William T Vollmann Central discussion

With the release of Last Stories we've been getting word that Bill has been working on a book about coal and nuclear energy. I am guessing that his Into the Forbidden Zone: A Trip through Hell and High Water in Post-earthquake Japan will be folded into it so I won't have to read it as an ebook. But that's just a guess but why wouldn't he include it.

At any rate, a few links which have been posted elsewhere which tell us what we know about this current project.

"On and off over the past few years, he has shuttled between West Virginia (“It’s like a third-world country”) and the hot zone around Fukushima, Japan, site of the nuclear-meltdown disaster in March 2011. At those disparate locales, he’s been gathering material for his next Big Project, a nonfiction book that will examine and compare fossil fuel and nuclear energy, and their relationships to climate change and what he sees as the coming apocalypse."
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/21/6572...


"About a year ago I started working on a nonfiction book about coal versus nuclear power. Not so much about which is better or worse—they’re probably both awful—but what ordinary people think about them. I’ve found that so many Americans, especially in the coal counties of West Virginia, really don’t believe in global warming. But I suspect that a lot of the political leaders who say that they don't believe in it, actually might think that it’s possible. They’re acting like nothing is true, and all is permissible. To take this stance, and behave as though all forms of rhetoric are justified in the pursuit of power, is harmful and irresponsible."
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainm...


Note too that there is a relevant section in RURD, Defense of the Environment, which will certainly play a role.

Also, this interview ::

Bookforum talks with William T. Vollmann
Jul 10 2014
http://www.bookforum.com/interview/13467

"I’m trying to learn about the culture of mining and the whole debate over coal versus nuclear, as well as people’s opinions on climate change. I haven’t been able to get into a coal mine yet. The big guys have no incentive to let me in, since I might cause them trouble, and the little guys run these dangerous fly-by-night operations.
"I had my pancake frisker [a type of Geiger counter] with me and it turned out that the most radioactive thing I could find on the ground there was a huge granite slab in front of the courthouse with the ten commandments on it. So that made me happy."

Bill says about his Coal/Nuclear project :::

On and off over the past few years, he has shuttled between West Virginia (“It’s like a third-world country”) and the hot zone around Fukushima, Japan, site of the nuclear-meltdown disaster in March 2011. At those disparate locales, he’s been gathering material for his next Big Project, a nonfiction book that will examine and compare fossil fuel and nuclear energy, and their relationships to climate change and what he sees as the coming apocalypse.

“My feeling is that 100 years from now the planet will be much degraded,” he said. “If there are any people left in this hot, dark future, I would like them to have this book to read in case they’re wondering why the people in the early 21st century didn’t care about the planet or think about their legacy.

“That’s what I’m asking people in West Virginia and Japan,” he said. “Thoreau always said that it’s important not to let our knowledge get in the way of what’s more important, which is our ignorance. I want to always keep my ignorance so I can be open to what people are saying.”

http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/b...


[i see that i'm being redundant here.]

V was on NPR for a brief interview this morning about his upcoming Fukushima article in Harper's which I guess would be something to do with this book. I have a status update with a link to it but I'm on my iPhone and don't know how to paste the link here, or I would, sorry- feel free to do so...

Thanks for the link, George. Someday I'll figure out how to use this iPhone for realz...

Thanks for the heads up ::

The paywall'd Harpers (two free paragraphs) ::
http://harpers.org/archive/2015/03/in...

I gotta see if I can track down a print copy again.

"William T. Vollmann’s next book, “Carbon Ideologies,” will appear in 2017."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/19/boo...

I know you guys want all the scraps. This google result requires a log=in to see what's going on and maybe one of you has one. But, ::

"Publishers Marketplace: Dealmaker: Paul Slovak (Editor)
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&r...
National Book Award-winning author of Europe Central William Vollmann's CARBON IDEOLOGIES, journalistic investigations into the ideologies behind coal, oil ..."


