Marvin Cohen is known for his inventive literary fiction and unique humor. His notable works include The Self-Devoted Friend and Others, Including Morstive Sternbump, which showcase his imaginative style and whimsical storytelling.
If you enjoy reading books by Marvin Cohen then you might also like the following authors:
Donald Barthelme is a distinctive voice in experimental fiction, known for breaking rules and conventions with humor and imagination. Like Marvin Cohen, he enjoys playing with reality, creating unexpected scenarios and characters in clever, absurdist ways.
Readers who appreciate Cohen's witty originality might enjoy Barthelme's inventive stories, such as Sixty Stories, a collection full of playful and surprising narratives.
Lydia Davis writes very short stories that pack deep meaning into just a few words. She captures everyday situations and observations with clarity, precision, and understated humor. Like Marvin Cohen, Davis can turn the ordinary into something meaningful and thought-provoking.
If you appreciate Cohen's sharp insights and innovative forms, you might like Davis's collection Can't and Won't.
Russell Edson writes prose poems with whimsical and surreal imagery, often blending absurdity and profound reflections. His playful approach and inventive narratives share a spirit of exploration that fans of Marvin Cohen may find appealing.
Edson's collection The Tunnel: Selected Poems is a great place to start, offering imaginative ways of questioning reality and everyday experiences.
Samuel Beckett has a talent for exploring life's absurdities with sharp wit and bleak humor. Though often darker than Marvin Cohen, Beckett also uses language playfully, creating strange and ironic scenarios.
His classic play Waiting for Godot reflects on the uncertainties and absurdities of existence, something readers who appreciate Marvin Cohen's witty existential musings might find interesting.
Gilbert Sorrentino is known for his experimental, often playful approach to fiction, pushing the boundaries of conventional storytelling with satire and clever wordplay.
His fiction, similar to Marvin Cohen's, humorously critiques culture and reality, playing with readers' expectations. Mulligan Stew, a satirical and inventive work filled with literary games and absurdity, is enjoyable for those drawn to Cohen's style.
If you love Marvin Cohen's playful surrealism and whimsical take on reality, you'll appreciate Richard Brautigan. His writing is imaginative and often humorous, blending everyday life with unexpected moments of fantasy.
In Trout Fishing in America, Brautigan creates a quirky journey filled with odd characters, poetic language, and gentle satire, offering readers a delightfully unconventional reading experience.
Fans of Cohen's brief, imaginative pieces should check out Diane Williams. Her short stories push narrative conventions through brevity and surprising juxtapositions.
In the collection Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine, Williams crafts tight, surprising glimpses of ordinary moments turned strange, creating an atmosphere of playful discomfort that will stick with you.
For those who enjoy Marvin Cohen's humor and poetic insight, Kenneth Koch is a natural fit. Koch's poetry is adventurous and full of wit, blending imagination with everyday observations.
His collection The Art of Love showcases Koch's playful energy, inventive language, and joyous approach to life and poetry, taking readers on charming, surprising adventures.
If Marvin Cohen caught your attention with playful experimentation, Italo Calvino will captivate you as well. Like Cohen, Calvino blends thoughtful ideas, humor, and imaginative storytelling.
In Invisible Cities, Calvino beautifully portrays imaginary places described by Marco Polo to Kublai Khan, each city reflecting aspects of human desires, memories, and dreams in a book filled with wonder and thoughtful insights.
Daniil Kharms might appeal if you enjoy Marvin Cohen's absurdist, humorous style. A Russian writer known for his short, eccentric works, Kharms creates bizarre worlds from everyday absurdities.
In Today I Wrote Nothing, readers experience a series of brief but unforgettable surreal episodes, combining wit, unpredictability, and offbeat moments that offer both laughter and insight.
Robert Walser writes in a whimsical yet reflective style, focusing on everyday scenes that quietly reveal deeper human truths. His prose is gentle but insightful, balancing humor with a subtle melancholy.
In Jakob von Gunten, he portrays a young man's experiences at a peculiar institute, highlighting the quiet absurdity and wonders lurking beneath ordinary life.
Thomas Bernhard has an intense, relentless prose style—full of sharp wit and biting observations about human nature, society, and isolation. His stories often circle around obsessive thoughts and troubled minds caught in repetitive cycles.
In The Loser, Bernhard looks at artistic ambition, envy, and self-destruction through the eyes of musicians overshadowed by a genius.
Peter Handke explores existential themes through careful, precise prose, often examining solitude, identity, and the intricacies of perception. His stories reveal details that many of us overlook, suggesting hidden significance in life's quietest moments.
The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick captures a sense of existential anxiety in a goalkeeper's ordinary yet unsettling journey, resonating gracefully within daily life's strangeness.
David Markson experiments boldly with narrative form, blending fragmentation, literary quotations, and historical anecdotes to explore human connections, creativity, and mortality. His writing feels personal yet distant, challenging traditional storytelling conventions.
Wittgenstein's Mistress brilliantly portrays a woman's solitude as she contemplates art and existence, pushing readers to experience loneliness and mindfulness deeply.
Eugène Ionesco takes readers into absurd theatrical worlds filled with humor, confusion, and existential dread. His characters often struggle with language, communication, and the meanings beneath our words and actions.
In his play The Bald Soprano, Ionesco pokes fun at the emptiness of polite social conventions, showing the humor and chaos hidden within daily life.