Somehow, I've managed not to learn about R F Kuang till now. I guess this speaks to how deep the Bitcoin rabbit hole is and how hard it is to see out of it. Years ago, few new fiction authors escaped my notice -- especially those who write weird stuff like this.

I haven't read any of her books, yet. As I said, just learned about her today. But reading this profile of Kuang in The New Yorker reminds of Roberto Bolagno, whose books I really enjoyed. I like stories with magic in them, but have never been much of a fantasy-reader (excepting Robert Howard's Conan stories). I like magic showing up in ostensibly normal situations.

What caught my attention most, though, was how this lady just managed to produce novels. By my count she wrote six novels in the last five years. Almost all of which were wildly popular. Wow.

I entertained dreams of writing fiction professionally during my university years and those afterward. I did not write six novels. Generously, I wrote three. None of which really ever saw the light of day. I very much admire writers who can power through the blank void uncertainty of what is part of the story and what is not. And writers who can force their way into the world of publishing as she has so clearly done.

I'm looking forward to reading some of Kuang's books, although probably I should just take up pen and keep writing.