IN CASE YOU THOUGHT I’D FORGOTTEN
The Worthy Readings sidebar is now current. Ish.
INSIDE THE CLASSROOM: THE CRITIC AS TEACHER
I've never cared much for David Gates's criticism. His intelligence is obvious but his reviews tend to be hobbled by smugness or self-regard - how I have longed to reach out and pop the "I" key from his keyboard -...
CHEERS, HITCH
I find myself immensely and unexpectedly saddened today at the passing of Christopher Hitchens. We sat up late last night watching video clips on C-Span and Youtube, and downed a surprisingly tearful Lagavullin (neat) in his honor. It seemed the...
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: WHAT OUR LIBRARIES SAY ABOUT US
From this Sunday's New York Times Book Review, Leah Price on "The Subconscious Shelf": The French gastronome Brillat-Savarin began “The Physiology of Taste” (1825) by declaring, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” You...
CROSSBONES REVIEW
My review of Nurrudin Farah's Crossbones has been published over at the Barnes and Noble Review. It starts thus: Most Americans, if they think of Somalia at all, know it only from Black Hawk Down, the 2001 film adaptation of...
STEVEN CORBIN REDUX
Some years back, I wrote a brief reminiscence of my friend and writing teacher Steven Corbin. I've revised and expanded that essay as part of the Los Angeles Review of Books' Writers on Teacher series, and it's now online. An...
L.A. EVENT – NORMAN RUSH – ***DO NOT MISS!***
Folks, seriously - do not miss this one. The great Norman Rush is making an altogther too rare appearance in the L.A. area, where he will be in conversation with Mona Simpson at the Hammer on Tuesday evening. It's the...
RIFFING ON DFW
I can't imagine at this late stage of the game that anyone needs me to direct them to Maud Newton's New York Times Magazine Riff on David Foster Wallace's influence on writing on the net, which has been lighting up...
WHY SO SILENT, YOU?
Been on a bit of a late summer tear, reading-wise, hence the silence around here. Expect some long overdue updates to the Recommended sidebar later this month. As for the books that have caught my eye, though, and should catch...
UNPACKING THE SHELVES: AESTHETICS
I've finally gotten all the fiction put away, and have got the next three groupings staged and ready to unpack. First is my collection of writers' journals and letters, in which I've always had a slightly prurient interest; then my...
BIRNBAUM v. B&B (BANVILLE & BLACK)
My pal Robert Birnbaum has a nice chat up with John Banville to ease us into the autumn ... RB: Do the Banville books get more rigorous editing? JB: No, the Banville books are not edited at all. RB: Who,...
AUTUMN EVENTS ADDED
It's going to be a busy season in L.A., with the like of Michael Ondaatje, Norman Rush, Anne Enright and many others coming to town. Check out the Worthy Readings sidebar on the left for all the latest updates.
