Monday, November 9, 2009

The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake

I first read about Breece D'J Pancake in an article in The Believer. His is a sad, yet intriguing story--born in a small town in West Virginia and died at the age of 26 by his own hand, leaving behind a slim volume of twelve short stories published posthumously. In the end, Pancake's own story is perhaps stronger than the stories he wrote--there's an imagined air of darkness and mystery about him--though it seems highly likely that if he had lived, his writing would have continued to develop. His style is Hemingwayesque with a southern feel, with short, hard sentences ("Jailbait and black snakes are two things I won't touch with a window pole"). I can't remember much more about the experience of reading this book other than that I had a hard time staying focused on it. Perhaps it's worth a revisit though.

I really like the wallpaper-like pattern on the spine. It's a nice little touch.

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