"I began writing in March of 1978, prodded by a seminal idea: I felt like poisoning a monk." This dark inspiration led Umberto Eco to begin his career as novelist at the somewhat tardy age of 46. Already established as one of the world's leading semioticians, a lecturer in constant demand, and a thin

Dense, Layered, Lush, Mathematical, Postmodern fiction, Semiotics

"De Kooning is probably the most libidinal painter America has ever had." So says art critic Robert Hughes, and when we look at de Kooning's paintings, the way he immersed himself in the female form in his famous "Women" series from the 50s, and the way the body -- admittedly in pieces, but the sensu

Abstract expressionism, Biomorphic, Dense, Improvised, Kaleidoscopic, Kinetic, Manic, Violent, Whimsical

In 1984, the publication of William Gibson's first novel, "Neuromancer," single-handedly gave birth to a new, revolutionary subgenre of science fiction: Cyberpunk. Looking into a near future when the interface between humans and their machines would achieve a life of its own, Gibson's dystopic vision

Cyberpunk fiction, Dense, Dystopic, Manic, Technology, Urban, Virtual reality

Manny Farber, though still much-revered as a film critic, eschewed film in favor of painting. Farber began writing film reviews for The New Republic in 1942. He continued his film career through the 1970s, writing most notably for publications such as Film Comment. As his book "Negative Space" (1970)

Agitated, Dense, In-your-face, Quirky, Smart