""It's written for people 100 years from now—if there are still people then."—William T. Vollmann, working on a Carbon Ideologies book." --Thanks Jack!!!

Release date for Carbon Ideologies :: Summer 2018.

According to this round up of stuff ::
https://www.bardonchinese.com/admin/d...

"Vollmann’s journalistic investigations into the ideologies behind coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power production around the world, from West Virginia to Japan."

This is exciting! I wonder how long it will end up being? Thanks you for posting this, I have been waiting on news about this one. I really think Vollmann is the perfect writer to tackle this issue.

Kyle wrote: "This is exciting! I wonder how long it will end up being? Thanks you for posting this, I have been waiting on news about this one. I really think Vollmann is the perfect writer to tackle this issue."

There are only two options :: size of Poor People or size of Imperial. There is no in between.

Wouldn't mind another Imperial-sized tome up on the shelf.

So possibly nothing new from Vollmann in 2017? At least this gives me time to catch up... Almost done Last Stories.
RURD will be done eventually, I imagine.
then: YBRA; Rainbow Stories; and Poor People...oh and Dying Grass...and Imperial.

Just when you think you're getting close...

Alexander wrote: "So possibly nothing new from Vollmann in 2017? At least this gives me time to catch up... Almost done Last Stories.
RURD will be done eventually, I imagine.
then: YBRA; Rainbow Stories; and Poor Pe..."

Didn't we miss a Vollmann in '16 too? Time to catch up for sure. But I won't be surprised when one of his other publishers bring out something or other ; some artwork maybe.

Just read that "No Immediate Danger: Vol 1 of Carbon Ideologies" is set for publication April 10th 2018. Wonder how many volumes he has planned.

Cody wrote: "Just read that "No Immediate Danger: Vol 1 of Carbon Ideologies" is set for publication April 10th 2018. Wonder how many volumes he has planned."

I didn't realize it would be multi-volume. This is exciting news.

At least two!

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "At least two!"

Almost certainly.

Good grief, another doorstop. Er, make that two doorstops. But it probably makes a lot more sense than one Imperial-sized tome.

I'm getting mine in eBook. I have many, many doorstops to build a fortress.

Cody wrote: "Just read that "No Immediate Danger: Vol 1 of Carbon Ideologies" is set for publication April 10th 2018. Wonder how many volumes he has planned."

Published by Viking. Well, at least we can be fairly certain there won't be shortages of copies.

A list price of $40 -- Viking must think it will sell better than Imperial or The Dying Grass, both of which went for $55. Also, not as long of course, but Argall, about the same length, went for $40 back in 2001.

Iiiinteresting

Volume 2!

"Watch for No Good Alternative, the second volume of Carbon Ideologies, focusing on human experiences related to coal mining and oil and natural gas production – coming in June 2018."

http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/boo...

ATJG wrote: "Volume 2!

"Watch for No Good Alternative, the second volume of Carbon Ideologies, focusing on human experiences related to coal mining and oil and natural gas production – coming in June 2018."

h..."

Last paragraph of the info about No Immediate Danger.

Only two months later - interesting.

Two volumes? My best guess is Vollmann wrote one very large book and his publisher broke it up into two volumes.

Interesting article from NPR about Coal and Nuclear power
link

Exactly, Gsm235.

Two volume books are usually disastrous economically. You end up with many more of the second volumes that inevitably make their way to the remaindered table and then on into used book stores. Just look at all those Vol.2s of The Man Without Qualities all over secondhand shops.

Vollmann's grace in this case is that I am sure you could start with vol. 2 as easily as vol. 1 since it is non-fiction and thematic.

is The Man Without Qualities any good?

Alexander wrote: "is The Man Without Qualities any good?"

Yes. But (most of) the second volume sucks.

Can someone please explain to me how Vollmann manages to write so many books? Not only quantity, but quality as well. I just do not understand how it's humanly possible for a married man with a kid and so many diverse interests to physically sit down and write as much as he does AND get it all published! Truly astounding. When does he get a vote for the Nobel Prize, seriously?

