Eric Dando
Encyclopedia
Eric Yoshiaki Dando is a Melbourne
writer, best known for the cult novel snail (Penguin, 1996), although his short fiction has appeared in many literary magazines and anthologies, including Hot Type (Penguin, 1995), Hot Sand (Penguin, 1996), The Age (Melbourne), the Sleepers Alamanac, Going Down Swinging, Cordite, Undergrowth, Verity La, The Diamond & the Thief, Red Leaves / 紅葉
, Torpedo and The Lifted Brow
. His most recent novel titled Oink, Oink, Oink: is a surreal, black comedy
that plays with themes from science fiction
, pop culture, consumerism, and genetic engineering
. It was published by Hunter Publishers in October 2008, and reissued online as an e-book through Smashwords in May, 2011.
and dirty realism
movements in Australian literature in the last century (1990s). He also experiments with cryptographs (cryptograms) and humorous comics
, the first of which was published in Cordite although inaccurately credited to Evan Dando.
. The story behind its publication became a minor sensation and has been subject to rumour and speculation to the point where it has taken on mythic qualities. The general story is that Eric Dando submitted his manuscript bound in floorboards, though sometimes it has been said they were palings from a fence amongst other things. The legend continues that it remained where it was in the office of Penguin
until someone tripped over it and read it.
Currently, Snail is out of print, despite being voted in a 2010 Penguin Poll as one of the Top 100 books. The poll was officially conducted by Penguin
via their Facebook page in which Australian fans were asked to vote for their favourite Penguin
book of all time.
Snail explored themes of madness, suicide, and drugs. It is a darkly humorous novel, but one which is undeniably positive and optimistic rather than glorifying the grunge
genre of which it is a part.
'Printed entirely in lower case, the book seems to present a challenge to the reader - to make it through without being driven mad by the deliberate feyness of lower case.' - Tegan Bennet, 1996.
'Dando writes, 'jokes are always needed', and jokes - mostly good jokes - are his book's mainstay.' - Australian Book Review, 1996.
'Refreshingly, Dando's philosophical approach appears to derive from the Renaissance
tendency to view the human soul or psyche as having an analogical relationship with the natural world...' - Philosopher Magazine, 1996.
to meet his estranged, mad-scientist father in Melbourne, Australia. It was first published in Australia by Hunter Publishers in October 2008. Following difficulties with the publisher, Dando negotiated release of his book and it is currently in print via Smashwords. In selecting it as one of the "best books of 2008", reviewer Laurie Steed called it 'like Orwell on acid' and many reviewers have commented on its surreal tone and humorous, yet unsettling, view of consumerism, environmental degradation, and progress left to run wild.
In 2008, Oink, Oink, Oink was also featured on ABS's First Tuesday Bookclub show with many positive comments which further defined Dando's novels as having a cult following.
'Imagine Woody Allen
and Chuck Palahniuk
programming a festival for your brain... Part satirical horror, part spooky speculative fiction, a savagely funny critique of consumer-driven society.'— The Big Issue, Australia
'Vonnegut meets Orwell in Oink, Oink, Oink…a droll and unsettling nightmare of a book.'— The Age, Melbourne.
'This black little fable begins with one of the best opening sentences I've seen lately, something that could sum up an entire generation's understanding of 20th-century world history.'— Sydney Morning Herald
Oink is futuristic, zany, black, surreal.'—The Sunday Age, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
writer, best known for the cult novel snail (Penguin, 1996), although his short fiction has appeared in many literary magazines and anthologies, including Hot Type (Penguin, 1995), Hot Sand (Penguin, 1996), The Age (Melbourne), the Sleepers Alamanac, Going Down Swinging, Cordite, Undergrowth, Verity La, The Diamond & the Thief, Red Leaves / 紅葉
Red Leaves / 紅葉
Red Leaves / 紅葉 is an English-language and Japanese bi-lingual literary magazine.-Description:Based out of Melbourne, Australia and Tokyo, Japan, Red Leaves / 紅葉 is edited by writers Kirk Marshall and Yasuhiro Horiuchi, and designed by Liberty Browne. The inaugural issue was translated by Sunny...
