 |
| Truffle pigs |
 |
by Holger Reichard, August 2005
translated by Sven Steinert |
| |
With two years one still shits into
the trousers, makes a mess while eating, has a very much limited
vocabulary and is missing - up to the cry for a new bottle of
milk and diaper change - abilities of assert oneself. That’s
what is it like with humans. It is good that Internet Sites
grow up much faster, if you work on them.
www.tcboyle.de celebrates its second birthday, and I am pleased
to be able to write that. Not, because I like anniversaries
that much, but because I use them to make a brief stop, have
a glance at the rear view mirror and take a deep breath.
This I would not want to miss especially this summer because
the second year www.tcboyle.de really had it. That was to be
expected, in the detail however not foreseeable, for once again
the saying proves to be true that it first comes always differently
and secondly, never as you think. It began in one evening in
October 2004. I was out in the pubs, with my
own Raconteur's Club, had a few Beer, talk about own projects,
backbite about artist colleagues, the usual program. When I
came back home late that night and switched on the starter of
my computer, out of pure habit again, I stated surprisingly
that the access numbers had doubled themselves suddenly on www.tcboyle.de.
What had happened?
The Tortilla Curtain had become an obligation reading
in many German Schools. And our Internet address emerged in
a school book for the first time. Werner Richter had prophesied
this development a long time ago. But who could count on the
fact that this would take place virtually over night?
The consequences for our Web site were not exclusive of positive
nature. T.C. Boyle will know it. Not without reason he apologizes
again and again to his young readers that they are forced to
read his novels and short stories. I received a remarkable number
of unpleasant emails in the course of the past year, in which
pupils cursed the book and wished Boyle uncountable diseases. |
| |
 |
| |
But never mind Germans »new generation«.
Because on the one hand, quite a few pupils came up and told
us they are inspired by The Tortilla Curtain and set
T.C. Boyle on their list of favourite writers. On the other hand
I still remember well my own school time, in which we had to
read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley among other things
and I could have shot him up to the moon for that -, if a rocket
and Huxley himself would have been still available.
My opinion over Huxley did not change insignificantly in the
meantime, so we will forgive all pupils, who feel threatened
by papers.
In the end of the year 2004 the turbulences about Dr. Sex
was already fading away in the USA. In Europe it had not begun
yet at all, despite the small spot earth, which I inhabit.
At this time I already went to bed with Dr. Sex and took
part with suggestions on the structure of www.tc-boyle.de,
the Boyle Web Site of the publishing houses dtv, Hanser and
Hörverlag.
Besides, we finished our Second Being Boyle Short Story
competition, which this time was won surprisingly by Werner
Richter. Whereby the surprise did not lie in the fact that he
won the Contest, but that he even participated in it. Fortunately
only I knew, because the choice of the winner story ran anonymous.
It was (for me) an extremely enjoyable Voting. Not less interesting:
the judgements of the jury members.
It was not made easy for the Mr. Translator. All stories of
the competition has been certified high quality, what expressed
itself among other things in the fact that we got an inquiry
of Cologne actors, whether they could read out the stories in
the context of a public meeting. It did not work out in the
end, but perhaps such a coup succeeds during the next contest
(starts in September 2006).
There were several contacts to artists from other ranges as
well by the way. As example I would like to mention a young
music band, which wanted to use the beginning of the Boyle Short
story Filthy with Things - as quotation for their first
English-language album. With the help by US forum member Mimi
we could support the guys and wait now confidently for a mentioning
in their credits.
I was particularly pleased however about the common appearance
of TC Boyle and the Jazztrio Water Music in Hamburg in
May 2005. We helped here at this co-operation a little and thus
the sense and purpose of a Website like www.tcboyle.de in my
opinion more than fulfilled.
But I am too fast now. We still are in the midst of January
2005. It was the week of the Swiss. Or more precisely expressed:
the Schweizer Weltwoche. (Hallo Konrad Tönz!) They started the
reporting over the publication of The Inner Circle in
Europe. Sandro Benini has visited Boyle in California and reported
later on request, that the information on www.tcboyle.de has
been very helpful when he prepared for the discussion with the
writer. That information made me very happy. Because the goal
of our Web Site is - as well known - not only to be there for
fans, but also for pupils, teachers, students and journalists
as well.
