What is the Vollmann Club?

The Vollmann Club is an online collaborative effort to read all of William T. Vollmann's books and place Mr. Vollmann's work into perspective. Participating sites include Black Market Kidneys, Conversational Reading, The Happy Booker, Rake's Progress, and Return of the Reluctant. The project began after several people saw Mr. Vollmann at book signings, got a bit excited, and realized that they needed to read more of his work. The only requirement to joining the Vollmann Club is that a member must have seen Mr. Vollmann in the flesh.

Are You Insane? Hasn't Vollmann Written Something Like 60 Books?

We're passionate about literature. So, yes, we're insane to some degree. And while Mr. Vollmann is a very prolific writer (rivaling only Joyce Carol Oates), splitting the books among five people isn't nearly as unwieldy as it seems. Plus, there's no hard deadline to finishing his books, which means that we can all go about our lives while pursuing this.

Who is William T. Vollmann?

William T. Vollmann is one of the most fearless authors of our time, often considered to be the dark horse of contemporary novelists. Born in Los Angeles in 1959, Vollmann studied at Deep Springs College and Cornell University. He wrote his first novel, You Bright and Risen Angels, while working as a computer programmer. He has traveled to Alaska, Afghanistan and a variety of exotic locations that would rival Jack London. Vollmann is willing to go places where most novelists fear to tread. For The Rifles, Vollmann holed up in the Magnetic North Pole for two weeks to relive the hardships of the Franklin Expedition, just to know what it was like to be cold and hungry. To befriend prostitutes and get them to talk to him, he was willing to smoke crack. He has also been writing an ongoing series of historical novels called The Seven Dreams, a seven-volume series written by "William the Blind" about (to put it mildly) clashes between native North Americans and settlers. Vollmann is also known for his monumental seven-book treatise on violence, Rising Up and Rising Down, which runs some 3,300 pages. He currently lives in Sacramento, California.

If you're new to Vollmann, Scott has a few ideas on where to start reading.

Why Aren't You Reading the Unabridged Version of Rising Up and Rising Down?

Mostly because it's a collector's item that is now very difficult to find. Much to the surprise of everyone, nearly every copy managed to sell. We suggest checking out Rising Up and Rising Down, a blog devoted to reading the seven volume work in its entirety.

The Books

We've split up Vollmann's books among the five participants. As posts come in, we will link to the appropriate content among the participating litbloggers. More supplemental links will be added, as time permits.

You Bright and Risen Angels (1989) (Conversational Reading)

Rainbow Stories (1989) (Return of the Reluctant)

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow": A cursory look at Vollmann as narrator and his imagery. (Return of the Reluctant, 5/22/05)

The Ice-Shirt (1990) (Seven Dreams, Vol. 1) (Return of the Reluctant)

Whores for Gloria (1991) (Black Market Kidneys)

13 Stories and 13 Epitaphs (1992) (Rake's Progress)

An Afghanistan Picture Show (1992) (Conversational Reading)

Fathers and Crows (Seven Dreams, Vol. 2) (1992) (Black Market Kidneys)

Fathers and Crows: PP. 1-106: Tito Perez finds his groove and chronicles Vollmann's use of the aside. (Black Market Kidneys, 5/25/05)

Butterfly Stories (1993) (The Happy Booker)

The Rifles (1994) (Seven Dreams, Vol. 6) (Rake's Progress)

The Atlas (1996) (The Happy Booker)

The Royal Family (2000) (Conversational Reading)

"The Royal Family is Long" (RV#1): Does Vollmann really need to write that much? Also, deals with The Royal Family's repetition. (Conversational Reading, 5/25/05)

Argall (2001) (Seven Dreams, Vol. 3) (Return of the Reluctant)

Expelled from Eden: A William T. Vollmann Reader (2004) (The Happy Booker)

Rising Up and Rising Down (2004 -- abridged) (Rake's Progress)

[NOTE: For thoughts on the unabridged version, the blog Rising Up and Rising Down has been carrying on an ongoing chronicle.]

Europe Central (2005) (Return of the Reluctant)

"Europe Central": Scott's initial impressions halfway through the book. (Conversational Reading, 1/9/06)

"Europe Central": Scott finishes the book and ponders Vollmann's historical objectivity. (Conversational Reading, 1/16/06)

Uncentering the Earth: Copernicus and the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (2006)

Poor People (2007)

Los Angeles Times Book Review: Edward Champion's take. (3/4/07)