Tom Wolfe

[OmahaBlueDog]

Poll question: Tom Wolfe

The Right Stuff
Bonfire of the Vanities
A Man In Full

...what say you?

[Capn Sunshine]

1. even though he's a Bush supporting , ice cream suit wearing douche

"The Right Stuff" was one of the best things I have ever read.
Conversely,
"Bonfire of the Vanities" one of the worst.

[Patiod]

20. "The Right Stuff" rocks

and "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" was facinating to a child of the 70's whose sibling who went through the whole pscychodelic thing.

Once he got into fiction, not so much

"I Am Charlotte Simmons" was just stupid.

[Ikonoklast]

2. Has an enormous opinion of himself.

His ego is larger than his talent.

[NightWatcher]

3. I liked The Electric Koolaid Acid Test

I dont know crap about his politics

[OmahaBlueDog]

4. He was a vocal Bush supporter in 2004

Some have suggested that "I Am Charlotte Simmons" took a traditional-values stance toward promiscuity.

[Fire Walk With Me]

5. I tried to read "I Am Charlotte Simmons" but couldn't finish it.

I'm not sure why. I do like his work, and am horrified to learn that he's a Bush mouthpiece.

[Shining Jack]

15. I Am Charlotte Simmons...

Is the only book from him that I've read and I managed to read the whole thing.The story in itself is interesting but none of the characters are likable and they're all superficial and self centered.Didn't know that he was a Bushite either until now.

[SteppingRazor]

6. Amazing writer. One of the best of the 20th century.

I'm speaking primarily about his New Journalism stuff here -- his fictional work pales in comparison, obviously, given the widespread distaste toward Bonfire of the Vanities, etc. I'm aware he's fairly conservative, but I don't see how that affects the man, stylistically speaking. His writing is anything but conservative, took journalism in an entirely new and exciting direction, opened doors for other writers of a similarly subjective style such as Terry Southern and Gay Talese (neither of whom would have had as great of careers without his exposure of their work, not to mention his enshrining of Hunter Thompson and Norman Mailer, among others, in the seminal The New Journalism), and changed the way people looked at current events throughout the 60s and 70s.

[PassingFair]

7. Other. You left out misogynist asshole.

His understanding of women is less than zero.

His female characters are pitiable.

:thumbsdown:

[OmahaBlueDog]

8. I have to admit this

I'm a huge fan of W.E.B. Griffin. He has two bad qualities. 1) he is a wingnut 2) he may be the worst writer of women I've read.

But he tells a Helluva war story. I'm hooked.

So while I don't disagree with you that Wolfe doesn't write women well, I've seen worse.

OTOH, I find the notion of prisoners reading greek philosophy to be stretching the limits of plausibility. ("A Man in Full" features this).

[PassingFair]

9. As a woman, I find it unforgivable.

He positively FIXATES on the unattractiveness of the
breadth of womens' BACKS for page upon page.

His breathless, luridly detailed description of
horse insemination made me wonder whether he might
not be better suited to animal "husbandry" than an
observer of human relationships.



Asshat.

On edit: "Asshat" is a caption for the photo, I do NOT mean you. :)

[SoxFan]

11. So that's what an asshat actually looks like

Do they come in colors other than white?

[Kat45]

10. Absolutley loved his New Journalism stuff.

I read a lot of his nonfiction books, starting in college and he was pretty much my favorite writer. He was a definite influence on me as a writer. I can't speak about his fiction because I never got around to reading any of it. Didn't know that he's a conservative.

[OmahaBlueDog]

14. From what I've read, he dismisses the conservative label, but...

he did support Bush (citing, among other things, his will to fight) and (as I indicated earlier) I Am Charlotte Simons is thought by some to have an anti-promiscuity message.

[old mark]

12. Some great stuff, some just not. Loved Right Stuff, Bauhaus (perfectly right, Tom)

but not much else. Pump House Gang was pretty dull, Streamlined Baby was just OK, Acid Test interesting because of the material.

When he is good he is great, but he is inconsistent and can really be too clever and full of himself to be readable.

mark

[dembotoz]

13. some really good stuff, some really horrid stuff

but good enuf that if i find one of his books at a yard sale that i have not read, i will prob
buy it and start to read it.
If good, i will finnish it
If crap i will dump it.

[begin_within]

16. He gets a life time pass for "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" and

most of "The Pump House Gang"

[OmahaBlueDog]

17. Just so people don't think I'm making the Bush stuff up...

'The liberal elite hasn't got a clue'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/nov/01/uselections2004.books

Status Reporter
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008076

Tom Wolfe - In Defense of George W. Bush
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d35bCiekD3A

[MilesColtrane]

18. Never read him.

But, I would buy some ice cream from him if he drove a truck with bells down my street.

(Now THAT'S good humor.)

[OmahaBlueDog]

19. Do you know what's wrong with DU??

Our sight doesn't use the :rimshot: smilie.

That, sir, deserved a rimshot.

[Z_I_Peevey]

21. Other

Might put his talents to better use in the Tim Gunn role on a menswear version of Project Runway.