1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

overlooked genius

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by writing irish, Jan 20, 2008.

  1. Duane Postum

    Duane Postum Member

    Charles Portis, best known for True Grit, but also the incredibly funny novels The Dog of the South and Masters of Atlantis -- masterful deadpan humor. Remarkable stuff. Old newspaper guy, too.
     
  2. cougargirl

    cougargirl Active Member

    bell hooks. She provides one of the sharpest commentaries on racism and sexism, as well as communication, in America that I've ever read.

    From www.allaboutbell.com:

    The author of many books and essays, hooks has focused attention on the myriad forms of racism, from subtle to blatant, in the United States. She has criticized the way in which the plight of Black women has been either ignored or worsened not only by what she has termed "white supremacist capitalist patriarchy" but, in many instances, by the mainstream feminist movement and the Black liberation struggle. hooks has participated in discussions of those subjects on television and radio programs, in order to ensure that her opinions are heard outside the world of academia. "We are looking at a culture where millions of people don't read or write," she has said. "If I want to get the message out there, I have to use some other format." Far from merely making use of mass media, she has frequently cited the roles played by television, film, and advertising in perpetuating racism and sexism.
     
  3. Hammer Pants

    Hammer Pants Active Member

    Sad but true.
     
  4. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    *cuing the Bud Light music... Real Men of Genius..."

    Today, I salute you, Jack Finney...

    His book "Time and Again" defies description. It is pure genius that is filled with intricate detail that describes a government-sponsored time travel project by a character who goes from 1970 to the 1880s. Finney uses old photos to tie the story together. The portal for the time travel is the Dakota building on the upper West Side of Manhattan. It's a gem if you live in New York, because it gives you little tidbits of history lost to time. At the same time, the writing and dialogue is so stilted at times, filled with minutia and spoken in a way that no one really talks,that it almost reads like bad parody. And somehow it actually adds to the attractiveness of the book, making it seem even more like genius. It may be the oddest and most exciting book I have ever read. Finney died about a decade ago. He's one person I wish I could have met. The man was a genius...

    Oh, and if you do read Time and Again, whatever you do DON'T make the mistake EVERYONE makes and buy the sequel, From Time To Time. It's horrible. But Time and Again is so extraordinary--a cult favorite--that nearly everyone who reads it tries to give the sequel a chance. He just couldn't carry over the magic, unfortunately.
     
  5. Duane Postum

    Duane Postum Member

    One of my favorites. The movie was filmed in one of the most beautiful places in America, Mackinac Island.
     
  6. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    I suddenly feel the urge to go light up a clove cigarette after reading that.

    My contribution: James F. Dunnigan. He's written a series of books called "How to Make War", which are basically incredibly well-detailed and researched encyclopedias and analysis of most of the world's militaries. Every time I read over the latest edition, I feel like I have a better grasp of the subject and how all of these different things come together (or not) to make the world the way it is.
     
  7. Political writing: The late Walter Karp, especially "Indispensible Enemies" and "Buried Alive."

    I go also with wi on the great George V, and on Algren. But, ultimately, it comes back around to Himself:
    [​IMG]

    When things go wrong and will not come right,
    Though you do the best you can,
    When life looks black as the hour of night -
    A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.

    When money's tight and hard to get
    And your horse has also ran,
    When all you have is a heap of debt -
    A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.

    When health is bad and your heart feels strange,
    And your face is pale and wan,
    When doctors say you need a change,
    A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.

    When food is scarce and your larder bare
    And no rashers grease your pan,
    When hunger grows as your meals are rare -
    A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.

    In time of trouble and lousey strife,
    You have still got a darlint plan
    You still can turn to a brighter life -
    A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.
     
  8. finishthehat

    finishthehat Active Member

    "Genius" is overstating it, but Anton Myrer is worth reading -- two great war novels (Once an Eagle, which is still required reading in some military academies, and The Big War), and a 1978 nostalgia-drenched look at the WW2 generation, The Last Convertible.
     
  9. I love "The Last Convertible." Big, overstuffed book with just enough soap opera to make it readable. I like it when the novelist's manuscript gets stolen out of the car on election night '52. One of the worst TV adaptations of all time, though.

    Here's some Walter Karp for y'all. He was a Republican, btw.

    http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Democracy_America/AmericaFreeNowDead_BA.html

    The money shot:
    "Most of all, Wilson and the war party were determined to corrupt the entire body of the American people, to root out the old habits of freedom and to teach it new habits of obedience."
     
  10. pallister

    pallister Guest

    Steve Earle's too well known for being criminally overlooked to actually be criminally overlooked.

    As for Algren, just wanted to point out that he likely wouldn't be considered a genius if he was a Cubs fan. :)
     
  11. Maybe this is more along the lines of underappreciated genius, but here are a few of my submissions:

    John E. Douglas: The man who pioneered criminal profiling. He wrote a book about his life with the FBI and Behavioral Sciences Unit. I have reread his book "Mindhunter" several times and I am convinced he's one of the smartest men the 20th century ever produced.

    Alexander Hamilton: Yeah that one. A certified genius who could multitask on a Da Vinci level. Hamilton has often been overlooked for his role in the founding of the country and the roots of American government.
    Read enough about this guy and you'll find his intellect and wit were bigger than Jefferson, Washington, Franklin and Adams (both of 'em) combined.
    Hamilton has very few monuments (other than the $10 bill) in his honor.



    Edit: I forgot to add Nikola Tesla, scientific genius, whose odd personality and beliefs uderscored his work.
     
  12. Duane Postum

    Duane Postum Member

    That spurred me to haul out my old Flann O'Brien Reader and my fave, "The Brother," which he wrote under Myles Na Gapoleen (sp). Holy hell, I'd forgotten how much I loved that ...
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page