Joe Brainard: I Remember

Rating:
Summary: Unsung but not forgotten
Review: Yes, and we remember you, Joe. Lovely man (not that I ever knew the geezer) and the originator in this work of the Je me souviens format for which Georges Perec (of the pretentious/ludicrous Oulipo group)is always given credit. Did Georges discover Joe via Harry Mathews? Anyways, he wouldn'ta minded. An American original; pity he never turned his hand to opera libretti. When can we expect the Collected Writings please?

Rating:
Summary: Evocative memories of America and growing up
Review: Your reader from Florida was obviously unmoved by this book. A pity. In a poetic series of alternately charming, dry and sometimes tragic aphorisms Brainard constructs a personality from minutiae and individual bits of personal memorabilia. Both haunting and touching I found this to be an extremely gripping read. Any interested parties might be keen to know that a British version of this was published by the writer Gilbert Adair in his book Myths And Memories. It's not that bad, though not a patch on the original.