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Great Science-Fiction & Fantasy Works
Science-fiction & fantasy literature: a critical list with discussions.
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This is a brief discussion of Max Jacob and, of course, of some speculative-fiction books by Jacob.
This discussion and list does not necessarily include every book by Jacob: it includes only those books that I both know and like. Just as with the author list itself, omission of a particular item may mean I didn’t think highly enough of the omitted item, or it may simply mean that I have not yet sufficient familiarity with it. (In a very few cases, I have listed some books merely on the strength of my opinion of the author: all such books are clearly marked below, as throughout these lists, with a hash mark (#) before the title so you know what’s what.)
I don’t pretend that this discussion is a deep analysis. My intent is no more than to give you a rough idea of what kinds of tales Jacob tells, how those tales are usually told, and what makes them and Jacob worthy; in sum, to help you rank Max Jacob (and the works by Jacob listed here) on your personal literary “to do” list.
A Few Words About Max Jacob
Regrettably, I have not yet had an opportunity to write an essay on this author, but the “Other Resources” section below will lead you to some information about the “Notable Books” listed farther down this page.
Jacob was primarily an artist, but also a poet and critic—his fiction has attracted little notice even among his followers (the collection Hesitant Fire: Selected Prose of Max Jacob would be a good starting place for those inclined to explore, but it’s now hideously expensive). Moreover, Jacob is much better known on the Continent than in the English-speaking world; it is thus difficult to find any utile resources in English about his fiction.
The most helpful are the several in-depth reviews of the monumental Jacob Biography Max Jacob: A Life in Art and Letters by Rosanna Warren (linked farther below). Here are those review links:
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