36, WG30, E35, / NG6, D1, Frz0, NA0, B0, C0

Stephen King, You like it Darker

Neue Kurzgeschichten von Stephen King, ach was für ein Fest. Und auch noch mit einem Titel aus einem Song von Leonard Cohen, dass er das Verb abgewandelt hat, kann ich verstehen. Während mich einige wenige der Stories nicht so richtig ansprachen, begeisterten mich die meisten und einige fand ich sogar außergewöhnlich, wie z.B. "The Answer Man", "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream" und "The Turbulence Expert". Bei "Rattlesnakes" freute ich mich mit Vic Trenton einen alten Bekannten aus 'Cujo' wiederzutreffen, wie auch in vielen Stories Themen und Ideen - vielleicht übriggebliebene Handlungsstränge oder Abweichungen - irgendwie wieder aufzutauchen scheinen. "Two Talented Bastids" erinnerte mich etwas an "Dreamcatcher" und "Finn" und "The Turbulence Expert" an "The Institute", oder "Red Screen" an "Ten O'Clock People". Und so weiter. Alles in allem wieder wundervoller Lesestoff - wie schön, dass King nach sooo vielen Büchern und Geschichten immer noch dran bleibt.
.
I remember thinking that the fading of hopes and ambitions was mostly painless. That was good, but it was also rather horrible. I wanted to be a writer, but I was beginning to think being a good one was beyond me. If it was, the world would continue to spin. You relaxed your hand ... opened your fingers ... and something flew away. I remember thinking maybe that's alright.
.
(aus: Two Talented Bastids)
.
A group of lawyers is an eloquence; a group of rattlesnakes is a rhumba. I didn't know how I knew that, but I did. The mind isn't just a venomous reptile that sometimes bites itself; it's also an enthusiastic garbage picker.
.
(aus: Rattlesnakes)
.
Am I curious about the process? Since it's played a big part in my life, of course I am. I've written about writers in my fiction, and I've written about the act of writing in nonfiction, but I still don't understand it. I don't even understand why people need stories, or why I - among many others - feel the need to write them. All I know is that the exhileration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind and bonding with people who don't exist seems to be a part of almost every life. Imagination is hungry, and needs to be fed.
.
(aus: Afterword)
.
(Stephen King, You like it Darker, 2024)