Tom McCarthy's literary top 10

The buzz around Tom McCarthy's Remainder got me to clicking around and I soon found his literary top 10 at pulp.net.

Number four on his list--

Worst book I’ve ever read

Anything by Thomas Hardy. He must be the worst writer ever to be taken seriously. His writing is bad at every level and in every way.

--caught my eye because, it just so happens, Hardy was getting smacked around today by Sam Jordison on the Guardian's books blog.

Here's number six on McCarthy's list:

My favourite novel that no one else seems to have heard of

Grabinoulor by Pierre Albert-Birot. Guy sees an object on his mantelpiece isn’t straight, then realises it’s the mantelpiece itself that isn’t straight, then the foundations of his house, then the axis of the earth. As he goes about fixing it he causes earthquakes, tsunamis, etc… A hundred little episodes like that. Predates Ulysses, to boot.

And number ten:

Deceased author I’d most like to do it with

Emily Dickinson. With a name like that...

Read the whole list, along with a brief biography of Tom McCarthy.

--Marshal Zeringue