Underneath the Bunker

Underneath the Bunker is a hoax literary journal, supposedly founded in 2002 and online since 2005. Claiming to be ‘The Online Home of Europe’s Premier Cultural Journal’, all of the art-forms that it reviews are in fact fictional. Descriptions of obscure novels (such as Tosca Calbirro’s ‘Under An Unquiet Sun’ - a novel printed on toilet paper) are prevalent, but it also dabbles in art history (supplied by someone called D H Laven) and experimental literature, some of which would seem to be presented in a semi-serious mode (see ‘Intercuttings’).

Its editor Georgy Riecke claims to have studied at the University of Berlin in the late 1970s under the literary critic Johannes Speyer (who is often quoted in the journal), whilst other contributors include Heidi Kohlenberg (ex-wife of Norwegian novelist Edmund ‘Blumin’ Ek) and the Russian mental patient/avant-garde writer Yevgeny Nonik (who 'died' in November 2007). The work of the latter is said to be published by the associated publishing house Upside-Down-Then-Backwards - a firm supporter of ‘Active Reading’, a form of reading which requires more effort from the reader than is usually asked for. Reading upside down is one such form; reading whilst hand-gliding another.

Ostensibly a light-hearted spoof, Underneath the Bunker works on the basis of taking interesting ideas and stretching them beyond reasonable limits. However, in that it rarely aims to satirise specific works of literature, it may be better described as fiction in its own right, rather than a mere parody of existing forms. Having said that, there are often obvious references to real authors, as in the story ‘Super-Pyschosis’ written by Fritz Kakfa (which re-imagines Kafka's ‘Metamorphosis’ - replacing the gigantic insect with a paper cup).
One of the major features of Underneath the Bunker is its list of the ‘Greatest European Novels by Contemporary Writers’ compiled by Georgy Riecke. This consists of a list of fifty-two non-existent European novels, around half of which have been extensively reviewed.
The site is usually updated weekly, with a generous collection of old articles made available. It has received interest from various blogs and literary websites, some of which are listed below.

"Underneath the Bunker" is also the name of a track by American band R.E.M. from their Lifes Rich Pageant Album. This was one of two tracks missing from the tracklisting on the album sleeve.

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