Now hardly one day passes, on which several considerable media
on our sides are not our guests. Magazines and broadcasting
corporations such as BRIGITTE,
Bolero, Bavarian broadcast (BR) or Radio
Berlin Brandenburg (rbb) set links to www.tcboyle.de. That
does not have inevitably brought many accesses, but made us
happy nevertheless.
Perhaps yet a short word to the Swiss Lifestyle magazine Bolero.
In the spring 2005 a short stories competition was called up.
One of the winnings, among other things, was a common appearance
with T.C. Boyle in Zurich in May, therefore some .de-Messagistas
could not resist to participate in this Contest. It would have
been nice for one of us to shake hands with T.C. Boyle (Doc.,
Suxorama or me) on the award show. Unfortunately we managed
it to be »only« under the best 60, by approximately 450 entries,
and so many people were not allowed on stage.
Apart from writing Short stories we spend some time with the
collecting of Boyle interviews and book reviews of The Inner
Circle. We were however so successful that we enjoy now
being called truffle pigs at the Hanser publishing house.
We got our common appearance with T.C. Boyle finally in May 2005,
when he went together with Jan Josef Liefers on reading tour through Germany and Switzerland. We participated in Cologne,
Duesseldorf and Berlin. |
| |
 |
|
| T.C. Boyle and de-Messagistas in Cologne. |
| |
The Reading tour finally became
a full success. T.C. Boyle had the largest portion of it, in addition,
many other acquaintances, which we made in May, let the reading
tour became an unusual event: Actor Jan Josef Liefers, Illustrator
Henning Wagenbreth (The Arctic Explorer), translator
Dirk van Gunsteren, Hanser Editor Anna Leube as well as WDR
moderator and Boyle Intimus David Eisermann.
I would like to emphasize Boyles appearance in Stefan Raabs
TV total. A German TV Show. We had over 1.000 visitors on our
Site briefly after the appearance on screen. I had warned T.C.
Boyle in advance, that he should take care before the host of
the show, Stefan Raab. When I got to see the TV total transmission
later then a few days, I stated that I had been supposed to
warn probably better Stefan Raab before T.C. Boyle ...
Stefan Raab (to T.C. Boyle): Authors in Germany
looks different. You look like … how can I explain you … ein
bißchen so wie aus der BiFi-Werbung. There’s a commercial, you
won’t know it, it’s about sausage ...
T.C. Boyle (to Stefan Raab): So, you know, I’m
also a »Herr Doktor Professor« auf English. So, this is how
professors look as well in America.
At the beginning of June 2005 the Hype around T.C. Boyle came
to an end, and we fell in the summer hole, but were only once
briefly high-frightened, at the end of June, when the online
editorship of the »c't« computer magazine linked us with one
of their articles, which was about dust
extraction from computers.
The c't link led to a discussion in our Message Board, in which
we spoke about a man, who had masturbated consequence-fraught
with a vacuum cleaner of the trade name »Kobold«. In the
following day we had 2,500 visitors and over 6,000 Site requests,
as well as up to 65 board guests. Nobody has written anything,
all of them just reading what you can do with a vacuum cleaner
- apart from cleaning dust.
So far the second year of www.tcboyle.de. What comes next? In
December Water Music will appear as an NDR radio play,
short time later also as audio book. And we may look
forward to the new T.C. Boyle Short Story Collection Tooth
and Claw.
T.C. Boyle will surely not appear in Europe to this publication.
Therefore we want to visit him and perhaps some .com Messagistas
in the USA. Whether and when we start this journey, cannot be
said yet. But we keep you up to date. In the end, that is what
this Website is there for.
Which remains, is an unforgettable year and the consideration,
to be a successful writer ourselves. That cannot be more arduous
as to be a fan of a successful writer. |
| |
 |
|
| E-Werk in Cologne, two hours before
the appearance of T.C. Boyle. |
| |
 |
| © 2005 www.tcboyle.de |
| |
| |
|
|
|
