form of novels, which don't quite lend themselves to be anthologized, which is why I probably neglected that market. I did deliberately try to include a couple Hispanic authors (though I could've mentioned a lot more) but I honestly wasn't thinking about an anthology that represented the five continents or anything. Then there's of course the fact that as a westerner I'm more in touch with western culture and everything else tends to elude me unless I know to seek it out.

[luciferfell]

Oh sure the purpose of this thread is your own personal collection. I guess I am more venting on a hunger for more Asian fiction. I have read Ito and have read The Elephant Vanishes. I also love Hino's manga. Rampo is good too. But I feel there is a vast ocean of weird Asian literature that has not been translated... But yeah carry on with the list making!

[Dr. Valzer]

Quote Originally Posted by Hell-Ghost

If anyone could reply with a list of Scottish weird writers I would be grateful.

I unfortunately cannot provide a full list, but J.W. Brodie-Innes certainly merits mentioning here. He wrote several weird novels that were informed by his experiential knowledge of western occultism.

[luciferfell]

Well in keeping with the thread Hell-Ghost, why not provide us with your ideal anthology which sounds like maybe a primer to Scottish weird/horror fiction?

[Nemonymous]

Another great Scottish Story:
The Bum Garden by Alasdair Gray.

[qcrisp]

Quote Originally Posted by Hell-Ghost

Eldritch; An Anthology of Scottish Weird Tales from Scott to Meikle. Table of Contents Something Eldritch; Foreword by- Introduction by- Tam O' Shanter- Robert Burns Wandering Willie's Tale- Sir Walter Scott The Expedition to Hell- James Hogg The Open Door- Margaret Oliphant Sredni Vashtar- Saki Excerpt from Lilith- George MacDonald The Body-Snatcher- Robert Louis Stevenson The Silver Mirror- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The City of Dreadful Night- James Thomson The Nunda, Eater of People- Andrew Lang The Sin-Eater- Fiona MacLeod Excerpt from A Voyage to Arcturus- David Lindsay Miss Thing and the Surrealist- John Keir Cross The Watcher by the Threshold- John Buchan Flower of Scotland- William Meikle The Anninglay Sundial- Craig Herbertson The Acid House- Irvine Welsh I am afraid that is all I have for the time being. Perhaps more shall come in time. A few more dream-books. Centipede Press Masters of the Weird Tale editions of the weird work of John Keir Cross John Buchan Sir Arthur Conan Doyle David Lindsay Edited with introductions by S.T. Joshi.

On the question of Scottish writers of the weird, one thing, at least, has occurred to me. Many years ago I used to read (as many did) the Pan Book of Horror. One story that very much stayed with me, more than most of the others, was 'The Bean-Nighe', by Dorothy K. Haynes. That story is in The Eighth Pan Book of Horror:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...Horror_Stories

It turns out that Haynes was, in fact, Scottish, and that she wrote much in this vein:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_K._Haynes

I don't hear her spoken of much (at all, in fact), but perhaps she is worth investigating.

[qcrisp]

P.S. I remembered the story in this connection because it makes use of Scottish folklore.

[Nemonymous]

Quote Originally Posted by Nemonymous

Quote Originally Posted by Nemonymous An anthology designed for TLO members (who will have already read and owned all Thomas Ligotti stories), featuring some favourite stories most of which I discovered while real-time reviewing. The Hound - HP Lovecraft Flowers of the Sea - Reggie Oliver The Bellman - Colin Insole Nights at the Regal - Jason Gould Dying In The Arms of Jean Harlow - Paul Meloy The Flying Worm - Simon The Sleep Mask - Joel Lane Cuntlock - Rhys Hughes Cyprian's Room - Frances Oliver People on the Island - T.M.Wright A House by the Ocean - Steve Rasnic Tem The Hareton K-12 County School and Adult Extension – James Van Pelt Sleepers - Christopher Harman Sado-ga-Shima - Quentin S Crisp The Vanishing Life and Films of Emmanuel Escobada - Anonymous I have two to add to my list above - one I forgot: The Tower of Moab by L.A. Lewis - and one I have just read: 'The Shallows' by John Langan.

I would like to change the above Rhys Hughes story in my original list for another Rhys Hughes story: A RAPE OF KNOTS - that I have just read in his 'Journeys Beyond Advice' collection and reviewed here.

	TLO THOMAS LIGOTTI ONLINE

[luciferfell]

I'm going to be updating this soon. And its such a great thread i'm sure some people who missed it will enjoy.