Dalkey Archive Press’s Comments (group member since Nov 05, 2013)

Dalkey Archive Press’s comments from the Dalkey Archive Press reads group.

That's right, our December Backlist of the Month is Nicholas Mosley's IMPOSSIBLE OBJECT. Feel free to drop your thoughts, update us with your progress, ask questions, and argue with each other in a civil, loving manner.

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "It's not as if we don't already have a near infinite treasure of Dalkey books and RCF issues ; BUT ;; is there any eventuality for making available again some of those oop issues of RCF? Namely fe..."

This is actually a very complicated matter, and I don't fully understand why we don't. In all seriousness (and this applies to everyone reading this), message me which issue you're interested in and I'll see what can be done. Each individual issue would be $8.00 plus shipping.

On FB we talked about if Billy and Girl's mother at the end is truly their mother, but how about the Louises? Are they the same girl?

I had a bit of trouble with this at first too. But their mother: she's not the kind of person I can imagine a "happily ever after" with.

Wednesday discussion! Have you guys finished? I hope it's been a fun reading experience. Although, please feel free to substitute "fun" for any other adjective you think is suitable.

Jim wrote: "Two books I've been looking for:

Nightwood
Women and Men

Both of the DAP editions are hard to find and prohibitively expensive. Would love to know if DAP plans on repri..."

For UK-ers: we don't hold UK rights for NIGHTWOOD. Faber does. We only have rights for US/Canada/Philippines.

Tom wrote: "DAP gives us a little taste of an author, with one publication or maybe 2. Sometimes, it just seems like a tease, getting us all worked up then nothing: for instance Jean Ricardou, Christine Monta..."

I agree with you and concurrently disagree. We have a lot of Shklovsky. And Harry Mathews. And Dumitru Tsepeneag. What factors into dropping an author? That varies quite a bit. Sorry this doesn't really answer your question.

MJ wrote: "One question that pokes at me is why does DAP publish early Huxley works like Point Counter Point? I always thought they were pretty straightforward drawing-room satires. What innovative qualities ..."

A good question, but I honestly don't have an answer for you. I'm going to guess that John just really likes it.

MJ wrote: "I read this recently, so will be overthrowing the democracy and re-reading The Third Policeman in December. The new pieces from the Irish in here were excellent (even if sadly Slattery's Sago Saga ..."

Will you think I'm an disreputable human being if I say that I didn't think Sago was completely awful?

Jonathan wrote: "My copy has arrived, and very cool it looks too. Am currently halfway through a 1000 page monster so will have to decide whether to wait till I have finished or take a break with this. Kind of depe..."

Two at a time! I finished a few days ago, but didn't want to come into the thread and say something like, "You guys! I love this book! It's soooo good!" Then it would look like I'm doing marketing for Dalkey. Oh wait...

Hello everyone,

In the future, I'd rather do a poll to determine which recent Dalkey book everyone would like to discuss. Don't get me wrong, my book decision-making skills are top notch, but this is a democracy. But for this first month, my decision reigns: THE SHORT FICTION OF FLANN O'BRIEN.

Sunday, the first of December? See you then!

Jur wrote: "I would buy a DAP reprint of both W&M and Nightwood in a heartbeat, for what it's worth."

Dankjewel. Geen beloften, maar leuk dat jullie er allemaal zin in hebben.

It all depends on how many we would decide to re-print. Obviously, printing 250 is cheaper than re-printing 1,000. Solid numbers of interested buyers would help the cause, but again, I am making no promises. For the interested: we are currently re-printing BERG by Ann Quin.

I'll be sure to bring it up then.

Tuck wrote: "some years ago, maybe 2000? you had a deal where one could buy ALL your books extant for a special price. i believe it was kinda hard times for dalkey back then and even to the point of dicey outl..."

Dang! That's before my time, although I'm sure it can still be done if one just asked and had a nice sounding offer. As far as I know, nobody took us up on the offer. I feel like I probably would've heard about it.

Jim wrote: "Two books I've been looking for:

Nightwood
Women and Men

Both of the DAP editions are hard to find and prohibitively expensive. Would love to know if DAP plans on reprinting either of these."

Spreadsheets say it all: completely out of stock. We are not planning on a re-print. That's not to say that that can't be changed, however. We like to hear about what people want re-printed.

This thread was suggested by a fellow Dalkey-goodreader. Feel free to ask me Dalkey-related questions. However, as I'm only one person, please be patient.

Hi Jim,

My name is Cailin and I live in London. I think setting up another thread is a great idea, but you'll have to be patient with me, as I'm only one person and I don't always have all the answers. But, of course, I'll try to be as helpful as possible.

Enjoy Billy and Girl!

MJ wrote: "Yes! This book knocked me flat upon the first read. Great choice. Excited by Levy on the Booker shortlist last year too and the increased recognition she now has. (Although pubbed by Bloosmbury in ..."

One point to MJ

MJ wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "And seriously, you guys better post that list of O'Brien's "must read" Dalkey titles"

Seconded. (And I read B&G in the Dalkey edition, lest I seem a traitor)."

Okay, okay. It took some rummaging through old work notebooks, but I found it at long last. In no particular order here is his list:
1. The Third Policeman, Flann O'Brien
2. Point Counter Point, Huxley
3. Impossible Object, Nicholas Mosley
4. Wittgenstein's Mistress, David Markson
5. Billy and Girl, Deborah Levy
6. Theory of Prose, Viktor Shklovsky
7. Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things, Gilbert Sorrentino
8. Chinese Letter, Svetislav Basara
9. Vain Art of the Fugue, Dumitru Tsepeneag
10. Scenes from a Receding Past, Aidan Higgins
11. Some Thing Black, Jacques Roubaud
12. Europeana, Patrik Ourednik
13. anything by Djuna Barnes
14. Readings in Russian Poetics: Formalist & Structuralist Views