I recently came across Roald Dahl’s Matilda again, which i had read as a child. I picked it up, started flipping through and then actually reread it. I know, i know, i should’ve continued reading War and Peace or finished a hanging review on Hackoff.com, which i had drafted in Novelr earlier in the week.

You realize something interesting about novels overall? If it’s a bestseller, it’s likely not to be an award winner, or at least not one of those glittery, top-notch types, like the Booker or the Pulitzer. One of my favourites, The Age Of Innocence, won the Pulitzer way back in 1921. But guess what her most popular novel is? Oh, no, not Innocence - the Pulitzer golden egg. It was Ethan Frome.

Now, i’ve never read Ethan Frome, but i daresay it should pale in comparison if parallels were drawn between it and The Age Of Innocence. This is, of course, pure assumption (i must read that book), but on a wider scale bestsellers don’t win awards now do they?

I only suppose the reasons are out there for all to see - bestselling fiction makes money, and in the same way critics scoff at James Blunt’s popularity in the mainstream, so does the literary elite. Then there are the usual set of typical reasons: bestselling fiction is entertaining, does not set out to do anything other than to provide a good 400 pages worth of escapism to readers (hence chick lit and sappy YA novels), does not require intelligent and elegant use of the English language.

Matilda is one such book - it may have won a Children’s Choice award (which is, as the name suggests, chosen and voted for by children) but you can’t say that it has lasting literary value … it’s just enjoyable to read, that’s all.

Now which would i want? To write something so engrossing it hits the bestseller lists for weeks on end, or to write for literary achievement and recognition?

Hmm.

In the meantime, check out the Lulu 2007 Blooker prize - i’m waiting for the nominations to come out and check it all out. Good times lie ahead.

[Update! Just ran a search and found out that Ethan Frome is available for free, courtesy of Project Gutenberg. Hooray for expiring copyrights! You didn't hear me say that.]

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I was logged into MSN when one of friends nudged me, wanting to show me something important. The conversation we had went something like this:

Friend: Have you heard of Sophie?

Me: No.

Friend: No? You write a blook and you don’t know what Sophie is?

Me: …

She led me to a few pages, and I downloaded the introduction to Sophie, wondering what in the world it was. Apparently Sophie is a reading software touted as the next format for eBooks, all eBooks. The Institute for the Future of The Book (what a mouthful) is behind this effort, and it’s got some interesting points at the current limitations of digital text. Let’s take a look at the various forms of digital media and what they say are the drawbacks of each platform:

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Offline

War and Peace. It’s nearly finished now, and boy they weren’t kidding when they said that there are no main characters in the book. Over 500 characters, and no main ones. Wow. That being so, i tend to pick which characters i like and then root for them, though the storyline’s so long and convoluted its hard to see what Tolstoy’s got coming for some of them. It’s well planned alright - War and Peace is not a compact, waterproof plot kind of thing - you’ve no idea what’s going to happen in the next chapter, the next volume or to your favourite character who seems to finally have things going for him (mine’s Prince Andrew Bolkonkski, just in case you’re wondering). What Tolstoy excels in, however, is the characters - all believable in actions and thoughts. More on this when i finally finish the book.

Online

I’m currently reading Hackoff.com, which i had read halfway through a year ago but forgot. So i’m revisiting it, and i must say i’m rediscovering the humour in some of the episodes. The chat room sections of the blook are echoingly funny of real world internet lingo. And while it’s eating up most of my online time, i must say things are looking promising. Other reads: The Agency Delta, though i’ve only just started and am not sure how good it’ll be.

Unfree

Am also checking out The Open Laboratory, published earlier this year. Probably non-fiction, but if you’re interested in science blogs (this is, afterall, an anthology) buy it here at $8.69 for a download and $19.95 for the physical copy.

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Take a loong look at the web 2.0 products around you. In a world of media, we have Flickr for photos, Youtube for videos, Pandora and Last.fm for music. We have blogs to replace factual guides. The modern day Ripley’s Believe It Or Not is Boing Boing.

What about fiction?

You bet there’s a Flickr for fiction? Fictionpress, you say?

Hah. You wish.

No. Fiction is not on the same scale as pictures or music or video. But we want more people to read, to write, to enjoy created worlds of magic, love and political strife.

I created Novelr to do exactly that. To review blooks of every kind and to help average Joes (like me) put up their stories on the web.

Novelr. Making people read.

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