BIZARRO FICTION

'Bizarro fiction' is a contemporary literary genre noted for its focus on "high weirdness." The term was coined in 2005 by the independent publishing companies Eraserhead Press, Raw Dog Screaming Press, and Afterbirth Books in response to the rising demand for unique and outlandish fiction. In the introduction to ''The Bizarro Starter Kit'', Bizarro is described as "literature's equivalent to the cult section at the video store" and a genre that "strives not only to be strange, but fascinating, thought-provoking, and, above all, fun to read."^[1] According to Rose O'Keefe of Eraserhead Press:
:''"Basically, if an audience enjoys a book or film primarily because of its weirdness, then it is Bizarro. Weirdness might not be the work's only appealing quality, but it is the major one."''^[2]
While works of Bizarro may have literary merit, the primary focus of the genre is to entertain. In this respect, Bizarro has more in common with speculative fiction genres (such as science-fiction, fantasy, and horror), than with the postmodern literary movements (such as surrealism, absurdism, and beat) with which it is commonly associated.
Prominent exponents of Bizarro include Steve Aylett, D. Harlan Wilson, Carlton Mellick III, Jeremy Robert Johnson, and Chris Genoa.

Contents

Aesthetics

History of the name

Notable authors

References

External links

Official website

Publishers

Bulletin boards

Publications

Aesthetics

In his essay "The Four Rules of Bizarro" Kevin Dole 2 observed four traits common to contemporary Bizarro writings: "Provocative Offense," "Meaningful Transgression," "Experimentation," and "Brevity." The essay was met with some skepticism, the chief criticism being that as an experimental genre, Bizarro has no official "rules."

History of the name

While the modern Bizarro movement in literature can trace its roots at least as far back to the foundation of Eraserhead Press in 1999, the name 'Bizarro' is a recent invention. Previous terms used to refer to the burgeoning scene include "irreal" and "new absurdism" but neither of these was used with consensus. On June 19, 2005 Kevin Dole 2 released "What The Fuck is This All About," a sort of manifesto for the then unnamed genre.^[3] While the essay did not feature the word "Bizarro," subsequent discussion about the essay led to the name as well as the inauguration of the Mondo Bizarro Forum.

Notable authors

★ Mo Ali ★ Forrest Armstrong ★ Steve Aylett ★ Steve Beard ★ Tom Bradley ★ A D Dawson ★ Nicole Del Sesto ★ Kevin Dole 2 ★ Kevin L. Donihe ★ Andre Duza

★ Ray Fracalossy ★ Chris Genoa ★ Eckhard Gerdes ★ Andrew Goldfarb ★ Michael Gurnow ★ Mykle Hansen ★ Royce Icon ★ Jeremy Robert Johnson ★ Jeff T. Kane ★ Jordan Krall

★ John Edward Lawson ★ Mitch Maraude ★ Carlton Mellick III ★ Vic Mudd ★ Chuck Palahniuk ★ Colette Phair ★ Cameron Pierce ★ Andersen Prunty ★ Gina Ranalli ★ Tony Rauch

★ Jason Rogers ★ C.L. Russo ★ Vincent Sakowski ★ Bradley Sands ★ Jeremy C. Shipp ★ Kenji Siratori ★ Alyssa Sturgill ★ Bruce Taylor ★ Christian TeBordo ★ D. Harlan Wilson

References

1. ''The Bizarro Starter Kit.'' Bizarro Books, 2006. p.5 ISBN 1-933929-00-6
2. Bizarro FAQs
3. http://www.bizarrocentral.com/article_detail.asp?articleID=8

External links

Official website

★ Bizarro Central

Publishers

★ Afterbirth Books

★ Eraserhead Press

★ Fugue State Press

★ Raw Dog Screaming Press

Bulletin boards

★ Mondo Bizarro Forum

★ The New Absurdist

★ Bizarro Literature Community on Livejournal

Publications

★ The Dream People

★ Bust Down the Door and Eat All the Chickens

★ The Swallow's Tail