Think weird and wonderful and you’ve basically summed up bizarro fiction in a nutshell. It can combine absurdism, humour, the grotesque, satire and surrealism. If you like to fly a freak flag, or just indulge in the daring freak-show circus elements of publishing, this might just be the genre for you. You’re heading into the wild west here, so let’s dive in.
Introduction
While bizarro fiction may sound like weirdness for the sake of it, it actually utilises elements like the grotesque, strange, bizarre and other shocking elements to entertain readers and be thought-provoking, not just freak them out. It’s designed to be literature’s equivalent to cult film, and it’s beginning to gain hold as a contemporary genre.
Origins and influences
Bizzarro fiction is thought to have its origins in three small press companies, Eraserhead Press, Afterbirth Books, and Raw Dog Screaming Press, that had begun publishing weird cult fiction books. Eraserhead Press tailors themselves as designed for “fans of the bizarre and the unconventional” and are busy “curating a collection of mind-bending tales that will take you on a journey through the extraordinary and the downright weird.” Each press company recognized the demand for books of this type and the number of authors writing them. There is also an annual BizarroCon in Oregon where writers, editors and readers of the genre meet, make friends and pitch ideas.
Core elements
It can be difficult to define bizarro fiction due to its unconventional nature, but let’s take a look at some core elements that will help set it apart.
Bizarro fiction blends elements from various genres like science fiction, fantasy, horror, and humor, creating unique and unexpected combinations. But essentially all have a weirdness of plot, like a washing machine that becomes a human to become a soap opera star, such as in “Washer Mouth” by Kevin L. Donihe. Eraserhead Press publisher Rose O’keefe said the books aren’t designed to high-brow and are a more South Park equivalent with some incredibly intelligent things to say once you get past savoury or unruly jokes and other elements. Let’s take a look at some of these core elements.
Absurdism
Absurdist elements, characters or situations are common in bizarro fiction, so the character’s efforts can seem futile and enhance the humor of the tale. Elements that are intentionally ridiculous or bizarre feature and further the belief that the characters exist in a purposeless, chaotic universe.
Genre fiction
Bizarro writers can incorporate conventions of genre, and science fiction, fantasy and historical fiction are just some of the genre formats they might use for their work. While these genres might have some weird elements, the writer would need to take it a step further. For example, in The Emerald Burrito of Oz by John Skipp and Marc Levinthal, Oz is a real place and tourist attraction! But in this story play on the famous fantasy novel and film, your favourite Oz characters are not like anything you’ve seen before.
Satire
While satire is a standard literary approach, bizarro writers use it to mock a convention or phenomenon, add humor or another meaning. It might ridicule, exaggerate, expose or criticize people’s stupidity or vices. In Cursed, by Jeremy Shipton, Nicholas believes he has been cursed to be slapped every day, and his love interest Cicely is convinced the fate of the world depends on never putting the tennis ball down.
Grotesque
The grotesque is meant to introduce shocking, over-the-top or even out-of-place content. So rather than just be weird, it might be horrifying. In Technicolor Terrorists by Andre Duza, a rag-tag crew of freaks and weirdos travel the country entertaining families with rides and shows. However, at night, a sinister side to them comes out with cursed icons, killer clowns, and night stalkers.
Weird
Strange and bizarre elements are the fabric of this type of genre, but are meant to entertai,n not just shock. For example, Sex and Death in Television Town by Carlton Mellick III is a kind of spaghetti western. In it the hermaphrodite gunslingers seek refuge in Telo from a desert infested with black demons. However, in Telo, the citizens have televisions for heads.
Examples
If the summation of some titles above hasn’t whet your appetite yet for this unusual genre, fatigue with other kinds of fiction may. Many readers report turning to bizarro fiction when they feel they have exhausted the other types of stories out there. It might not be the most intellectual type of fiction out there, but it’s guaranteed to horrify, shock, entertain and keep you turning the pages. That is guaranteed.
Notable authors include the aforementioned, along with Autumn Christian, Danger Slater, Cody Goodfellow, D. Harlan Wilson, Mykle Hansen, Kevin L. Donihe and Madeleine Swann. Arguably, some have just the right names to fit the genre they write for.
