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Bathers
The story of a seaside fishing village in a subtropical country, where vacationers don't want to acknowledge the political repression, guerrilla warfare, and economic blight that exists
60 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 10, 2020
As I read Bathers I began to wonder at what point an author is no longer merely influenced by another author, at what point he has passed into the uncomfortable territory of pastiche. I say uncomfortable because my feeling has always been that imitation, parody, even when it's been executed as deftly as here, serves only to remind me that the imitation isn't as rich as the original. Bathers is, at the end of the day, John Hawkes Lite -- in particular, Second Skin Lite. My experience of reading Steiner's novella would undoubtedly have been different, distinctly richer, had I not already read the majority of Hawkes's work, and recognized Second Skin as his masterpiece (which it is), and felt it to be one of my favorite novels.
January 31, 2021
“I am at my best, citizen, when it is time to do business. The coming of a scorcher, a ninety-degree dawn, tourists lusting for a foreign taste. Their coins are of wondrous shape, texture, and smell. In my white linen suit I deal not as a tradesman but as a stranger conspiring with a patron to explain beauty. Their cameras shoot me. Their hands hold my flowers as if they are eggs, as if they are a baby’s testicles. I know from their pimento eyes and smiles that they are seasick, overfed, sun-drugged. They have begun to believe that their homes are being looted in their absence.
—What caused all this? I am often asked
This is where I live.
—Centuries of weather and misery.
—I see, and they meditate.”
(from p. 6)
I found this at a used bookstore and gave it a look because the title sounded interesting to me (for whatever reason), plus I noticed it was published by New Directions. The author’s name also sounded familiar, though I couldn’t recall where exactly I’d heard it mentioned.* It’s a very slender volume, and when I opened it I was half-expecting a poetry book that had been placed on the wrong shelf, but to my surprise found it was a novella. No ordinary novella, however. No, this was something else. The prose was highly poetic, ludicrously, beautifully sumptuous! It was only two dollars so I bought it on the strength of the style of the opening pages alone. Having now read it three times this month alone (January 2021, for the record) I’m happy to report that the style is consistently evocative, surreal, creepy, playful, stunning throughout.
Though sadly out of print and little known, I highly recommend giving Bathers a read if you have the chance. Best read out loud for maximum appreciation.
*funnily enough, I owned two of Steiner’s other books already (Dread and The Catastrophe), both of which were gifted to me by a guy I know through social media whose tastes frequently overlap with my own. Great call on his part, this is exactly the kind of stuff I’m always on the lookout for! I haven’t read those two yet, but I’ll be getting to them soon based on how strong this one was.
—What caused all this? I am often asked
This is where I live.
—Centuries of weather and misery.
—I see, and they meditate.”
(from p. 6)
I found this at a used bookstore and gave it a look because the title sounded interesting to me (for whatever reason), plus I noticed it was published by New Directions. The author’s name also sounded familiar, though I couldn’t recall where exactly I’d heard it mentioned.* It’s a very slender volume, and when I opened it I was half-expecting a poetry book that had been placed on the wrong shelf, but to my surprise found it was a novella. No ordinary novella, however. No, this was something else. The prose was highly poetic, ludicrously, beautifully sumptuous! It was only two dollars so I bought it on the strength of the style of the opening pages alone. Having now read it three times this month alone (January 2021, for the record) I’m happy to report that the style is consistently evocative, surreal, creepy, playful, stunning throughout.
Though sadly out of print and little known, I highly recommend giving Bathers a read if you have the chance. Best read out loud for maximum appreciation.
*funnily enough, I owned two of Steiner’s other books already (Dread and The Catastrophe), both of which were gifted to me by a guy I know through social media whose tastes frequently overlap with my own. Great call on his part, this is exactly the kind of stuff I’m always on the lookout for! I haven’t read those two yet, but I’ll be getting to them soon based on how strong this one was.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews