Stewart Mitchell’s Reviews > Concrete > Status Update

I had this exact feeling a few years back and I did plow through about 6 of his books. Concrete is a good one. I still hold The Loser, Woodcutters, and Correction in the highest regard. Old Masters is very funny. And the earlier ones, The Lime Works and Gargoyles are interesting, too. Those show an younger stage of his evolution before he reached the full command he had with his novels of the 1980s.

I owned The Loser for many years before I finally decided to read it last year. I had no interest in the rambling single paragraph monologue style, but then I read Gaddis’s Agape Agape which intentionally apes Bernhard’s work and which I loved, so I figured it was time to dive into his stuff. I’ve absolutely loved everything I’ve read so far, Concrete possibly being my favorite, but I’m really looking forward to Woodcutters and Correction. As soon as I read The Loser I ordered everything else I could find of his, so I think I have about 13 more on my shelf to pick from? If they’re all nearly as good as the 3 I’ve read, I’ll rank him very highly among my favorite authors.