The shortlist of the Literary Review’s Bad Sex Award 2007 have been announced. As usual, The Guardian is there, with excerpts from the offenders contenders. The list is always good for a few belly laughs and some blushing.
I’ve only read one of the finalists, Gary Shteyngart’s Absurdistan, and I feel that I must come to the novel’s defense here. The fellow depicted in the excerpt is an independently wealthy 400-pound Russian who longs for the NYC hip-hop lifestyle. You try to write a scene featuring that guy gettin’ jiggy without sounding ridiculous. Also: the novel is called Absurdistan. Some level of absurdity might be expected.
Update: The award went to Norman Mailer. Talk about kicking a guy when he’s down.