ADSactly Literature: For the Love of Cult Authors: Chuck Palahniuk
What exactly is a “cult author”? Not someone who writes about cults, certainly, but rather a writer who had (either during his lifetime or posthumously) gathered a cult following – squadrons of rabid fans re-reading his or her books over and over and quoting them to anyone who’s willing to listen.
It’s tricky to define exactly what makes a cult book, but chances are you’ll know when you read one. It’s often something obscure, because our society is obsessed with the strange and quirky. A cult author often comes at ya from the fringes of society, they write about the subcultures, about the downtrodden, about the underground. They represent that world you’d kinda like to inhabit, but are often too scared to do so. And often enough, they become the fascination of a lifetime.
In this new @adsactly series, we’ll be taking a look at several “cult authors” who mesmerize audiences in life, as well as long after their deaths. And next up in our series is beloved American author, Chuck Palahniuk.
Now, the first rule of cult authors is you don’t talk about cult authors. But that leaves us with precious little to say to one another, doesn’t it, readers? So, I suppose we shall have to break this rule, in order to find out more about the crazy life of Fight Club’s creator.
And I do mean crazy life, crazier by far than any of the other authors we’ve featured so far in our series and very probably, crazier than the ones yet to come.
In 2004, Palahniuk released a collection of non-fiction short stories and essays about his life, entitled ‘Stranger Than Fiction’ and that is indeed, the best way to describe this man’s life and mind. Little is known about Chuck’s childhood. He was the descendant of Ukranian immigrants, hence his surname and lived with his parents and three siblings in Burbank, Washington until the age of fourteen, when his parents separated and later divorced.
As a young man, Palahniuk worked various jobs, from mechanic to a brief stint as a journalist, to working in a homeless shelter and volunteering at a hospice, where he worked as escort for terminally ill patients who had trouble moving. This experience affected Palahniuk greatly, and he stopped going after growing attached to one of the patients who then died.
Interestingly, Palahniuk only started writing “seriously” in his thirties, after attending writing workshops, hosted by novelist Tom Spanbauer, where he’d actually gone to make new friends.
Obviously, Palahniuk’s experiences in the homeless shelter and the hospice affected his writing, as did his strange and frankly, disturbing family history.
The Palahniuk family was haunted by a series of tragedies, especially on the paternal side. Chuck never got to know his father’s parents because they died tragically when Chuck’s dad was only three years old. According to Palahniuk himself,
"My grandfather was hit over the head by a crane boom in Seattle. Some of the family claimed he was never a violent, crazy person before that. Some say he was. It depends who you believe."
His grandparents apparently got into a bitter argument one day over the price of a sewing machine, which resulted in Nick Palahniuk (Chuck’s grandfather) shooting his wife dead, searching the house for more victims before finally turning the gun on himself. Chuck’s father only survived this insane attack by hiding under the bed, of course witnessing the whole thing. Pretty gritty, don’t you think?
Oddly enough, Chuck’s father, Fred Palahniuk, would die in an equally horrible manner, at the age of fifty-nine. Not long before his murder, Fred Palahniuk responded to a personal (dating) ad from a woman called Donna Fontaine. Fontaine’s ex was incarcerated at the time, having been charged of abuse and had vowed to kill Fontaine upon his release, which he did. He shot both her and Fred Palahniuk and then burned the bodies, which later earned him a death sentence.
Naturally, this disturbed Chuck Palahniuk greatly, both the murder itself (which would find its way into his subsequent works) and his own involvement in getting the guy the death sentence. Palahniuk would later channel his grief and anger into the novel ‘Lullaby’.
Chuck Palahniuk’s first two novels ‘If You Lived Here, You’d be Home Already’ and ‘Invisible Monsters’ were both rejected by publishers due to the coarse, dark voice that has now become an emblem of Palahniuk’s writing. Palahniuk, irritated by these rejections decided to abandon “traditional” writing and publishing and set out to write an even more disturbing novel, just to upset the publishers. We now know that novel as ‘Fight Club’, which Palahniuk initially wrote as a short story. It’s believed that much of the novel was inspired by Palahniuk’s own experiences with the Cacophony Society, an anarchic gathering focused on large-scale public pranks, outrageous behavior with the distinct purpose of opposing mainstream culture.
Even though he managed to get a book deal for ‘Fight Club’, it wasn’t actually a major success and it was only with the movie’s DVD release (much later) that the book (and Palahniuk himself) started gathering a cult following.
In the wake of ‘Fight Club’, the author has written many novels and is revered by fans all over the world. Again, there is nothing “mainstream” about Palahniuk. His style of writing is so different from anything else that is out there. His is a voice of gore, but also often of deep, primal feeling – which I suppose is what people find so interesting about him.
