William T. Vollmann: Whores for Gloria

[Mirabell]

Beyond facts or analysis, Vollmann?s work, through storytelling and rhetoric offers us a feel for a topic, an indelible impression of a landscape or the people in it, and his strong moral concerns further buttress our understanding of them. In those respects and several others, Whores for Gloria, originally published in 1991 as Vollmann?s third novel, is fairly representative of his work. Its length is the only aspect of the book that makes it stand out among his oeuvre, given that it is a remarkably short book. The similarities of Whores for Gloria to Vollmann?s general aesthetic are perhaps most significant where the book?s attitude to fiction and reality is concerned. In the short first chapter, the author informs us that the contents of what follows are ?fictitious?. However, he goes on to tell us, ?all of the Whore?s-tales? in the book ?are real.? This is beyond discussions on the nature of reality and fiction, or on the amount of truth that an invented tale can carry. Discussions like these are well known by now and can frankly be somewhat tiresome. Like many excellent writers, Vollmann manages, in all his books, to hand us a sliver of truth, an impression of it, seen through the vapor of his admirable passions. There is an insight, if not into reality, then into the workings of certain coherent world views. We see how elements of knowledge, and a perception of the hard cobblestone groundings of reality can congeal to a kind of certainty, perceptual and moral. What we as readers learn is how things could be connected, what connections are possible, and how we might arrive at an understanding of them.

full review here Real: William T. Vollmann’s “Whores for Gloria” shigekuni.

[DB Cooper]

Excellent and well thought out review, very insightful. Ive yet to read Whores For Gloria, but like the rest of Vollmann's oeuvre, I plan on getting to it at some point. After reading your thoughts it will definitely be bumped up in the queue. Its also nice to be able to read a Vollmann book only investing a couple of hours, rather than his other doorstops that require a much longer investment of time, which also means the burden of proof is raised.

[Refus de Sejour]

Great review! ". . .a ballad of broken bodies" deserves to appear on the cover of any future reprints.

Whores for Gloria isn't however, for me, representative of Vollman's work as a whole. There's a sprawling, expansive, meandering quality to much of his longer work - the Seven Dreams books are the prime example of this. Whores for Gloria, for all its fragmentation, maintains a much tighter focus. It almost seems, to me, like a story from The Rainbow Stories expanded to novel-length.

[Mirabell]

Thanks guys.

Next Vollmann up is Masks and The Atlas.

[DB Cooper]

Read Whores for Gloria. Probably my least favorite Vollmann. Had some nice stretches of writing, but nothing too impressive. I wouldnt recommend this for newcomers to Vollmann, he has much better work out there.

[kpjayan]

Read Whores for Gloriahe has much better work out there.

Like...?

I have a non-fiction book of him in my pending list.. But would like to read a fiction work before I take up that.. What would you recommend ?

[Refus de Sejour]

Like...?

But would like to read a fiction work before I take up that.. What would you recommend ?

I think The Ice Shirt, the first of the ongoing 'North American Dreams' series, is a great place to start. The story is captivatingly epic, beginning in a mythic Viking past and surging forward into a more 'realistic' depiction of the Viking expedition to Newfoundland. If you enjoy the writing style, and the way Vollmann shifts between fantasy and reality (there's a breathtakingly realistic mountain climbing sequence - so real you can almost feel the frostbite - that effortlessly shifts gears, at its climax, into high fantasy), I think you'll do okay with his other books.

[DB Cooper]

Rufus is right, The Ice Shirt was the book that got me hooked on Vollmann, after failed attempts with Europe Central and The Atlas. I liked The Atlas well enough, but for some reason I didnt finish it. I would also say that The Rifles is another good place to start. Its also part of the Seven Dreams of North America series, and I actually think The Rifles is a slightly better book. The Ice Shirt has a lot of Norse mythology, as well as phantasmagoric scenes and images that are beautifully rendered. There are also meticulously researched (as are all the Seven Dreams) bits of history interwoven. The Rifles is a bit more grounded in comparison. There are many more sections of Captain Subzero, who is Vollmanns stand in in the text. The Rifles follows the doomed Franklin expedition into the arctic north of Canada, and as they get stranded in a frozen bay there are tales of cannibalism, madness, and a desperate plan to hike south. Also a great story of Vollmann staying in an abandoned weather observatory in the arctic circle, by himself, with no power. A harrowing tale of him almost dying from the cold, then creating an explosion that almost kills him. If you have the stomach to commit to something longer (think 800 plus pages), The Royal Family is the best book of his Ive read. Centers around Henry Tyler, who is a private detective, and his search for The Queen of Whores in the seedy Tenderloin district of San Francisco. Great, great book that grabs you from page one. Not only a literary achievement, but quite the page turner that keeps you well entertained throughout.

[kpjayan]

Thank you and I shall now look for The Ice Shirt.