What is bizarro fiction? Well that's a damn good question. Let's go back in time to answer this question. Follow me, young world.
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When I was 17, I was just coming off my Lovecraft phase and looking for something different; something weird. I stumbled across bizarro when I found out about Eraserhead. I researched bizarro head honchos such as Carlton Mellick, Kevin L. Donihe, Jeremy Robert Johnson, etc. At first the whole idea scared me. I pictured surreal stories that would just fly over my head. Regrettably, I moved on. However, a year later a lot of bizarro writers were creeping into a lot of horror magazines and anthologies I read. So I gave them a chance and I fell in love. These stories were absurd, similar to Kafka, but to a higher degree. They were funny and weird but at the same time relate-able. I want to stress that word again: relate-able. Throughout all the weirdness and quirkiness, there was always a human element you could clutch on to that made me feel for the characters no matter the situation.
Bizarro is an umbrella term for the weird, the absurd and/or the quirky usually with a dash of humor mixed. Think cult movies-those weird films that you love but you have no idea why. All you know is that they're ridiculous fun.
In terms of writing, bizarro gives me the freedom to do what I want. I'm not saying breaking literary rules or just being weird for the sake of being weird, but I don't have to worry about staying within a genre. Many times I can just let my imagination run wild, crossing multiple genres and forcing the reader to react in a variety of ways.
*Shameless plug alert*
Grant Wamack writes weird fictions, raps and weaves dreams at night. During the day, the Navy employs him as a Mass Communication Specialist, in other words, a "super" journalist. Visit his website here http://grantwamack.wordpress.com/
i love horror books! I am a huge fan of strange fiction too and I'm always looking for new reads to experience. Which of these books do you suggest I start with? My favorite horror writer of all time is Stephen King.
ReplyDeleteBizarro fiction is quite a different genre than anything Stephen King would write. I would research the authors Grant mentioned and see if they have a book that fits your interests. Eraserhead Press has a lot of offer, and so does Bizarro Pulp Press! You could always check out Grant's book and give him feedback!
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