Underrated Writers

Ellis Sharp

Scarecrow's Lee Rourke sends this writer's name to us. "Sharp is an aloof Marxist metafictionist and about as avant-garde as it gets. His numerous books take in everything that matters before spitting it all out, newly formed, and shining. All we have to do is pay attention."

More about Ellis Sharp
+  Sharp's frequently and extensively updated blog
+  An interview with Ellis Sharp
+  Zoilus Press's author bio and biblio on Sharp (scroll down)
+  Sharp's books available on Amazon UK

Katherine Stall

This author's 1987 novel, Den of Thieves, is recommended by James Tata. "Before radical right-wing religious figures took over the governing bodies of the United States, they first had to demolish their humane opponents within the churches. Like the best satire, Catch-22, and the film Citizen Ruth, this novel's comedy excuses no one from its wrath." Check that book link for a summary of a great plot from Publishers Weekly.

Rupert Thomson

This author's novel, Divided Kingdom, draws some self-conscious hyperbole from Carrie Frye: "Why this book got left off the Booker longlist makes me question the existence of God. Or at least the presence of someone on the committee with similar taste to mine." Thomson is the author of several other novels: The Book of Revelation, The Insult, Air and Fire, Soft!, and Five Gates of Hell.

More about Rupert Thomson
+  A review of Revelation
+  Official website of Divided Kingdom (includes excerpts, print and video interviews with Thomson, reviews of the book)
+  Thomson's Literature Map
+  One more Divided Kingdom review

Kellie Wells

Dan Wickett writes of Wells: "Her story collection, Compression Scars, won the Flannery O'Connor Short Fiction Award a few years back and her debut novel, Skin, will be published by the University of Nebraska Press  [as part of their excellent Flyover Fiction series] in the spring of 2006. Wells blends southern gothic writing with biology, religion, and an incredible vocabulary to wonderful results."

More about Kellie Wells
+  A pdf excerpt from Skin
+  A review of Compression Scars
+  Wells's experience with her story collection

Tamar Yellin

Matthew Cheney brings first-time novelist Yellin to our attention: "The Genizah at the House of Shepher is written with extraordinary control and precision, and is fascinating--a story of a lost mystical manuscript, families, religion, scholarship, life, death, and lots of other good stuff. In Februrary 2006, Toby Press is publishing Kafka in Bronteland and Other Stories, Yellin's first collection. I've read some of these stories, and they are stunning--evocative, resonant, and beautifully written. It will be one of the most interesting collections of the year, I'm sure."

More about Tamar Yellin
+  The title story in Yellin's forthcoming collection
+  Yellin's website with links to other stories
+  Yellin's books on another bookseller's site
+  An interview with Yellin on Fantastic Metropolis