Masters of Atlantis
by Charles Portis · first published 1985
4mentions
3recommended by
4HN commenters
2023–2026first – last mentioned
75% recommend25% neutral
Masters of Atlantis is a cock-eyed journey into an America of misfits and con-men, oddballs, and innocents. Lamar Jimmerson is the leader of the Gnomon Society, the international fraternal order dedicated to preserving the arcane wisdom of the lost city of Atlantis. Stationed in France in 1917, Jimmerson comes across a little book crammed with Atlantean puzzles, Egyptian riddles, and extended alchemical metaphors. It's the Codex Pappus - the sacred Gnomon text. Soon he is basking in the lore of lost Atlantis, convinced that his mission on earth is to administer to and extend the ranks of the
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"The Old Weird America" -- Greil Marcus uses this phrase a lot. I read Masters of Atlantis which I highly recommend.
on “Old Weird America: The Dark Comedies of Charles Portis” ↗I heartily recommend Masters of Atlantis, which is funny and relevant to what's happening in the US today.
on “Old Weird America: The Dark Comedies of Charles Portis” ↗There are several westerns I can think of which are classic novels by any standard. I got my book group to read "True Grit" by Charles Portis. ("Masters of Atlantis" by the same author is another underrated work, and sends up secret societies.) There was some resistance to it based on its genre, since the group had not read a western before, but it has a strong female…
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗…after he passed, Dog of the South was my favorite, a very funny story about a particularly American kind of loser. Reminiscent of Confederacy of Dunces. The too-brief Lodge 49 was influenced by Portis, Masters of Atlantis most obviously, and the second season had some Dog of the South (or possibly Gringos, which I haven't read) in it
on “Old Weird America: The Dark Comedies of Charles Portis” ↗