I've only read a few books whose sole objective appears to be 'every single sentence needs to be revelatory'. Ulysses, Lolita, and Under The Volcano stand out most. Reading Permanent Earthquake by Evan Dara, it feels like a similar objective,maybe not execution - but Jesus it's unrelenting.

エヴァン・ダーラ/ 木原善彦訳『失われたスクラップブック』(幻戯書房) 読了 ものすごい読み応えだった。前半はラジオを手動でチューニングするときのように切れ切れに様々な会話が展開する。誰が何について話しているのかわからないものもあるが、それぞれのエピソードがとてもおもしろい。後半になってチューニングが合うと、ひとつのできごとにフォーカスされ、やがて前半の会話を巻き込んで怒涛の展開になる。そして..... 音楽的といってもいい構成だ。ダーラの素性がリチャード・パワーズなのではないかと思われたのも頷ける作品。他の作品も読んでみたい。/重版が決まったそうで喜ばしいかぎり

The Japanese edition of Evan Dara's debut novel, The Lost Scrapbook, has been awarded the Grand Prize at the 11th Japan Translation Awards. Grateful to Yoshihiko Kihara (@shambhalian.bsky.social) and Genki Shobo (@genki-shobou.bsky.social) for carrying it across. evandara.org/2025/04/28/t...

I just want to call more attention to this book and author. Evan Dara is severely, severely underrated; true gem of a writer. Insane to have a debut this good and not be a household name.

Colm Tóibín reporting from his home in LA for the @londonreview.bsky.social... www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

While reading ‘Permanent Earthquake’ I felt that Dara was slipping. Maybe that was a prejudice against the fantastical occluding my critical eye. Years on now I find myself reflecting on it weekly.

For those seeking a taste of Daniel Green's critical acumen, we point you to his thoughtful survey of Evan Dara's body of work (published prior to Permanent Earthquake): www.thereadingexperience.net/tre/2020/05/...

From Evan Dara's The Lost Scrapbook...

And a “—Merry Christmas, the man threatened” from all of us at Dalkey Archive

It's about six and change from us if you ever wanna chance it. 2025: We live for the bit? Anyway, see ya on the other side of Evan Dara.

Our favorite photo of the thread...

"I seek out experimental fiction, but even having read countless books in that lane, this one still manages to do things with language that I don’t think I’ve ever seen done before..." #evandara www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

—

Those last 30 pages or so of Permanent Earthquake are still messing me up 3 years later. Not sure how he pulled that off. Such a great novel.

The word spreads slowly, but it does spread, one reader at a time…

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. (4/20) #BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge #20daybookchallenge

“Literature – even though people usually study it author by author – is always a dialog amongst many voices which intersect and reply to each other within literature and outside it.” – Italo Calvino

Words must be *aware of* one another when they are put into play, otherwise each one would lie down on the page indifferently, as satisfied simply to be there as the things of pure existence are. - William Gass

I had to pause this to finish Miley, but since that’s now in, I’m finishing this up. It’s going directly to indie publishers, so any suggestions are welcome!

Translation: "Evan Dara is great. There are no other similar works. I will definitely buy Kihara-sensei's translation. I have all of Dara's works. I also got the digital-only 'Mose Eakins' when it was released for free/with a tip system. @libro"

These are my favorite books of the year. 1 Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon 2 The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner 3 Nox by Anne Carson 4 The Blue Clerk by Dionne Brand 5 Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 6 Permanent Earthquake by Evan Dara 7 Solenoid by Mircea Cărtărescu

Keeping good company...