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16th out of 63 books
—
12 voters
Solipsist
"I saw the word Solipsist while reading the dictionary in 1993. I was living
in NYC at the time and the word defined how the city made me feel. I worked
on this book in several cities all over the world until 1996. The writing is
obsessive and claustrophobic. To be solipsistic is to totally realize the ego
and the nightmare of utter self-possession. I went for it and it swallo...more
in NYC at the time and the word defined how the city made me feel. I worked
on this book in several cities all over the world until 1996. The writing is
obsessive and claustrophobic. To be solipsistic is to totally realize the ego
and the nightmare of utter self-possession. I went for it and it swallo...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
August 10th 1998
by 2.13.61
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I read this when I was going through my Rollins phase. I liked that he liked the English language. I liked that he had edgy ideas and a different look at life and society. I had built him up in my head and loved everything he did. But, of course, that faded when he started repeating himself, contradicting himself, and just not making sense. Oh well, the books were still enjoyable to read.
Henry Rollins collects a bunch of random angry prose in this book, and it's not really enjoyable to read. He has a decent thought or image here and there, but on the whole it is anything but engaging. I hate wasting my time on a book. Luckily, this one was a bathroom reader.
my absolute favorite of his.
the best passage is where he imagines he is the wall across the street from his former lover. and he sees her enjoying life without him and he is unable to change...
henry's thoughts are always so raw. his books are truly awesome.
the best passage is where he imagines he is the wall across the street from his former lover. and he sees her enjoying life without him and he is unable to change...
henry's thoughts are always so raw. his books are truly awesome.
I read this for the first time when I was in my early 20's. I had realized my career in broadcasting wasn't going to happen. I had been fired from a serving job and I was living at home with my mom. I was stuck in her house during an ice storm with no power, no running water and no way out. This book and all of the powerful words inside described the way I was feeling better than anything else ever could. I was an alien in my childhood home and everywhere I went and this spoke to me in a way tha...more
Feb 14, 2008
Colt
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone looking for Truth.
Recommended to Colt by:
A killer guitarist in a band that is now defunct.
Don't read this book, unless you want prose that is aggressive, cathartic, brutally honest, and exposes life for what it is. If you are an optimistic, happy, positive person who believes that most things work usually work out for the best in the end, I hope that your existence is one frought with joy, and you can go on reading Rhonda Byrne and Joyce Meyer self-help texts before staying up and watching the usual popular sitcoms.
However, for the rest of us who are actually awake and have eyes o...more
However, for the rest of us who are actually awake and have eyes o...more
Completely think Rollins is a fuckneck but I LOVE this book -- if not only for his unknowingly contributing to the lyrics of a one-night band I was hollering in-- but man, dude says some crazy shit that freaks me out, and sometimes you just think "you know henry, you're right"... fucked uuuup.
Poetic, beautiful, violent, honest, cathartic. Harsh but romantic. I really feel like I've lived in his head.
I'm not a huge fan of Black Flag but I love reading him. Highly recommend it. And it's got a sexy cover to boot.
I'm not a huge fan of Black Flag but I love reading him. Highly recommend it. And it's got a sexy cover to boot.
Solipsist is a really good title for this. Hank gets the "LOOK AT MY WORDS THEY ARE SO CAREFUL AND PRECISE" syndrome going but he's got gutpunching imagery to back it up. Good shit. Not meant for one sitting.
I haven't read this book for many, many years. But for some reason it still sits in my mind. Rollins is best known for his work in the music scene but he is also a thoughtful -if not overly dark- writer.
One of the best cynical, jaded, brain spews I've read to date. No, it's the best. This book just does it for me. In it's tenth year of publication this year I finally got my head wrapped around it, and ate it up with vigor. I absolutely loved this book, but it is not for the faint of heart. I don't know many who can get through the entire book for the blackness it spews. It is what it says it is: a solipsistic novel. Look it up in the dictionary before attempting to tackle this read. There are S...more
I hope to finish this someday. It was too sad for me to finish, despite how beautifully written many passages were.
As great as his live spoken word shows are, his books are a big let down.
My Favorite Rollis book. I have gifted this book to many of my friends.
Interesting views on the world brought to you by Mr. Rollins.
Some people say that you can't put a good book down. Well in my opinion a book is well written if I have to put it down after a few pages to get over the thoughts I've read. If I read a book I want to read about pain. There are so many books out there about pain and agony but the Solipsist has a brand new aspect. I don't need characters, I don't need frame stories I want pure pain and this book gives me what I want. Nothing else but the human mind/soul with it's deep, twisted, rotten illness. So...more
Love it so dark made me feel better after I'd finished it
this book drips with pain. and therefore it is something to read in small doses. But it inspires in ways I am always surprised by.