Honestly, he’s the only writer who ever made me want to stop reading something and scream out in shock. But that is rather tame, considering his story ‘Guts’ was responsible for over sixty people actually fainting at readings. I don’t encourage you to read that, as it’s not for the feeble-hearted. It’s not for the not-so-feeble-hearted, if you get my drift. And you should be warned that it is very disturbing and graphic. Still, it feels only right to mention it given the critical fame it’s gathered over the past fifteen years. So, if you’re curious, you can read it here.
Given that Chuck Palahniuk is only fifty seven years old, I think it’s a tad early to talk about his artistic legacy, as we have about our previous authors. However, I am sure that being such a unique voice, he has inspired plenty of budding writers and I’m sure his influence will be felt in literature over the next decades.
Authored by @honeydue
References: Wiki; Strange But True: A Short Biography of Chuck Palahniuk
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Thank you!
Dear @honeydue, as always an inspiring post. I have not read Palahniuk , however, I know many references, of course, from the film The Fight Club, which I have seen several times. Sometimes, cult authors awaken in me, as a reader, the procastination, precisely because of the insistence of the recommendations (for example, I have not yet seen the film TItainic!), but more than once also these recommendations of the fanatics have led me to fundamental references for me, as happened to me with the reading of The Lord of the Rings.
Right now, your comment on Guts has intrigued me very, very much. I think it's time to read Palahniuk.
Thank you and @adsactly for publishing your text.
I know what you mean, I tend to stay away from "popular" writers, too. I'm trying to include in this series not just those authors who are generally liked, but those I like personally (so that at least I know it's not just for the sake of their name) :) You didn't miss much with Titanic ;) Never been a favorite.
But you're right, you could also discover something great while listening to the masses, so you gotta take a chance sometimes. Also, stay tuned because there will be a feature on Tolkien in this cult author series a bit later on ;)
Uh I hope Guts didn't gross you out too much. I had to take a 10 minute break after reading it because I was so disgusted :))
Wow! All right, I'll be very attentive. Tolkien is a top writer. Fascinate by his imagination, but also by his verbal quality.
He is capable of a great opera, like The Lord of the Rings, as well as a small piece of jewelry like The Hobbit.
Greetings, @honeydue.
I know, he's a truly incredible writer. It's no wonder he inspired so many of today's authors (and people in general), he had a beautiful mind! :)
Thanks for your post developer, @honeydue. Beyond your name, which I've ever read in articles or comments, I haven't had a chance to read it. The only indirect reference would be the film The Fight Club by the filmmaker David Fincher, who is not by chance interested in this text, because he is a director with a penchant for rugged and dark subjects (I always remember the impact that his first famous film, Seven, created for me). I believe that there is a generation of contemporary American writers very affected by hard and fatal lives and destinies, in which not only has American society had an impact with its problems, but also a certain inheritance of the "lost generation", or the "beat generation", and of authors such as Truman Capote and Norman Mailer. Greetings.
This kind of post is exactly what new authors like me need to see, it helps to see that all the work we put in can be worth it.
I have my new book out right now, 1st weekend on the shelf, would you by chance like a copy to read through? I would love to have your opinion on it and can send it over if your interested.
I must admit I didn't know how hard and tragic Palahniuk's life had been. Obviously, this kind of experience must mark anyone and especially artists. Maybe that's why most of his characters are marginal and react in an aggressive and self-destructive way. I remember reading about the blackouts that Guts caused (I think there was also a lot of exaggeration). In particular, I also think The Fighting Club is also a cult film, one of the toughest and best in recent years. As always, excellent review, @honeydue. Thank you for sharing.
This is great! When Bukowski? I think you’ll find his life might rival Palahniuk’s. Interestingly, they’re both named Chuck.
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Glad you enjoyed it! We had a post on Charles Bukowski a few days ago, you probably missed it (check it out here). And if you're a fan of crazy lives, keep reading, because pretty soon we'll be featuring another writer with a completely crazy life - Hunter S Thompson!
Very interesting read, thanks for compiling this! Had no idea of his past. I've been a huge fan for a long time. Always good to know the story of the man behind the books
I think so too! :) I'm having loads of fun writing this series, mainly because I'm learning a lot of new, interesting things in the process!
😏👍
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I've read five of Palahniuk's novels and I gotta confess I love the way he writes but I know I couldn't write that way. I mean, as a writer, there are a few authors I prefer because of their style and the way they use the language, and of course I try to do it, not in the same way, but in my own way to reach that quality, that power. With Chuck is different, I love him because I know I couldn't write like him, his style is so different from mine that I don't want to write like that but he amazes me every time. Thanks for sharing. Great post.