Cult Writers

June 1, 2020
A survey of idolized literati from an array of styles, backgrounds, and philosophies, Smith's compendium includes the usual suspects one expects from a work on cult writers?Kurt Vonnegut, J. R. R. Tolkien, Fran�oise Sagan, Cormac McCarthy, Djuna Barnes, Ken Kesey, Ayn Rand?plus a few quirks, accompanied by illustrations by Kristelle Rodeia. An engaging introduction lays out the criteria for cult status and pre-argues the omission of Erica Jong and L. Ron Hubbard. Subjective choices tend to omit black African experimenters, those whose fans are waning in enthusiasm, and newer additions to the list, e.g., Mariama B�, Gabriel Garc�a M�rquez, Hermann Hesse, and Yann Martel. Smith's writing style attains flow from judicious diction, though he sometimes creates rhetorical jams from questionable forms and reliance on floating participles and passive voice. A curious addition to public and college libraries for its alliance of hermetic, amoral, jailed, psychotic, depressed, alcoholic, and drug-sopped authors, the book earns a place for its unusual touting of cult fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

October 1, 2020

Achieving cult status doesn't mean outright popularity, according to Smith (update editor, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die), but rather evoking a visceral response in readers and crossing or blurring traditional boundaries of theme, style, and genre. To hone his list of writers to 50 (e.g., Milan Kundera, Octavia E. Butler, Joan Didion, and Haruki Murakami), Smith chose primarily novelists from 1900 to the present and sometimes included one writer as representative of a group (Beat writers, Harlem Renaissance). A one- to three-page biography covers important works and how the writer affected and was affected by their times. Subjects are primarily but not exclusively American or European; about half those profiled are women. With crisp lines and fluid swaths of color, Rodeia's drawings are a delightful addition. VERDICT Brief, bright, enlightening, and sure to introduce new names to most readers.

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