This book, written from a fiction standpoint was even more diabolically poignant and sad. It has that quality to make you think and feel and breathe in all that Henry puts before you, in a way that I think makes you stronger. Better for having the experiance.
It is dark and tells snippets from lives we wish to ignore in life but are being lived right beside us, with hu...more
This book, written from a fiction standpoint was even more diabolically poignant and sad. It has that quality to make you think and feel and breathe in all that Henry puts before you, in a way that I think makes you stronger. Better for having the experiance.
It is dark and tells snippets from lives we wish to ignore in life but are being lived right beside us, with hu...more
Nothing but love for this book!
This is the book that changed my life.
my fav. out of all of his books.
One of my favorite works.
this is more rollins. he's got some really solid, toughening points, things to read to tell yourself to stop crying about. live clean, and live directly ahead seems to be the life rollins is and has been following, and a book like this (when not getting heavy handed with the anti-society punches) will sort of inspire you to keep to moving in the same direction. i dig it, but he is definitely an acquired taste.
Also a really, really good read! I read it when I wasn't really gripped with depression but it spoke to me because it is never far from how I'm feeling. I felt a kinship with Henry Rollins for being able to articulate the isolation that comes with being an alternative thinker in a conservative society and for coping with depression as well. He has a way with words and this is my favourite collection of his words.
Talk about the most agonizing book to read. By far, his worst book ever.
I am almost done with this book. I feel almost sad that I am. I have a feeling I will re-read it again soon... If not immediately. I am a fan of his journalistic writing as in the Black Coffee Blues books. This is far more metaphorical... Sometimes silly, but more often than not, feels a bit to real... Uncomfortably real.
It may not seam like it now but once this book was the right book at the right time for me.
I think Brax said it fairly well. If you're contemplating killing yourself, this book fits very well with that. It's good, but a TOTAL downer. So, I wouldn't recommend it per se. Unless you're totally OK with Henry's jaundiced view of the world.
Jul 25, 2009
Bruce
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
short-stories
I think this book marked a real milestone in Rollins'
writing. His earlier work is great, but the stories in
this book put most of it to shame. I have read it several
times over the years and it has always been a page-turner.
writing. His earlier work is great, but the stories in
this book put most of it to shame. I have read it several
times over the years and it has always been a page-turner.
Assorted written works while Rollins was suffering exaustion during one of his many tours with Black Flag. Several of the excerpts really hit home with me, so much that I printed them off and keep them around.
Beat lives.
Life is pain.
I hurt myself so you can't hurt me.
Blah, blah, blah.
That being said,
he can turn a phrase:
"please break in, I would love the opportunity to kill you legally..."
Life is pain.
I hurt myself so you can't hurt me.
Blah, blah, blah.
That being said,
he can turn a phrase:
"please break in, I would love the opportunity to kill you legally..."
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Henry Rollins (born Henry Lawrence Garfield; often referred to simply as Rollins) is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, author, actor and publisher.
After joining the short-lived Washington, D.C. band State of Alert in 1980, Rollins fronted the Californian hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1981 until 1986. Following the band's breakup, Rollins soon established the record label and...more
More about Henry Rollins...
After joining the short-lived Washington, D.C. band State of Alert in 1980, Rollins fronted the Californian hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1981 until 1986. Following the band's breakup, Rollins soon established the record label and...more
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“The moon will never lie to anyone. Be like the moon. No one hates the moon or wants to kill it. The moon does not take antidepressants and never gets sent to prison. The moon never shot a guy in the face and ran away. The moon has been around a long time and has never tried to rip anyone off. The moon does not care who you want to touch or what color you are. The moon treats everyone the same. The moon never tries to get in on the guest list or use your name to impress others. Be like the moon. When others insult or belittle in an attempt to elevate themselves, the moon sits passively and watches, never lowering itself to anything that weak. The moon is beautiful and bright. It needs no makeup to look beautiful. The moon never shoves clouds out of its way so it can be seen. The moon needs not fame or money to be powerful. The moon never asks you to go to war to defend it. Be like the moon.”
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161 people liked it
“if i was a woman these days, i'd be killing motherfuckers. my handgun would never cool and my hands would be covered in testicular blood. i would have a horrible reputation with a lot of men because i would be calling them on their weak bullshit left and right.”
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133 people liked it
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