WWW Killed the ISBN?
by Darran Anderson
So much has happened within the Internet that it’s incredible to think how short its lifespan has been. From its scientific Cold War origins, it’s covered all facets of human nature from the sublime to the inane to the sinister in the space of mere decades. If it can be visualised today, it’s closest to a nervous system spreading across the globe and increasingly into our lives.
What this all means for literature has been uncertain, with some heralding a utopian age of free expression and naysayers prophesising the death of the book and the denigration of language. The fact remains that we are the first generation for whom the Internet is the primary means of communication. We read newspapers, download music and watch films online, we can view our homes from space or gamble away a small fortune with the click of a mouse.
The literature world’s initial response to these advances was tentative at best but there were notable individuals imbued with a pioneer spirit. The New York-based Beat-inspired Literary Kicks was formed in 1994 (the Middle Ages in internet chronology) and, with its icon of decadent poet Verlaine - glass of absinthe in hand, remains an influential resource for cult writing and opinion……..
For more visit:http://www.verbalartscentre.co.uk/verbalmagazine/interviews/v13-Brutalists.html