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There's a fascinating article by JG Ballard on the new Cronenberg film, A History of Violence. Have a read:

http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/fea ... 12,00.html

Anyone see the film yet?

Interesting article. I think he stretches a bit with his ideas of how films like Naked Lunch and the Dead Zone fit into an overall thematic quality of Cronenberg's, though I think at least Naked Lunch does. Just not in a heroin overdose way. But as for A History of Violence, I haven't seen it, but have only heard good things about it, and am really looking forward to seeing it on opening day. For anyone interested in what Cronenberg has to say, there's an interesting interview with him in the current issue of Fangoria, which had some interesting points on this movie, and it's themes.

Cronenberg seems popular with us forum regulars, but I'd also be curious to know what you all think of Ballard. Anybody read his works?

Atrocity Exhibition is wierd as hell and I would recommend it to fans of Burroughs, its profusly illustrated as well. Also, I wanted to mention that A History of Viloence is based on a comic book so I think that makes this Cronenbergs first comic book adaptation. It looks really good and I love the poster, so I might go and see it.

I haven't read any of Ballard's books, but I've heard a lot about them. I keep meaning to read some of his stuff, it's on my to do list.

The Fango interview with Cronenberg mentions the graphic novel source of A History of Violence, and Cronenberg has some interesting things to say about it. He didn't know for quite some time that it was based on a graphic novel, I think he said until he was into production. He also mentions some of the differences, like how he took out the mob plotlines and added some sex. He also makes an interesting comment on how good movies can come from sources such as comic books and video games, things that many "high-brow" directors seem to look down on.

Personally I enjoy Ballard's work, but I can never get out of my head something Susan Sontag said of him -- to wit, that Ballard is a great writer who never wrote a great book. It's really true. Ballard writes with tremendous style, and he's written a number of really interesting books -- Crash, Atrocity Exhibition, High Rise, etc. I liked the recent book Super Cannes too. But none of those are "great books" in the same spirit as you talk about Naked Lunch or Farewell to Arms or Madame Bovary.

So which book of his would those who are familiar with him suggest as a good introduction? I remember hear positive things about Atrocity Exhibition, and I heard something about High Rise lately (movie adaption I think?), and of course have seen Crash. But I really don't know anything about his actual writing.

Crash, the novel, is an incredible piece of writing.Ballard himself admits he was probably "mentally-ill" when he wrote it.The film does it very little justice.It is intense, obsessional, fetishistic, erotic, psychotic.People to whom I've recommended it either love it or can't read it.
Atrocity Exhibition is also recommended, and for me The Crystal World is his most interesting "disaster" novel. I do think that he has effectively run out of ideas now, and has been recycling himself for years .The quote from Sontag is probably spot on, he hasn't written a "great" novel, but he DOES write great short-stories, and thats where his best work lies IMO.Several of his short stories manage to take you so deep into states of mind considered psychotic thats its hard to imagine that he isn't suffering from these himself.
The Re/Search book on Ballard (not their large format edition of Atrocity Exhibition, the other one) is a great introduction to the mans work, and has some Burroughs in it too, if I remember correctly (I'm at work so can't look it up right now), as there are sections throughout it where other writers and artists discuss his work and his influence on them.

JPaul23 got it dead right. If you're only going to read one Ballard book, it has to be Crash. High Rise is good too. Super-Cannes is the best of his latest books, though I haven't read the last one. I'm not sure it even came out in America.

And JP23 is right about the short stories too. Ballard is at his best with those. "The Secret History of World War 3" in War Fever is really brilliant.

The Atrocity Exhibition has always left me with mixed feelings. I have the edition of that book that has its original U.S. title -- Love & Napalm -- with the introduction by Burroughs. (The intro is funny. Burroughs sounds like he can't figure out what the hell to say about the book.) It's a fascinating book, cool, iconographic, and yet somehow the whole thing ends up a little flat IMHO. It's not the sort of book that I find myself picking up again and again, like Naked Lunch.

