Nowhere Near Milkwood
by Rhys Hughes
"I'm
fond of saying that realism is the least realistic mode of writing
and that
absurdism best represents the real world."
Thus
spake Rhys Hughes in an interview with ntlworld in 2004! The
Wikipedia (that well-known online
repository of worldly wisdom
) defines Absurdist
fiction in the following terms:-
"Absurdist
fiction is a genre of fiction, drama or poetry that centers on the
behavior of absurd characters, situations or subjects. While a great
deal of
absurdistfiction is humorous in nature, the hallmark of the genre is
not
humor, but rather the study of human behavior under circumstances that
are
highly unusual. Absurdist fiction posits little judgement
about characters or their actions; that task is left to the reader."
The
same entry notes that this kind of writing is
an acqired
taste . And indeed it is! One might conceivably be
irritated by it at first ( assuming that your taste for the bizarre
needs cultivation ) but there are compensations. Firstly
there is the humor. Rhys Jones is guaranteed to
raise a grin , maybe a smile or a chuckle and possibly even a
full-blown belly laugh. Secondly there is the interpretation
game. Since these stories are flagrantly absurd you are at
liberty to invest them with whatever significance
or "moral" you wish. A delightful parlor game for the
academic or literary afficionado. Also there is
allusion spotting. Rhys Hughes appears to have read every
book published since the dawn of time and he regularly
alludes to other author's work in his stories. All in all
there are many reasons to read Rhys Hughes.
The
book comprises three sections of interconnected short stories. The
first deals with the farcical musical career of Disability
Bill who
imagines he has multiple bodies and limbs. In one story he meets
a
prostitute in Cardiff's docklands and the following exchange occurs:-
"....She
asked if I was interested in business.* That's what she asked.
"Why
yes," I replied, "actually I'm thinking about opening a small
ironmongery or maybe a shipyard"
The
second section transports us to "THE TALL
STORY", a non-existent pub on Raconteur Lane where we meet
such strange characters as Karl Mondaugen a cryptozoologist
and mad scientist credited with inventing the solar-powered
torch and the wind-powered fan amongst other achievements.
The
final section features stories
about Titian Grundy, Prefect of Police in a world where
everything is illegal. Musicians are arrested under section G
sharp of the Public Chord Act. Experiments to eradicate crime
involve the use of gravity machines which make it impossible for
criminals to leave the scene of their crimes or alternatively
to reach them in the first place.
"Nowhere
Near Milkwood" is one of the more
approachable and
easily attainable of Rhys's works but he is a prolific writer
and a full list of his titles can be found on his Wikipedia
page. You may also wish to peruse his blog or
perhaps even post on his Nightshade
Books Discussion Area ( he replies to posts
frequently ).
In closing it seems appropriate
to say a few words about the authors' choice of title. Rhys
Hughes is
not the keenest admirer of Dylan Thomas (see interview) and
wishes to place some distance between himself and
the Welsh
literary tradition which preys so ravenously on his corpse.
As the book
says:-
"Milkwood
is not a nice place to be. With the passing of generations, it
has curdled. At night it casts a buttery light on the moon.
Fortunately, all the action in this book occurs elsewhere. It mostly
happens in a warped version of the music industry or in an
impossible
tavern or in a future where everything is illegal. It
sometimes even
happens outside the narrative. But never in Milkwood. Never. Milkwood
is barely even mentioned. For it is not a nice place to be."
* "Do you want business love?"
or "Are you interested in business?" is roughly, the Welsh equvalent of
"Need a date?" here in the States.
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