A recent and marvellous live reading of Jon Steiner’s story ‘Poioumenon’ gave me fresh insight into the power of Steiner’s words and the clarity and cleverness of his thinking.

‘Poioumenon’ is from Steiner’s collection The Last Wilkie’s and Other Stories. It’s a weird and wonderful riff on envy and its particularly convoluted manifestation in the writer who’s the story’s protagonist. It’s also a playful paean to that titan of contemporary literature David Foster Wallace, and a whistle-stop tour of what (some would say) was one of literature’s great turning points after Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest was published in 1996 and the cracks began to appear in postmodernism.

When I tell you that one sentence in ‘Poioumenon’ is 34 lines long you will understand that there’s a little emulation and more than a little parody of David Foster Wallace’s style going on here. This builds the humour in the story and there are definitely some laugh-out-loud moments. One of these moments occurs when the writer/protagonist wonders if he can write a ‘story’ in the style of David Foster Wallace ‘that doesn’t end up sounding just like a David Foster Wallace wannabe’. The writer/protagonist says he could make the ‘story’ work by being ‘ragingly self aware’ and ‘being like, “yeah, I know, I am trying to be David Foster Wallace, ha hah, that’s the whole point, look at me trying to ironically be just like David Foster Wallace”.’

Confused? Happily, when you hear this passage read aloud by a great reader like Australian actor and voice pro, Adam Norris, it’s crystal clear and sounds even funnier.

What I’m getting at here is that Steiner’s collection has many fine moments and captivating stories that shine even brighter when they’re read aloud. That the work of most writers can benefit from the skilful oral rendition of their stories is also proven each month at Little Fictions @ Knox Street Bar in the Sydney suburb of Chippendale. And this is where (on a night with the theme ‘Addictive Text’) that I heard Norris bring ‘Poioumenon’ out into the light in a way that left my less-nuanced reading of it sitting shyly in the shadows.

Depth, reach and deftness

Little Fictions @ Knox Street Bar is the brainchild of specialist Australian short story publisher Spineless Wonders—who released The Last Wilkie’s in January this year.

Jon Steiner is an American-born Australian writer, based in Sydney. Through The Last Wilkie’s you’ll discover his depth and reach, his deftness across a range of styles and his skilful use of tropes.

Here’s a sampler of a few of my favourite stories from his collection to whet your appetite.

In ‘Liebestod’ Jasper finally ‘gets up the gumption to ask Mabel from the feed store out to see the opry.’ An argument ensues about composers but Mabel’s sweet laugh and a Google search happily defuses it. This tiny story had so much heart, so much character, it busted off the page like a gap-toothed grin. I really want to meet this charming twosome again to see what they’re up to.

In ‘Summit’ we watch a couple on vacation burbling around the south coast of New South Wales and enjoying its ubiquitous scones and humorous place names. Should they climb Mount Dromedary? Who knows? But they give it a crack. Their encounter is eerie in part because so many unwary walkers (well me, anyway,) have been in the same fix. Steiner probes the quest to reach a summit. He also exposes the stresses that can sully a relationship. I suggest you read ‘Summit’ before you blithely turn your face towards your next physical or emotional peak.

‘Exposure’ is a dark story with a twist in its tail. A young man and an older woman are trapped after a car crash and we’re privy to their dialogue. As both are injured, we are aware it could be their last conversation—which makes it just that bit more excruciating. ‘Nobody knows where we are. Nobody knows we’re together. Nobody knows we’re down here.’ Why? Take it from me: you’ll really want to know the answer to this question by the time you reach the end.

‘Gecko’ is full of wonderful details. Barry finally gets to know his neighbour Nicole just before he’s leaving town. He’s backing up his rental truck in readiness for the removal when he sees that his neighbour is, ‘wearing the same white sun hat she always wore. Her balloon-like shorts hung down to just above her knobbly knees.’ The pair’s mutual fascination and keen conversation seem typical of the intensity that can occur most naturally (or has Steiner convinced me of this?) when someone is moving away.

In ‘Jungle Train’ a girl is provoked by her girlfriend’s coolness and wants to teach her a lesson. It doesn’t go well. The lead up’s worth it, though, and intriguing for the reader. ‘To Roisin it [the trip in Malaysia] was a potent and timely symbol of her acceptance into the family, and a welcome progression to the next level for her relationship with Michelle. Now she wonders if they will even be together by the end of this trip. If only Michelle would make eye contact, give her some sign that she’s still in there, that they’re still them.’ Read ‘Jungle Train’ to see how being ignored can addle a person’s mind.

‘Northwest Passage’ is funny! It also makes perfect sense if you’ve ever slogged your way around Sydney’s roads. You know it and Steiner nails it: that epic journey searching for the elusory passage you’re sure must be there, somewhere, to carry you through.

‘The Last Wilkie’s’ is the collection’s title story and it scored a short-story quinella from me for taking me on a rollicking ride through some pretty unusual territory and making me think.

A book for your dad and your commute

The MC at Little Fictions on the night Adam Norris read ‘Poioumenon’ was Hayley Scrivenor. She said she’d recently bought Steiner’s The Last Wilkie’s for her dad and he’d really loved it. I’ll add to her recommendation by saying it’s a slimmish volume with a number of stories that are bite-sized, which makes it a great book for just about anyone—but especially for those who commute. Which is apt, you know, because it’s in the mind of a commuter that ‘Poioumenon’ starts—‘So like this guy, while waiting for the train and listening to a podcast about a guy whose appendix burst …’

Grab yourself a copy of The Last Wilkie’s to hear how ‘Poioumenon’ pans out. Or, if you’d like to try before you buy, you can listen to Norris read Steiner’s story here. The blurb that goes with this audio download from ABC Radio National says Poioumenon is a (sort of) short story by Jon Steiner, inspired (sort of) by and in homage (kind of) to the American postmodern (ish) writer David Foster Wallace, adapted (sort of) for the radio, about (sort of): figuring out where to go post-post-modernism, and featuring music by Jon Steiner and Hauschka, and the occasional sprinkling of adult language. On the same page you can also discover what a ‘poioumenon’ is and who coined the term.

The Last Wilkie’s and Other Stories
Jon Steiner
Spineless Wonders, $24.99