Jeff Vandermeer called me an “arrogant ass” on Twitter yesterday.
What an arrogant ass. Have you never read Kafka’s “In the Penal Colony”?
— Jeff VanderMeer (@jeffvandermeer) September 4, 2018
This was in response to my new piece in Unwinnable, where I discussed the relationship between Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker and Vandermeer’s novel, Annihilation. I’m not really sure why he was so upset with my comparison between the two. Frankly, I feel like most people would be pretty pleased to be compared with a cinematic master like Tarkovsky, but I suppose you can’t please everyone all the time. On the positive side of things, this is my most successful Tweet ever. Thanks for that, Jeff! You really made my day.
And since you’re here, go head over to Unwinnable and check out my article and all the other great work they publish!
PS: I read Kafka’s In the Penal Colony. Good recommendation, but have you never read Mirbeau’s The Torture Garden?