How the Dead Live
Encyclopedia
How the Dead Live is a novel by Will Self
. It was originally published by Bloomsbury in 2000.
. After being transported to new lodgings near Dalston
accompanied by her Aboriginal
spirit guide Phar Lap Jones, Rude Boy her dead 9 year old son and a lithopedion foetus
she soon starts to adapt and learn the ways of the dead.
to Finnegans Wake
; discussions of Australian sympathetic magic; a sub-theme about Lily's dentures (dentures also made a cameo appearance in "The North London Book of the Dead"). What with Martin Amis
and Zadie Smith
, this has certainly been a vintage literary year for teeth, and maybe Self has bitten off more plot than he can chew. Nonetheless, what How the Dead Live lacks in economy of structure it repays in lavishness of feeling and characterisation. Lily is a colossal heroine, a nighttown Molly Bloom who memorably reveals herself through her furious monologue. What begins as a satiric novel of ideas ends as a surprisingly moving elegy"
"Self has always given the impression of a man who intends to elope with his thesaurus at the first available opportunity; on the evidence of How the Dead Live, that opportunity has finally presented itself. We get pointless reiterations (unbeatable gloating, unbelievable schadenfreude); we get the word puling twice in eight pages, which, for a book that invokes Joyce, will not do; and we get wave after wave of viscous imagery (congealed reality . . . blubbery blancmange of an evidence). Throw this book at a wall and it will stick.
"Self's writing is, in other words, a handy illustration of the close link between cynic and sentimentalist. The person who looks at the world and sees nothing but pustulation is no better or worse—philosophically speaking—than the person who looks at the world and sees nothing but puppy dogs. As guides to the world they are equally reliable, which is to say not reliable at all. Self is writing literature, of course, not philosophy, and anyone using his work as a map deserves our every sympathy."
Will Self
William Woodard "Will" Self is an English novelist and short story writer. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary British life, with regular appearances on Newsnight and Question Time...
. It was originally published by Bloomsbury in 2000.
Plot
The story follows Lily Bloom's encounter with the afterlife after dying from cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. After being transported to new lodgings near Dalston
Dalston
Dalston is a district of north-east London, England, located in the London Borough of Hackney. It is situated northeast of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
accompanied by her Aboriginal
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
spirit guide Phar Lap Jones, Rude Boy her dead 9 year old son and a lithopedion foetus
Lithopedion
A lithopedion |stone]]; = child), or stone baby, is a rare phenomenon which occurs most commonly when a fetus dies during an abdominal pregnancy, is too large to be reabsorbed by the body, and calcifies on the outside, shielding the mother's body from the dead tissue of the baby and preventing...
she soon starts to adapt and learn the ways of the dead.
Reviews
"Self is a manic, inventive stylist who can't leave anything out: literary allusions from Goodnight MoonGoodnight Moon
Goodnight Moon is an American children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was first published in 1947, and is a highly acclaimed example of a bedtime story. It is about a child saying goodnight to everything around: "Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight...
to Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake is a novel by Irish author James Joyce, significant for its experimental style and resulting reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, and published in 1939, two years before the author's...
; discussions of Australian sympathetic magic; a sub-theme about Lily's dentures (dentures also made a cameo appearance in "The North London Book of the Dead"). What with Martin Amis
Martin Amis
Martin Louis Amis is a British novelist, the author of many novels including Money and London Fields . He is currently Professor of Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester, but will step down at the end of the 2010/11 academic year...
and Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith is a British novelist. To date she has written three novels. In 2003, she was included on Granta's list of 20 best young authors...
, this has certainly been a vintage literary year for teeth, and maybe Self has bitten off more plot than he can chew. Nonetheless, what How the Dead Live lacks in economy of structure it repays in lavishness of feeling and characterisation. Lily is a colossal heroine, a nighttown Molly Bloom who memorably reveals herself through her furious monologue. What begins as a satiric novel of ideas ends as a surprisingly moving elegy"
"Self has always given the impression of a man who intends to elope with his thesaurus at the first available opportunity; on the evidence of How the Dead Live, that opportunity has finally presented itself. We get pointless reiterations (unbeatable gloating, unbelievable schadenfreude); we get the word puling twice in eight pages, which, for a book that invokes Joyce, will not do; and we get wave after wave of viscous imagery (congealed reality . . . blubbery blancmange of an evidence). Throw this book at a wall and it will stick.
"Self's writing is, in other words, a handy illustration of the close link between cynic and sentimentalist. The person who looks at the world and sees nothing but pustulation is no better or worse—philosophically speaking—than the person who looks at the world and sees nothing but puppy dogs. As guides to the world they are equally reliable, which is to say not reliable at all. Self is writing literature, of course, not philosophy, and anyone using his work as a map deserves our every sympathy."
External links
- Official Will Self site
- First Chapter serialized at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- A review of critical response to the book at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...