Russell Hoban

[steepholm]

If I you'd asked me yesterday I wouldn't have known whether or not Russell Hoban was still alive. I'm very sorry to know today that he's dead, though. Riddley Walker was one of the Big Books of my teen years. When I try to describe it to people who haven't read it, it sounds just awful ("post-apocalyptic Kent, made-up language, etc"), but he succeeded where almost any other writer would have come a cropper. That book, at least, will live.

(Also, I really like Bread and Jam for Frances, even though Frances doesn't look like a "proper" badger.)