Quite mysterious indeed. Especially since a lot of his books involve getting up and going places, not sitting down.

Because there’s usually a wife taking care of the kid(s). All the high powered career women I know juggles career and running a home. The laptop/mobile device allows them to work while waiting at the doctor’s office with the kid. They have assistants they plug into to run their errands. Maybe Vollmann has an assistant.

His wife is a doctor. I think I've heard mention of an assistant. Others who know more might chime in. Vollmann owns a building that he converted into a studio, where in addition to writing, he paints and makes sculptures. I get the impression from profiles I've read that he does little but work.
While Vollmann deserves a Nobel, he lacks one of the unofficial requirements -- a large readership and widespread recognition in his home country. Most Americans, even well-read ones, will look at you blankly when you say his name. His kind of writing is terribly unfashionable here -- I think he's held in higher esteem in Europe.

Bill told me years ago he writes about 18 hours a day. His output would likely be even greater but he developed carpal-tunnel. He has experimented with voice recognition software but at the time it was not working well at all. Again, this was maybe 15 years ago. Voice recognition has come a long way and most of his stuff at the time was being written long hand.

Btw, his wife is a radiologist.

Chris wrote: "Bill told me years ago he writes about 18 hours a day. His output would likely be even greater but he developed carpal-tunnel. He has experimented with voice recognition software but at the time it..."

18 hours a day? That goes beyond passion into obsession territory. But I certainly am thankful for it.

Yeah, I guess because I'm in my forties now and struggling to finish stories I've been dabbling with for years, while working and maintaining a semblance of a social life, I am in awe of his discipline and output. I have read many of his books and enjoy all of them, while always learning. I doubt I'll ever catch up in reading everything he's written, though I'd like to. When I sit down to write fiction I get very scattered and antsy, especially on nice days, plus lonely, so I guess all successful writers leearn to power through and Vollmann seems to still be in 5th gear. Truly amazing.

Addendum: Just re-read his essay on "Writing" from Four Essays, excerpted in Expelled from Eden. Vollmann talks about the pain, but focuses on the joy of writing. I do wonder about the obsessive aspect of it though and how that effects the people closest to him.

This is probably old news but Vollmann tour has been announced (finally):

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/au...

ATJG wrote: "This is probably old news but Vollmann tour has been announced (finally):

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/au..."

Not old news at all! Thanks for keeping us posted!

Very nice to see him on the East Coast again.

Thanks for the dates!

Also found this: https://harpers.org/archive/2017/12/i...

ATJG wrote: "This is probably old news but Vollmann tour has been announced (finally):

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/au..."
Time to lug 7 Vols of RURD and all 5 Dreams to Union Square. Gonna get him to sign them all!

Griffin wrote: "Time to lug 7 Vols of RURD and all 5 Dreams to Union Square. Gonna get him to sign them all! "
Time to lug 7 Vols of RURD and al..."

Do it!

Does anyone know if Powell Books will offer signed pre-orders for the Carbon Ideologies like they did for The Dying Grass? I'm holding off on my order until then.

Just got off the phone with Powell's. I was told there would likely be a pre-order for a signed edition, but that their April schedule wasn't finalized. I was also told to check back in about three weeks. I think I paid the cover price plus $10 for my copy of The Dying Grass.

James wrote: "Just got off the phone with Powell's. I was told there would likely be a pre-order for a signed edition, but that there April schedule wasn't finalized. I was told to check back in about three week..."

Thanks for looking into that. Let us know when you hear more.

George wrote: "Sounds like a great deal. James did he just sign his name, or did he put a nice drawing with your copy of Dying Grass?"

It was just a plain signed edition. I wasn't there in person, so I didn't get to ask for an illustration. Any idea of what you would want illustrated? For The Dying Grass ask for an illustration of his personal wyakin. For the carbon ideologies maybe a lump of coal or fracking rig. Most seem to be pretty quick sketches.