Jeff Noon
Jeff Noon is a novelist, short story writer and playwright whose works make extensive use of wordplay and fantasy.He studied fine art and drama at Manchester University and was subsequently appointed writer in residence at the city's Royal Exchange theatre. But Noon did not stay too long in the theatrical world, possibly because the realism associated with the theatre was not conducive to the fantastical worlds he was itching to invent. While working behind the counter at the local Waterstone's bookshop, a colleague suggested he write a novel. The result of that suggestion,
Vurt, was the hippest sci-fi novel to be published in Britain since the days of Michael Moorcock in the late sixties.Like Moorcock, Noon is not preoccupied with technology per se, but incorporates technological developments into a world of magic and fantasy.
As a teenager, Noon was addicted to American comic heroes, and still turns to them for inspiration. He has said that music is more of an influence on his writing than novelists: he 'usually writes to music', and his record collection ranges from classical to drum'n'bass.
“There is a room in England somewhere, but it's nowhere to be seen. It exists only in the mind, and only in the mind of those that have been there.”
“We have flooded ourselves with the media in all its many forms. Our minds are now open to signals. We have become aerials.”
“In Bottletown, even our tears flicker like jewels.”
“Expect to feel pleasure. Knowledge is sexy. Expect to feel pain. Knowledge is torture. ”
“The strange word nymphomation, used to denote a complex mathematical procedure where numbers, rather than being added together or multiplied or whatever, were actually allowed to breed with each other to produce new numbers.”
“Anything can become music if listened to long enough”
“Hey!" he shouted. "This is my fucking Lake of Death. I have complete and utter exclusive rights to sailing this lake. Get the fuck off my lake!”