There are some writers who are so gifted they just make it look easy. I've read a fair amount of John Barth, Vladimir Nabokov, and Pynchon and I'm always astounded at how good they are and how well their books hold up to re-readings. I wish I could say the same thing about Joyce, but in retrospect, I think he mostly wrote lengthy riddles for academics.
I read a lot of SF from the 60s to the 80s, and while some of it was very impressive, none of it was in the genius category. As I remember my reading habits and preferences from 30 to 40 years ago, it seems I was more easily impressed. I remember being very impressed by Delany's "Dhalgren" and thought it might qualify as genius, but not so much now, especially now that I know what a deviant he is.
HughBriss 0 points 1.8 years ago
There are some writers who are so gifted they just make it look easy. I've read a fair amount of John Barth, Vladimir Nabokov, and Pynchon and I'm always astounded at how good they are and how well their books hold up to re-readings. I wish I could say the same thing about Joyce, but in retrospect, I think he mostly wrote lengthy riddles for academics.
I read a lot of SF from the 60s to the 80s, and while some of it was very impressive, none of it was in the genius category. As I remember my reading habits and preferences from 30 to 40 years ago, it seems I was more easily impressed. I remember being very impressed by Delany's "Dhalgren" and thought it might qualify as genius, but not so much now, especially now that I know what a deviant he is.
Thanks for making this post.