It reminds me of something Cronenberg said in an interview about Ballard. He said that when he first read Ballard, long before making Crash, he didn't like him and wondered "Where are all the passion words?" That's the thing with Ballard. You don't get much sense that his work *had* to be written, that it came from his gut. It's very cerebral, cool, detached -- and it's very strong in that regard, but at the same time it doesn't inspire you as a reader as much as work that is strongly intended.

Susan Sontag has never written a great book. Compared to the crap out there all of Ballard's books are great. What was a greater book than Super-Cannes when it came out a few years ago?

Run out of ideas? Ballard's ideas are so far ahead it'll be ten years before the herd catches up. They don't call him the English Burroughs for nothing. I believe his work is deeply passionate. Ballard has stated that all of his characters are on a search for psychic fulfillment. But he is very much the Surrealist too.

RE A History of Violence, It's at the top of my list. Reviews so far have called it either a mondo/trash drive-in kind of flick, or a mainstream thriller. Can is possibly be both?

Ballard doesn't DO character, nor does he do dialogue. I know very well that he's a surrealist, no where more so than in his short stories.Personally I can't wait for a new collection of stories.I stand by the assertion that he is regurgitating the same novel over and over. Has been for years. Many writers do this.

Everybody does it. More or less. If you have something that works, you know. But "run out of ideas" sound lame to me. I'd never second guess him.

He doesn't do dialogue? Or character? What does he do then, just description? This just isn't so. His books are loaded with dialogue and eccentric characters, Vaughn being probably the most famous. I pick up Crash and read a random passage:

"Do you want a cigarette?" her strong fingers tore away the cellophane. "I started to smoke at Ashford - it's rather stupid of me."

"Look at this traffic - I need every sedative I can lay my hands on."

"It's much worse now - you noticed that did you? The day I left Ashford I had the extraordinary feeling that all these cars were gathering for some special reason that I didn't understand. There seems to be ten times as much traffic"

"Are we imagining it?"


Let's just say we read the man differently.

Everything I've ever read by Ballard including all the novels, short stories, non-fiction and interviews-- I've always found first rate. In my opinion like Burroughs, the man has never written a bad book. I've thought about my favorites and interestingly they span almost his entire career.

1. The Crystal World (66) Begins like a Graham Greene novel about a doctor traveling down a river to a small village in Africa. But soon everything changes as the jungle and time itself begin to crystalize all around him.

2. Crash (73) What can I say about Ballard's masterpiece that hasn't already been said. This is a one of a kind book like Naked Lunch, A Clockwork Orange, or Lolita.

3. Hello America (81) Somewhat overlooked novel of a scientific expedition that arrives in America from Europe after the world's fossil fuels have expired. The year is 2030 and the group finds an America which is mostly a vast desert, and the new self appointed president, escaped psychopath Charles Manson reigning in Las Vegas. Need I say more?

4. Super-Cannes (2000) "Ballard at the peak of his powers: A mature detective story and techno-dystopia in a workaholic business park where residents let off steam with a little light psychopathy."

Now I ask you: Does this sound like a writer who has "run out of ideas" and is "regurgitating the same book over and over"....?

In my opinion, Burroughs wrote a lot of bad books. I have a hard time understanding how Port of Saints or The Cat Inside could be good books. And, unlike many around here, I also have my doubts about Cities of the Red Night and The Place of Dead Roads. (I do think The Western Lands is good, though.)

And though I know this sounds strange to say, I wonder in part if the "problem" with Ballard might not be just how consistent he is. You're absolutely right: he's never written a bad book, not that I've read anyway. But he's also never written a book that's attained the level of inspiration that Naked Lunch attained.

That's how I see the two authors: Ballard is probably a better writer, certainly more consistent than Burroughs. However, Burroughs really had much more natural talent. Burroughs' highs are much higher than Ballard's, but his lows are lower and more frequent.