Brighter Graphite: Two Novellas

By Michael Horvath

Two startling, quirky and wry novellas that present allegorical worlds around life, death and art. Graphite presents an otherworldly tale of a man in search of the source for the world's most perfect... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977614298
• ISBN13: 9780977614295
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Tatra Press
• Length: 143 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Fabulous visual imagery

Both stories, Graphite and Brighter, are beautifully told and will appeal to readers who like such writers as Steven Milhauser and Bruno Schultz. Especially loved the humor of the artist/narrator in Graphite and the images of the town and people covered in graphite dust. Very richly evoked mood and images. Book itself is a delight--beautifully designed with textured paper that adds to the sensory appeal of the prose.

Wow!

I encountered these novellas by surprise, as a result of my having gone to a reading given by the author at a small bookstore in Brooklyn. My reason for going had nothing at all to do with the author or his work, neither of which I had ever heard of. I went to see a couple of former business colleagues who I hadn't seen in a while, one of whom was the wife of the book's publisher. Listening to Horvath discuss his work, I became moderately interested so I decided to pick up a copy. On the subway ride home, I started reading "Brighter." I was more curious about that novella because of a general sense that at the reading, people seemed more comfortable talking about the other one, "Graphite." By the time I got home, I was hooked. I quickly finished "Brighter" and shortly thereafter, read "Graphite." Both are amazing! The story lines are simple. In "Brighter," we follow through the eyes of an artist-turned-art dealer a feud between two factions of artists, the Formalists and the Romantics as it begins, escalates, and culminates in a resolution that is . . . I can't say . . . I don't want to give too much away. Suffice it to say I understand why this novella would make people uncomfortable. In "Graphite," we tag along on a mission undertaken by an artist to visit the company that makes the top-of-the-line pencils he cherishes to learn why they're now breaking too easily. The descriptions of the journey and the yesteryear quality (he goes by train and encounters the sort of gritty industrial cities that by now would likely have evolved into condos and shopping malls, and perhaps, a refurbished warehouse for the gentrification crowd) coupled with some surreal (the ever-present graphite dust) elements are spare, but still manage to be as engaging as any descriptions I've seen. I'll never again look at fabric stain removal the same way as before! Ultimately, though, the protagonist's discovery of the pencil problem and his response are . . . here too, you really need to read for yourself. Both plots are spare so there really is little more I could say without detracting form your experience of reading. What I can talk about is Horvath's craft. I was a bit leery of his approach, not because it's bad (past writers like Kafka used it brilliantly and there are some echoes of late 20th century Latin American authors) but because it's so easy for a wannabe novice to try this and make a hopeless mess while dodging criticism by claiming some sort new artistic approach. Indeed, I groaned a bit when, at the reading, Horvath used the word "nonlinear" to describe how he presents the passage of time in "Brighter." But with these novellas, Horvath nailed it every step of the way. Everything he tried worked perfectly. After reading, I kept trying to play devil's advocate with these works to see where the author might have slipped up. I found nothing. Every sentence, every character, every setting, every motivation, every plot element, everything is exactly as

Masterful work...Original...Artful

Great book, enjoyed it. Beautiful use of language. Very visual, darkly humorous. Would love to see a movie version of it.

Masterful

Two powerful and mind-bending novellas from an heretofore undiscovered master of the genre. I was drawn into Michael Horvath's fantastical voyages through the underbelly of the art world from the first sentence of each. Methinks, only someone intimately knowledgeable of that world could present truths about the realm of artists, dealers, and collectors we often don't want to admit to ourselves in so darkly and humorous a fashion. Both an exemplarily how-to example for would-be short story writers and gripping from the get-go for readers - highly recommended.

Dark Humor and Original Prose

Michael Horvath uses language in a masterful way and his dark, wicked humor is a delight.