, Torpedo and The Lifted Brow
The Lifted Brow
The Lifted Brow is a bimonthly Australian magazine that originated in Brisbane and is now produced from Melbourne..Primarily a literary journal, it also publishes art, comics, and music; it has been considered "uncategorisable"...
. His most recent novel titled Oink, Oink, Oink: is a surreal, black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
that plays with themes from science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, pop culture, consumerism, and genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
. It was published by Hunter Publishers in October 2008, and reissued online as an e-book through Smashwords in May, 2011.
Biography
Eric Yoshiaki Dando was born in Tokyo but grew up in Melbourne. He was associated with the short lived grungeGrunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
and dirty realism
Dirty realism
Dirty Realism is a North American literary movement born in the 1970s-80s in which the narrative is stripped down to its fundamental features.This movement is a derivative of minimalism. As minimalism, dirty realism is characterized by an economy with words and a focus on surface description...
movements in Australian literature in the last century (1990s). He also experiments with cryptographs (cryptograms) and humorous comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
, the first of which was published in Cordite although inaccurately credited to Evan Dando.
Snail
Eric Dando's first novel Snail attracted widespread attention as one of the very few unsolicited novels published by a major publishing company. At the time, he was the youngest Australian writer published by PenguinPenguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
. The story behind its publication became a minor sensation and has been subject to rumour and speculation to the point where it has taken on mythic qualities. The general story is that Eric Dando submitted his manuscript bound in floorboards, though sometimes it has been said they were palings from a fence amongst other things. The legend continues that it remained where it was in the office of Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
until someone tripped over it and read it.
Currently, Snail is out of print, despite being voted in a 2010 Penguin Poll as one of the Top 100 books. The poll was officially conducted by Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
via their Facebook page in which Australian fans were asked to vote for their favourite Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
book of all time.
Snail explored themes of madness, suicide, and drugs. It is a darkly humorous novel, but one which is undeniably positive and optimistic rather than glorifying the grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
genre of which it is a part.
'Printed entirely in lower case, the book seems to present a challenge to the reader - to make it through without being driven mad by the deliberate feyness of lower case.' - Tegan Bennet, 1996.
'Dando writes, 'jokes are always needed', and jokes - mostly good jokes - are his book's mainstay.' - Australian Book Review, 1996.
'Refreshingly, Dando's philosophical approach appears to derive from the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
tendency to view the human soul or psyche as having an analogical relationship with the natural world...' - Philosopher Magazine, 1996.
Oink, Oink, Oink: A Savage Modern Fable
Oink, Oink, Oink, described by its publisher as 'a savage modern fable about science, family, television, and love gone wrong', is a satirical novel describing a young man's journey from his home in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to meet his estranged, mad-scientist father in Melbourne, Australia. It was first published in Australia by Hunter Publishers in October 2008. Following difficulties with the publisher, Dando negotiated release of his book and it is currently in print via Smashwords. In selecting it as one of the "best books of 2008", reviewer Laurie Steed called it 'like Orwell on acid' and many reviewers have commented on its surreal tone and humorous, yet unsettling, view of consumerism, environmental degradation, and progress left to run wild.
In 2008, Oink, Oink, Oink was also featured on ABS's First Tuesday Bookclub show with many positive comments which further defined Dando's novels as having a cult following.
'Imagine Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
and Chuck Palahniuk
Chuck Palahniuk
Charles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk is an American transgressional fiction novelist and freelance journalist. He is best known for the award-winning novel Fight Club, which was later made into a film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter...
programming a festival for your brain... Part satirical horror, part spooky speculative fiction, a savagely funny critique of consumer-driven society.'— The Big Issue, Australia
'Vonnegut meets Orwell in Oink, Oink, Oink…a droll and unsettling nightmare of a book.'— The Age, Melbourne.
'This black little fable begins with one of the best opening sentences I've seen lately, something that could sum up an entire generation's understanding of 20th-century world history.'— Sydney Morning Herald
Oink is futuristic, zany, black, surreal.'—The Sunday Age, Melbourne