THE MELANCHOLY DEATH OF OYSTER BOY AND OTHER STORIES BY TIM BURTON
June 23, 2009,
Written by Benjamin Macnair
Publisher: aber and Faber
ISBN: 9780571 224449
Buy: Amazon
The visionary film maker Tim Burton made his name with such films as Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow, but his Poetry collection, The Melancholy Death of Oysterboy and other Stories has far more of the Nightmare Before Christmas about it.
The simple rhymes used bring to mind a grislier Doctor Seuss, whilst the drawings in the book, also by Burton have the stylised look of much of his film work.
The poems are only short, but look at the lives of the socially excluded, or the freaks of nature that can only live in a mind as fertile as Burton’s.
We have Stainboy, who is jealous of his Superhero friends and has a very high dry cleaning bill, we also meet Robot Boy, who’s parents can’t love him, because he only comes to life when he is plugged in, and who it turns out is the result of a dalliance with a Microwave oven. There is Staring Girl, who wins many competitions for staring, but who has to give her eyes a rest, or there is the title story, where a couple give by to a boy who is half oyster, and who’s death provides his parents with an aphrodisiac.
Although there is not much to the book, it still has the feel of a vanity project about it, and maybe if Burton had not had the successful film career, the book would not have been published. It happened to Ricky Gervais and Flanimals.
Rating: 6/10
Related Posts
Will - 09/09/10
Now that's reflection! /\ [view article]
Kevin - 08/09/10
OH MY GOD HE HAS A VAGINA ON HIS FACE [view article]
Matthew - 08/09/10
You missed the point methinks... Seriously, I thought comments were to provide reflection, opinion, and clarification on the article or topic in question. Instead I get a throwaway! [view article]
Rob - 08/09/10
Because Oliver gets sad when no one comments, and I felt like expressing my opinion re: stokeage for this book. [view article]
Matthew - 08/09/10
Then why bother to comment?? [view article]