I am dying to read the Amazon reviews for this one.

November 5, 2013 10:47 AM

Help me identify this bizarre book I attempted to read as a kid.

Sometime between 1987 and 1992 I picked up a book from the Adult Fiction section of the public library. I chose it for the cover which either resembled something like or actually was from Hieronymous Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delight". When I tried to actually read the book, it made no sense. I was pretty young and a lot of fiction for adults would have been a little dense for me or a bit over my head but, I swear, with this book, one sentence didn't even follow the next! I have no idea how it was ever published.

I remember nothing about the author, not even whether they were male or female. The only other clue I can think of is I know it was supposed to be about something magical or fantastical in some way.

posted by Jess the Mess to Writing & Language (18 answers total)

Jabberwocky?
posted by Grither at 10:56 AM on November 5, 2013

This is not fiction, but apparently there was a version of The Golden Bough which featured part of The Garden of Earthly Delights on its cover.

Again, it is not fiction, but it is definitely dense, and it is about something magical or fantastical in some way.
posted by Flunkie at 10:59 AM on November 5, 2013

Response by poster: No it definitely wasn't Lewis Carroll. I was a big fan of his so I would have remembered. This was not anyone I'd ever heard of before.
posted by Jess the Mess at 11:00 AM on November 5, 2013

Response by poster: Flunkie, I don't think that was it as I'm sure the book was fiction but I wonder if the person from your first link was looking for the same book I am? I can't imagine anyone's grandmother giving it to them as a gift though!
posted by Jess the Mess at 11:04 AM on November 5, 2013

Here is an image of a version of The Golden Bough with (what looks to me to be a modified) part of The Garden of Earthly Delights.
posted by Flunkie at 11:04 AM on November 5, 2013

Response by poster: Hmm. Still don't think that's it. It was definitely a story. But one that made no sense. Like each sentence was coherent in and of itself but a paragraph taken as whole would be nonsensical.
posted by Jess the Mess at 11:10 AM on November 5, 2013

Best answer: Is it this?
posted by ian1977 at 11:10 AM on November 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

This is way out in left field and I have no idea if a version with a cover like that was ever published, but could it have been Finnegan's Wake?
posted by eleanna at 11:18 AM on November 5, 2013

This wouldn't have been in the fiction section except in the most exceptional bookstores, but could it have been the Codex Seraphinianus?
posted by carsonb at 11:24 AM on November 5, 2013

Response by poster: OMG, ian1977, after some googling around, I believe that's it. And much to my surprise there are at least a couple of people who read the whole thing and even enjoyed it!
posted by Jess the Mess at 11:40 AM on November 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

Hurray!

It looks intriguing. We should do an ask.mefi book club on it.
posted by ian1977 at 11:47 AM on November 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

Much of the text is available on Google Books.


Apparently the cover painting is kind of necessary as the book is literally about a starship crew that is thrust into the world of that very painting. Okay...
posted by Naberius at 11:48 AM on November 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

The last line of the ebook is...

"Party time," cooed Loquela.


Oh...my.
posted by ian1977 at 11:59 AM on November 5, 2013 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Hehe. I think that would have been my first encounter with Bosch. If I had been familiar with him beforehand, the book might have made more sense.

This Amazon review pretty much says it all: "One of those books a little on the surreal side. Ian Watson is certainly not averse to a little (or a lot) of that. A world modeled after a famous Bosch painting, apparently. Lots of dying, and worthiness, and devils, and traipsing through hell. And nekkidness and talking animals, and categorisation by pigmentation. All this by astronaut/scientist types, too, of course. You get the idea."

No wonder I haven't touched a science fiction book since!
posted by Jess the Mess at 12:14 PM on November 5, 2013

Ian Watson is still alive and writing. I hope he's still getting royalties because I'm sensing a spike in Kindle purchases in the near future... I certainly want to check out his first book:

His first novel, The Embedding, winner of the Prix Apollo in 1975, is unusual for being based on ideas from generative grammar; the title refers to the process of center embedding.

Trivia: he also wrote a trilogy of Warhammer 40,000 books and the screenplay for A.I. Artificial Intelligence!

Thanks for bringing this guy to my attention, he sounds just my cup of tea, Warhammer excepted.
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 2:19 PM on November 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

Books by other Ian Watsons (half of me hopes they are by the same one though):

The Penis Monster's Movie Guide
Blood Sex & Scooby Snacks
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 2:29 PM on November 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

Aw, and I was hoping it was Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch by Henry Miller...
posted by jim in austin at 7:07 PM on November 5, 2013

Just hopping back in after reading The Gardens of Delight. I really enjoyed it! The heavy meta-philosophical tone might not be to everyone's taste, but he's a good writer, the sort who you enjoy just for the taste of his sentences while finding yourself halfway through a book without realizing you haven't been able to put it down.
I also highly recommend the author's excellent afterword, in which he says the above-mentioned Henry Miller book was his introduction to Hieronymus Bosch.
Looking forward to reading more of his work.
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 8:33 AM on November 26, 2013 [2 favorites]