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Robert Coover: A Prolific Novelist and Master of Postmodern Fiction


Full Name and Common Aliases


Robert Coover was born on February 4, 1932, in Charles City, Iowa. He is also known as Bob Coover.

Birth and Death Dates


Coover's birth date is February 4, 1932. Unfortunately, his death date is not publicly available.

Nationality and Profession(s)


Coover is an American writer and novelist, primarily associated with the postmodern literary movement.

Early Life and Background


Growing up in Iowa, Coover developed a passion for writing at an early age. He attended Grinnell College, where he began to develop his unique style. After graduating from college, Coover moved to New York City to pursue a career in writing. During the 1950s and 1960s, he was heavily influenced by the Beats and the emerging counterculture movement.

Major Accomplishments


Coover's literary career spans over six decades, with numerous publications and awards to his name. He is perhaps best known for his novel The Public Burning, which explores themes of American identity and politics. This work earned him a National Book Award nomination in 1977. Coover has also been recognized for his innovative use of language and experimentation with narrative forms.

Notable Works or Actions


Some of Coover's most notable works include:

The Origin of the Brunists (1966), a novel exploring themes of community, spirituality, and the power of storytelling.
The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., 1920-1946 (1968), a novella that blurs the lines between fiction and reality.
* Gerald's Party (1986), a novel that satirizes American culture and politics.

Coover has also been involved in various literary movements and organizations. He was a key figure in the 1970s literary magazine TriQuarterly, which aimed to promote innovative writing and challenge traditional publishing norms.

Impact and Legacy


Robert Coover's influence on contemporary literature is undeniable. His experimental style and willingness to push boundaries have inspired generations of writers. Coover's work often explores themes of American identity, politics, and the human condition, making him a significant voice in postmodern fiction.

Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered


Coover's innovative approach to storytelling, combined with his sharp social commentary, has made him a widely quoted and remembered figure. His writing continues to be relevant today, offering insights into American culture and society that are both thought-provoking and unsettling.

Quotes by Robert Coover

History my god. An incurable diarrhea of dead immortals.
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History my god. An incurable diarrhea of dead immortals.
And so, finally, he’d found his way back to baseball. Nothing like it really. Not the actual game so much – to tell the truth, real baseball bored him – but rather the records, the statistics, the peculiar balances between individual and team, offense and defense, strategy and luck, accident and pattern, power and intelligence. And no other activity in the world had so precise and comprehensive a history, so specific an ethic, and at the same time, strange as it seemed, so much ultimate mystery.
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And so, finally, he’d found his way back to baseball. Nothing like it really. Not the actual game so much – to tell the truth, real baseball bored him – but rather the records, the statistics, the peculiar balances between individual and team, offense and defense, strategy and luck, accident and pattern, power and intelligence. And no other activity in the world had so precise and comprehensive a history, so specific an ethic, and at the same time, strange as it seemed, so much ultimate mystery.
Maybe it all went back to the days when games were decided, not by the best score in nine innings, but by the first team to score twenty-one runs.
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Maybe it all went back to the days when games were decided, not by the best score in nine innings, but by the first team to score twenty-one runs.
American baseball, by luck, trial, and error, and since the famous playing rules council of 1889, had struck on an almost perfect balance between offense and defense, and it was that balance, in fact, that and the accountability – the beauty of the records system which found a place to keep forever each least action – that had led Henry to baseball as his final great project.
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American baseball, by luck, trial, and error, and since the famous playing rules council of 1889, had struck on an almost perfect balance between offense and defense, and it was that balance, in fact, that and the accountability – the beauty of the records system which found a place to keep forever each least action – that had led Henry to baseball as his final great project.
Some ways of naming a generation are fruitful and some are not. Postmodernism is not. It doesn’t really say anything.
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Some ways of naming a generation are fruitful and some are not. Postmodernism is not. It doesn’t really say anything.
What we got is NOW, Huck, and now is forever. Until it ain’t. So, you can’t worry over nothing except putting off the end a your story as long as you can, and finishing it with a bang.
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What we got is NOW, Huck, and now is forever. Until it ain’t. So, you can’t worry over nothing except putting off the end a your story as long as you can, and finishing it with a bang.
No matter how much sunlight and fresh air she lets in, there’s always this dark little pocket of lingering night which she has to uncover.
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No matter how much sunlight and fresh air she lets in, there’s always this dark little pocket of lingering night which she has to uncover.
Some have contended that it was America’s love of pie-throwing that led the nation to develop the atomic bomb. This may or may not be true, but certainly it does help explain the country’s current panic over the possible proliferation of the bombs to unfriendly nations: it’s a cardinal rule of the act that one custard pie leads to another, and he who throws one must sooner or later face one coming from the other direction.
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Some have contended that it was America’s love of pie-throwing that led the nation to develop the atomic bomb. This may or may not be true, but certainly it does help explain the country’s current panic over the possible proliferation of the bombs to unfriendly nations: it’s a cardinal rule of the act that one custard pie leads to another, and he who throws one must sooner or later face one coming from the other direction.
Bottom half of the seventh, Brock’s boy had made it through another inning unscratched, one! two! three! Twenty-one down and just six outs to go! and Henry’s heart was racing, he was sweating with relief and tension all at once, unable to sit, unable to think, in there, with them! Oh yes, boys, it was on!
"
Bottom half of the seventh, Brock’s boy had made it through another inning unscratched, one! two! three! Twenty-one down and just six outs to go! and Henry’s heart was racing, he was sweating with relief and tension all at once, unable to sit, unable to think, in there, with them! Oh yes, boys, it was on!
Message of the Legalists: without law, power lost its shape.
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Message of the Legalists: without law, power lost its shape.
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