NYTimes.com: Paul West, Writer Who Shoveled Absurdity Into His Books, Dies at 85

[Thomas Eckhardt]

You mention that West wrote about Stauffenberg, which did ring a bell, 
and it turns out that, yes, Paul West was the author Coetzee referred to 
by name in "Elizabeth Costello".

Despite initial reservations (Coetzee is turning lectures into a novel? 
what the...?) I was deeply impressed by "Elizabeth Costello". As regards 
Paul West, Costello takes him to task publicly and in his presence for 
depicting the gruesome details of Stauffenberg's execution. Which is, of 
course, quite ironic, as Coetzee in, say, "Dusklands" or "Waiting for 
the Barbarians" provides enough gruesome details to make even the most 
jaded reader feel uncomfortable. It is also a rather harsh breach of 
protocol.

This could lead to an interesting discussion very relevant to the 
stories and novels of the man whose works we are all here to discuss 
(are there moral limitations to what authors may imagine/write down? are 
there things that should better not be fictionalized? murder? 
executions? the Holocaust?).

For the time being, let me recommend Coetzee and especially "Elizabeth 
Costello".

As an entry point (West seems to see Coetzee's Costello as an embodiment 
of everything that Coetzee despises -- which I doubt):

http://marksarvas.blogs.com/elegvar/2004/01/paul_west_respo.html



Am 22.10.2015 um 22:22 schrieb rich:
> I liked many of his books--very electic subject matter. his book on von
> stauffenberg and jack the ripper were quite good
>
> rich
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