The First Time

[James]

I've only read grendel and a couple of short stories and parts of his his philosophy of fiction books, like, "On Moral Fiction," "On Becoming a Novelist," and "The Art of FIction." Have you read any of these?

[Bostian]

I, too, started with Grendel, but not as a class assignment; I came across it in a used bookstrore & it sounded interesting. Then I read The Art of Fiction which impressed me compared to the few "how to" fiction writing books I'd paged through. But last week I just recommended Nickel Mountain to a friend which is still one of my favorites. I've read both of the short story collections & most of his novels over the course of 15 years, collecting multiple copies of several titles; when I tried to sell a few of my extras at Powell's books the buyer told me he shared my admiration, but unfortunately Gardner's books just didn't move off the shelves. A biography came out just a few years ago which is worth reading.

[James]

whats the Bio called and who wrote it?

[Kendall]

I started with October Light back with it first came out. It blew me away.

[Brent]

I read Grendel first in high school. I enjoyed learning about the various philosophies he touches on throughout the novel...I read Freddy's Book shortly after and loved it...Lars Goren is still one of my favorite protagonists of any novel.