[CH] Litterachur

Ashkenaz, Scott (Scott.Ashkenaz@kla-tencor.com)
Wed, 22 Jul 1998 08:18:05 -0700 

A strong indicator of the capcinazation of the world...the Bulwer-Lytton
prize has been awarded for 1998.

     The corpse exuded the irresistible aroma of a piquant, ancho chili
glaze 
     enticingly enhanced with a hint of fresh cilantro as it lay before him,

     coyly garnished by a garland of variegated radicchio and caramelized 
     onions, and impishly drizzled with glistening rivulets of vintage
balsamic 
     vinegar and roasted garlic oil; yes, as he surveyed the body of the
slain 
     food critic slumped on the floor of the cozy, but nearly empty, bistro,
a 
     quick inventory of his senses told corpulent Inspector Moreau that this

     was, in all likelihood, an inside job.
     --Bob Perry, Milton, MA 

     Bob Perry, a 46-year-old corporate attorney from Milton, Massachusetts,
is
this year's winner of the 17th annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. A
self-described dabbler in writing and sloganeering, Perry was runner-up in
last
year's detective category. This year he said he was inspired by reading
restaurant
critics, being impressed (if that is the correct term) by their meticulous
detail and
sumptuous prose. The "panel of undistinguished judges" approved both the
form and the content of Perry's entry, several reporting that it made them
hungry. 

     Conceived to honor the memory of Victorian novelist Edward George Earl
Bulwer- Lytton and encourage unpublished authors who do not have the time to
actually write books, the contest challenges entrants to compose bad opening
sentences to imaginary novels. Bulwer was selected as patron of the
competition
because he opened his novel "Paul Clifford" (1830) with the immortal words,
"It
was a dark and stormy night."

     This year's competition attracted an even larger response than last
year,
when the competition entered cyberspace with a Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
Home Page (http://www.bulwer-lytton.com). After the site attracted a number
of
awards, including selection as a Yahoo Pick of the Year, electronic entries
streamed in from such locales as Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland,
France, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, India, Singapore, Malaysia,
Saudi
Arabia, and the People's Republic of China.

     In keeping with the stature and dignity of the competition, Mr. Perry
will
receive a pittance.