It's been a while since I so relished a bit of Oulipian writing: I'm grateful to Philip Terry's novel, BONE, out from stellar Grand Iota. I found the writing charismatic -- seemingly effortless as it transcends its constraints, which is also what we want from constraint-based writing. The story's inspiration is interesting, but the story's unfolding flew impressively far from its root source -- a testament to the author's own intellect.
I'm a fan of constraint-based writing--it's a nice way to get past the limits of one's consciousness, and why I'm glad the epigraph is some wisdom from Italo Svevo (see image below). It's not a facet that will get the most attention but DOVELION is actually also written from constraints (I address that briefly at the beginning of this interview at Dichtung Yammer). I enjoyed Mr. Terry's BONE for making this approach organic--he makes the effort look easy! And the story, thus, unfolds with an unforced elegance that I much enjoyed. Do check it out.
Grand Iota, needless to say, is yet another reason why I appreciate indie publishers. Check them out at https://www.grandiota.co.uk
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