Each essay deals with a different aspect of the city, such as the glass condominium towers which dominate the vancouver skyline and give the book its title. Doug was nice enough to submit to my questions about all things. Raymond gunt likes to think of himself as a pretty decent guy. One must assume his stance is still vaguely honourable and that he intends worst. Douglas couplands most popular book is generation x. Novels are no longer about thinking, theyre just vortices of cliche. Laughing at disaster, coupland s postpostbabyboomers rationalize the culture of constant change, selfreinvention, and immediate gratification. Sep 05, 20 a razorsharp portrait of a morally bankrupt and gleefully wicked modern man, worst. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Douglas coupland books list of books by author douglas coupland. Juicy characters are easy to write, according to douglas coupland, who revelled in creating raymond gunt, the despicable protagonist of his latest novel worst. Mixing the bizarre and the mundane, douglas couplands novels explore social change and the texture of the times.
Ever douglas couplands latest popculture satire is. All of culture is being sucked down the plughole and the philistines cant hear our screams. Ever a novel book online at best prices in india on. We here at litreactor are happy to report that the author has announced the title and release month of his next book, via twitter. Tales for an accelerated culture 1991, literally named a generation. The website of canadian author and artist douglas coupland. His newest novel, beautiful you, will be released in october.
Check out douglas couplands bestselling novel worst. He writes, the new novel is finished and comes out in october. Instead of laughter, however, he elicits frowns, annoyance and. Ever, couplands keenly offkilter observations on the minute futilities of. Douglas coupland has 71 books on goodreads with 311932 ratings. Irish times, books of the year there are gloriously unquotable remarks and fantastically lurid images on every page. Author douglas coupland says hes not exactly sure how the character, with. From the careermaking superhit of his first novel, generation x, through books like microserfs and jpod and the gum thief to his latest, worst. Buy this book raymond gunt, the narrator of coupland s. Coupland is a frequent contributor for the new republic, the new york times, and wired. Douglas coupland chuck palahniuk the new york public library.
Douglas coupland is nothing if not contemporary, and so his books are best consumed in a single sitting in advance of any best before date. Coupland offers an excessonexcess satire of what he may see as the worst culture ever a judgment both expressed by and embodied in raymond gunt, its wholly dominant title character. Sure, he can be foulmouthed, occasionally misogynistic, and can just generally rub people the wrong. Everything theyve been saying about generation x theyre now saying about millennials. Gunt is a human hydrant of casual rage and profanity his last name close to one of the book s most common words. City of glass is a book by canadian author douglas coupland, published by douglas and mcintyre in 2000, featuring short essays and photographs of his home town of vancouver, british columbia. Follow douglas coupland and explore their bibliography from s douglas coupland author page. It is hard to describe, out of context, quite how funny couplands novel can be. Author and artist douglas coupland at the museum of canadian contemporary. The man who gave the world generation x looks back at the oftmaligned 1990s.
A deeply unworthy book about a dreadful human being with absolutely no redeeming social value, its guaranteed to brighten up your day. Unlike in some of coupland s earlier novels, no attempt is made at deeper social commentary in worst. A lot of its humour springs from the relentless hideousness of gunt. Generation x, shampoo planet, and most recently, life after god. The book is written in the first person, in what is known as the unreliable narrator style. Tales for an accelerated culture, and the gum thief, and more on. If this critique of mass culture is satirical, it hides it well. Mar 21, 2014 douglas couplands most recent novel is worst. Douglas coupland has a gift for folding popular culture. What the critics thought of in it together by matthew dancona, worst. Douglas coupland announces new novel via twitter litreactor. Douglas couplands gloriously filthy, sidesplittingly funny, and unforgettable new novel, his first. He also released an updated version of city of glass and a biography of marshall mcluhan for penguin canada in their extraordinary canadians series, called extraordinary canadians.
As the title implies, the main character, raymond gunt, is not a nice person. But some of its most celebrated books are rooted in harder times, as it struggled to find its place in the world, and to deal with racial tensions. A razorsharp portrait of a morally bankrupt, gleefully wicked modern man, worst. Douglas coupland was born on a nato base in germany in 1961. Douglas coupland s gloriously filthy, sidesplittingly funny and unforgettable new novel, his first fulllength work of fiction in four years. His new book of short stories and drawings describes the mental framework of someone who grew up in a secular environment. A remembrance of things past that turns inexplicably into a harbinger of the apocalypseas well as couplands hey nostradamus. Still a cultural pulsetaker, coupland generation x, 1991 organizes his hip bromides and nextwave sententiousness into a rather humdrum narrative thats long on posturing, short on plot.
Mar 25, 20 douglas coupland is in the news once again. In total, palahniuk has written fourteen novels and two books of nonfiction. Of the former, the critic rex reed wrote, perhaps this film will find its target audience in hell. Raymond gunt is profane, rude, heartless and truly the worst. Douglas coupland was born on a canadian nato base in badensollingen, west germany, on 30 december, 1961. See all books authored by douglas coupland, including generation x. The plot is little more than scaffolding to display couplands cultural insight. Douglas coupland takes his sparkling literary talent in a new direction with this crackling collection of takes on life and death in north america from his sweeping portrait of grateful dead culture to the deaths of kurt cobain, marilyn monroe and. Raymond gunt, in the words of the author, is a living, walking, talking. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. His novels and visual work synthesize high and low culture, web technology, religion, and changes in human existence caused by modern technologies. Oct 03, 20 it is hard to describe, out of context, quite how funny couplands novel can be. Douglas coupland has been, and remains, an idea guy, and he seems to be having the most fun. A razorsharp portrait of a morally bankrupt and gleefully wicked modern man, worst.
Thats not necessarily badvonnegut made a career out of that sort of novel. In it, raymond is an english cameraman, on the jerk. Whats impressive about wpewhatever your feeling for its lewd sense of humoris the confidence with which the hits. He is the author of the international bestsellers generation a and jpod, and nine other novels, among them the gum thief, hey nostradamus. Coupland offers an excessonexcess satire of what he may see as the worst culture ever a judgment both expressed by and embodied in raymond gunt, its wholly. Apr 03, 2014 a razorsharp portrait of a morally bankrupt, gleefully wicked modern man, worst. Douglas couplands gloriously filthy, sidesplittingly funny and unforgettable new novel, his first fulllength work of fiction in four years. A razorsharp portrait of a morally bankrupt and gleefully wi.
The book was an immediate commercial success, and coupland became a sometimes. His art has appeared in the vancouver art gallery, the royal. In 1991, before the internet, canadian coupland wrote about historical overdosing in his novel generation x to live in a period of time when too much seems to happen. Raymond gunt, in the words of the author, is a living, walking, talking, hot steaming pile of pure id. Unfortunately, coupland doesnt seem to have any insight left into human nature. Coupland is an officer of the order of canada, and a member of the order of british columbia. Dezember 1961 in rheinmunstersollingen ist ein kanadischer. Author douglas coupland tells nprs arun rath that hes not exactly sure how the lead character of his new novel entered his mind. I love douglas couplands older books but have been sorely. Sep 20, 20 since his hugely influential 1991 debut generation x, canadian author douglas coupland has proven himself an expert at appraising the life and culture of the affluent, technologyinfused west with. A deeply unworthy audiobook about a dreadful human being with absolutely no redeeming social value, its guaranteed to brighten up your day.
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