Geoff Dyer

Out of Sheer Rage

First published by in Great Britain by Little, Brown 1997 April 3. Abacus paperback published 1998 May 7, ISBN 0-349-10858-7.

For once, it may have been helpful that my English studies ended at 'O' level. Geoff Dyer's Out of Sheer Rage defies classification, according to literary critics. It contains elements of memoir, travel writing, boigraphy, literary criticism, psychoanalysis and, probably, a dozen other genres. Devoid of formal chapter breaks, the narrative swings between demented extremes of self-laceration and burlesque, then segues gracefully and almost imperceptibly into poingant reminiscence or carefully thought-out exposition of some aspect of D H Lawrence, his life or his writings. I found the result stimulating, fascinating and interesting. I learned about Dyer and Lawrence in equal measure, which I assume is part of the point.

The reason for reading the book was a recommendation from a correspondent citing a publisher's blurb (often a misleading source of information about a book), which includes the snippet "in Mexico to steep himself in the white-hot beauty of the landscape he cannot get beyond a drug-induced erotic fantasy on a nudist beach". As is common with a blurb, there are elements of truth in there, but also heaps of dis- and mis-information. You can read some of the "nudist beach" episode in the extract. (Note to Truss-followers: the comma is omitted in the original of the blurb - so I have left it out too.)

Although social nudity appears only briefly in Out of Sheer Rage, it does so in an entirely matter-of-fact way. Dyer and his "almost wife" Laura happen to be in a resort with a naturist beach, so they use it, nude. It is not Dyer's fault that the publicist (inevitably?) picks up on this to add a bit of spice to the blurb.

While I have no hesitation in recommending this book, I strongly advise that, before buying, you pick it up in the bookshop or library and read the first few pages. It might infuriate you or irritate you to the point where you put it back on the shelf and walk away. Dyer - particularly early Dyer - is not to everyone's taste.

Ratings:

Nudity	Naturist nudity	A good read?

Last updated 2005 November 2.
 
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