Another American postmodern author that has grabbed my interest in the past year is Toni Morrison. A noted African American author, and winner of both the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize, her characters literally jump off the page onto your face while you lie reading in bed (on a rainy, oh so rainy July in Auckland). Morrison has an extremely distinct way of writing, the dialogue is not softened or written in a way to make for easy reading, and by doing this the reader gets a real feeling for the time, the situation, and the surroundings. I recently finished Beloved, one of her bestsellers set around a strange mix of poltergeists and slavery. The book itself was voted best work of American fiction for the past 25 years. It was tough going, but in the end, forever memorable. I got thinking about her novel Jazz in particular, as it is set in Harlem NYC, one of the few suburbs that meets our budget for accommodation. Her writing style in this novel is similar to a Jazz track and simply outstanding. Eccentric, irregular beats and differing speeds of text bear such similarities to the namesake that you easily imagine the beat of Harlem. Like Beloved, I did not find it an easy read as the style is so different to other authors, but persevere because it is well worth it in the end.
In the meantime click on this link and listen to Bill Wither's Harlem. Fantastic track.
