Which writers keep T.C. Boyle readers occupied, when there are no new books by him in sight? The Boylevard, the new book-blog of www.tcboyle.de tries to answer this question.
Almost every professional author has got his own website today. If the publishing house initiates the website, it's a commercial venture. If an artist starts his Website himself, he does it most likely to cultivate his image, or to communicate directly with his readers. Finally, there is the possibility, that a reader creates a website to honour his favourite author. In this case it's called a »fan website«, isn't it?
A few people regard www.tcboyle.de strictly as a place for fans. But it is much more. The Website serves as communication platform and is a reliable source of information for journalists, teachers, pupils, students and other authors. The daily page visits and the feedback prove to us that www.tcboyle.de meets these requirements. We also try to use this platform for independent projects, like our annual short story competition.
Anyway: The terms »literature« and »fan« don't seem to match easily. The term »fan« is derivative of »fanatic« and describes people who tend to idealize an artist with uncritical eyes. It's more often than not an unhealthy fixation. You can hardly discover new artists or stretch your cultural horizon with such a narrow frame of mind. The average Boyle reader is quite a different animal.
Sure, the last appearances of T.C. Boyle in Germany (May 2005) did remind one much more of a rock concert, than a lecture. But there were no hurled teddy bears or flying knickers in sight. Neither screaming and crying teenage girls.
It is probably less the popularity, but rather the combination of fastidious writing, social commentary and good old entertainment, that make Boyle's works and his personality stand out. There is a wealth of facts and fiction about T.C. Boyle and his large growing body of work to discover: Reviews and articles about him, interviews, adaptions for the stage and for movie shorts, musical dedications. Almost every day adds new entries to the Boyle canon.
An Insider of the literary scene made the suggestion, that we should use our high page visits (at present about 1,000 visitors per day), to help promising, but less popular authors than Boyle to find an audience. We thought this is a great idea. The result is the Boylevard, a new book-blog with reviews written by Boyle aficionados.
We won't discuss Boyle's novels and short stories here. However: If there is a connection, or an author makes a reference, it will be gladly noticed. A good example is Anonymus Rex by Eric Garcia, which Boyle regards as the ”most innovative novel” he ever read. Or Die Vermessung der Welt (»Measuring the World«) by Daniel Kehlmann, which reminds us in many ways of Boyle's Water Music.
For Boyle fans the Boylevard should be interesting, because the reviews there are written by fellow Boyle readers. Sure, tastes are different - less so however, if the affection for Boyle is a common denominator.
We started our book-blog in September 2007 with 16 reviews. Not many, but this is about to change soon. We will try our best to add two to four reviews each month. If the number of page visits should rise, we will consider to expand our roster of reviewers and add even more entries.
Right now we are very anxious to see which direction the Boylevard will take. It is our intent to create a valuable source of information for avid readers and other culture lovers. Another proof that www.tcboyle.de is much more than just a fan-website.
Special thanks go to the Boylevard team: Sabine, JohnDoe, Frank, Mauzi, Moni, Olivero, KoWananga and Zephyr.
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