Eckhard Gerdes
Encyclopedia
Eckhard Gerdes
(born 1959) is an American novelist and editor. He earned his MFA in creative writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
He is the author of twelve novels:
His work reflects experimental technique, sometimes ignoring time, space, or cause-and-effect, in the service of stories of individuals struggling to transcend fear and limitation. His recent work has been associated with the Bizarro Fiction movement, of which he is one of the leading proponents.
Essays on his work, and reviews of individual publications, have appeared in Rain Taxi, Notre Dame Review, Review of Contemporary Fiction and elsewhere.
Gerdes is the editor of The Journal of Experimental Fiction, issues of which are usually Festschrift
s on a single writer (e.g. John Barth
, Raymond Federman
, Harold Jaffe). He has also written on modern and post-modern literature for Review of Contemporary Fiction, Hyde Park Review of Books, and other magazines.
Gerdes has won several literary awards, including twice recipient of the Richard Pike Bissell Creative Writing Award. My Landlady the Lobotomist is currently a nominee for the Wonderland Book Award for Best Novel of the Year. The Million-Year Centipede was selected as one of the top ten mainstream novels of 2007 in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll. He lives in Chicago; he has three children.
Gerdes
Gerdes is a surname of German origin. It is a patronymic name, ie. it comes from "son of Gerhard". When around 1800 the Prussian government under French occupation decided to fix the surnames, the contemporary "son of Gerhard" had to keep his name...
(born 1959) is an American novelist and editor. He earned his MFA in creative writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
He is the author of twelve novels:
- Projections [1986, Depth Charge Press]
- Ring in a River [1989, Depth Charge Press]
- Truly Fine Citizen [1992, Highlander Press]
- Cistern Tawdry [2002, Fugue State PressFugue State PressFugue State Press is a small New York City fiction publisher, specializing in the experimental novel. It has published twenty titles to date, including work by Joshua Cohen, Noah Cicero, Shane Jones, Ben Brooks, James Chapman, Prakash Kona, Eckhard Gerdes, André Malraux, W. B. Keckler, Vi Khi...
] - Przewalski's HorsePrzewalski's HorsePrzewalski's Horse or Dzungarian Horse, is a rare and endangered subspecies of wild horse native to the steppes of central Asia, specifically China and Mongolia.At one time extinct in the wild, it has been reintroduced to its native habitat in Mongolia at the Khustain Nuruu...
[2006, Red Hen PressRed Hen PressRed Hen Press is an American non-profit press specializing in the publication of literary fiction and poetry located in Pasadena, California. Founded by Kate Gale, the mission of Red Hen Press is to discover, publish, and promote works of literary excellence that have been overlooked by mainstream...
] - The Million-Year Centipede, or, Liquid StructuresThe Million-Year Centipede, or, Liquid StructuresThe Million-Year Centipede, or, Liquid Structures is the sixth novel by American author Eckhard Gerdes. Set in an apocalyptic world in which a giant centipede comes to collect the all of the true rock ‘n’ roll fans, Gerdes’ book is built of text fragments, drawings and songs that deal with themes...
[2007, Raw Dog Screaming Press] - Nin and Nan (appeared in Bizarro Starter Kit (Blue) [2008, Bizarro Press]
- My Landlady the Lobotomist [2008, Raw Dog Screaming Press]
- The Unwelcome Guest b/w Nin and Nan [2010, Enigmatic Ink]
- Hugh Moore [2010, Civil Coping Mechanisms]
- Three Psychedelic Novellas [2011, Enigmatic Ink]
His work reflects experimental technique, sometimes ignoring time, space, or cause-and-effect, in the service of stories of individuals struggling to transcend fear and limitation. His recent work has been associated with the Bizarro Fiction movement, of which he is one of the leading proponents.
Essays on his work, and reviews of individual publications, have appeared in Rain Taxi, Notre Dame Review, Review of Contemporary Fiction and elsewhere.
Gerdes is the editor of The Journal of Experimental Fiction, issues of which are usually Festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
s on a single writer (e.g. John Barth
John Barth
John Simmons Barth is an American novelist and short-story writer, known for the postmodernist and metafictive quality of his work.-Life:...
, Raymond Federman
Raymond Federman
Raymond Federman was a French–American novelist and academic, known also for poetry, essays, translations, and criticism. He held positions at the University at Buffalo from 1973 to 1999, when he was appointed Distinguished Emeritus Professor. Federman was a writer in the experimental style, one...
, Harold Jaffe). He has also written on modern and post-modern literature for Review of Contemporary Fiction, Hyde Park Review of Books, and other magazines.
Gerdes has won several literary awards, including twice recipient of the Richard Pike Bissell Creative Writing Award. My Landlady the Lobotomist is currently a nominee for the Wonderland Book Award for Best Novel of the Year. The Million-Year Centipede was selected as one of the top ten mainstream novels of 2007 in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll. He lives in Chicago; he has three children.