Questions, Resources, and General Banter - Ice

[Jim]

Anna Kavan was born ‘Helen Emily Woods’ in 1901 in France to British parents. Kavan began her writing career under her married name, Helen Ferguson. She published six novels under this name between 1929 and 1937. These novels were fairly well received in their day. Kavan suffered from a heroin addiction and mental health problems for much of her adult life. In 1940, she published the story collection, Asylum Piece, under a new name, Anna Kavan, a character from her earlier novel, Let Me Alone. Her post-apocalyptic novel, Ice, won the Brian Aldiss Science Fiction Book of the Year award in 1967.


Wikipedia page for Anna Kavan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Kavan


Anna Kavan Society:

http://www.annakavan.org.uk/



Feel free to use this thread to ask questions and post links to resources for Anna Kavan and Ice.

Also, if you’ve written a review of the book, please post a link to share with the group.

[Larry]

Sure, hungover, wrinkled shirt, no shower, let's do this https://multcolib.org/blog/20140220/w...

[Jim]

Larry wrote: "Sure, hungover, wrinkled shirt, no shower, let's do this https://multcolib.org/blog/20140220/w..."

Given the conditions in the novel, you look marvelous...

Enjoy the book!

[Larry]

Jim wrote: "Larry wrote: "Sure, hungover, wrinkled shirt, no shower, let's do this https://multcolib.org/blog/20140220/w..."

Given the conditions in the novel, you look marvelous...

Enjoy th..."

Loving it! Making notes for when the discussions open. Thanks Jim for the sweet reading list. In my "real life book club" we're about to do Mann's Magic Mountain. So far we've done Mason & Dixon, Knut Hamsen's Hunger, PKD's Flow My Tears, and they started on Ulysses before me. I'm jumping on the Arcades Project too!

[Larry]

We also did Chang Rae-Lee's latest On Such A Full Sea. For what it's worth.

[Jim]

Larry wrote: " I'm jumping on the Arcades Project too!...."

Great! I'd recommend taking small bites, as there's lots to chew on in The Arcades Project, which is why it's spread out over 11 months...

Off topic completely: I recently started exploring PKD's novels. I read his first two and I'm hooked for future reading...

[Larry]

Jim wrote: "Larry wrote: " I'm jumping on the Arcades Project too!...."

Great! I'd recommend taking small bites, as there's lots to chew on in The Arcades Project, which is why it's spread out over 11 months...."
PKD - dipped in and out. Always glad I did. Hollywood ruins it. His protagonists are always befuddled divorced 30/40 something everymen who deal with crazy shit. harrison ford (tho I love Blade runner) and Arnold don't fit the type.

[Jonathan]

PKD's short stories are brilliant. His novels were mostly expanded versions of his stories.

[Jim]

Larry wrote: "His protagonists are always befuddled divorced 30/40 something everymen who deal with crazy shit. .."

It's hard to sell tickets to a movie featuring a schlubby divorcée with a paunch. Likewise, as you'll discover in Ice, the main antagonist is a total alpha male, buffed, beautiful and sadistic, much like a Hollywood anti-hero.

[Hol]

Hi all, haven't participated in this group before but Ice sparked my curiosity. I'll be reading along but probably not commenting much (toddler and a newborn keeping me busy). Just wanted to say hello and let you know you've got at least one lurker out there :) Loving the book so far and will be very interested to see others' thoughts on it.

[Jim]

Holly wrote: "Hi all, haven't participated in this group before but Ice sparked my curiosity. I'll be reading along but probably not commenting much (toddler and a newborn keeping me busy). Just wanted to say he..."

Glad you're enjoying the book! You're welcome to lurk as much as you want, but if you get a breather, please share your thoughts.

[tia]

Larry wrote: "Sure, hungover, wrinkled shirt, no shower, let's do this https://multcolib.org/blog/20140220/w..."

Love the beard, Larry!

I'm looking forward to rejoining the group and participating in this thread as it will be my introduction to Kavan. :)

[Larry]

Tia wrote: "Larry wrote: "Sure, hungover, wrinkled shirt, no shower, let's do this https://multcolib.org/blog/20140220/w..."

Love the beard, Larry!

I'm looking forward to rejoining the grou..."

Thanks Tia. I've been on a quarterly shaving schedule for a couple of decades.

[Richard]

Just joined the group and joining in with Ice (unfortunately The Arcades Project looks like too much to commit to).
Read roughly the first half last night and it is fantastic so far - so I'm very much looking forward to the discussions. If nothing else this group has already introduced me to a great new book and for that I am grateful.

[Jim]

Rich wrote: "Just joined the group and joining in with Ice (unfortunately The Arcades Project looks like too much to commit to).
Read roughly the first half last night and it is fantastic so far - so I'm very ..."

Welcome Rich! I'm glad you're enjoying the book. If you'd like to pursue more of Kavan's work after you finish Ice, I would recommend Asylum Piece which is a collection of stories that are loosely related, but do make up a coherent narrative at the end.

[Jim]

For those of you who live in or near London, an Anna Kavan symposium will be held in September this year. Details here:

http://annakavansymposium.wordpress.com/

[tia]

I'm about halfway through this book and I have to say that it is easily one of the most unnerving, suffocatingly bizarre books I've ever read (I'm really enjoying it, see?)
Given the extremely cold winter in this country this year, I can't help but feel an impending sense of doom as if thousands of icebergs are swiftly escorting legions of warriors with icicles for beards and shards of ice glass for swords to overcome us.

[Jim]

Tia wrote: "Given the extremely cold winter in this country this year, I can't help but feel an impending sense of doom as if thousands of icebergs are swiftly escorting legions of warriors with icicles for beards and shards of ice glass for swords to overcome us..."

According to my sources on youtube, this is not just a feeling but is really happening... start stockpiling drinking water, canned goods and ammunition.... and probably firewood....

[Jim]

Cphe wrote: "Finished this early this morning - just brilliant and probably the "strongest" novel I've read for quite some time."

It's definitely a great book!

You might also try Asylum Piece which is another strong performance by Kavan.