May
22
I’m taking this sentence way out of context, from At the Mind’s Limits. But I hope the itch to find out the context in which “Today’s Sentence” must be true will give at least one more reason to check out Améry’s memoir of his torture by the Gestapo at the Fortress Breendonck. (After I move tomorrow & set up my internet connection, I’ll have more to say about Breendonck… ) -
Thinking is almost nothing else but a great astonishment.
May
20
Wyatt Mason’s Blog
Filed Under Red Sox, Announcements | 5 Comments
I’m sure many of you enjoy Wyatt Mason’s thoughtful reviews for Harper’s as I do. When he’s enthusiastic about a writer, his joy works on you, through his sentences, like a virus. (A big reason why I bought It’s All Right Now by Charles Chadwick a few years ago.) Even when he’s not so keen on a book, he does something a bit more humane than other critics. When criticizing Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, for example, he graciously pointed toward Smith’s earlier example of writing as a specific reminder of her promise as a writer. Sometimes, I love reading those barbed UK book reviews. There’s nothing like book reviewing as bloodsport. But it is when the reviewers key in to something larger than themselves & their concerns that I value their function, when their reviews become ultimately self-effacing at the service of literature. I’ve read a few of those kinds of reviews from Wyatt Mason, so I’m happy that he’s started a blog called Sentences, through Harper’s website. (The latest entry is his report of the ego-stroking conversation between Jonathan Franzen and James Wood which took place at Harvard.)
On a totally unrelated note: I missed Jon Lester pitching a no-hitter because of the damn graduation ceremony!
(Photo of Mason, from Harper’s website)
May
15
Maslin Bad, Summer Good
Filed Under Feuilletons | 4 Comments
One of the most annoying book reviews that I’ve ever read is Janet Maslin’s review of James Frey’s new book, Bright Shiny Morning. I don’t know what the hell she was smoking when she wrote it, but I don’t want a toke. Are you sure NY Times pays her for this
On the other hand, school’s over for me, hooray! Finally, I can do some books I’ve been meaning to read. Jenny recommends Sarah Manguso’s The Two Kinds of Decay highly, so that’s on the list. Other books I can’t wait to read are Teju Cole’s Every Day is for the Thief and Ed Park’s Personal Days. Need to finally finish Senselessness by Horacio Castellano Moya, but after this, no more torture regime novels for a while… until Bolano’s 2666. Nam Le’s getting a lot of attention, and I’m very curious. And I promise I’ll finally read a Jane Austen novel this summer so when people are talking about Austen to me they’re not staring back at glazed-over eyes.
Now that Columbia’s not subsidizing my apartment, I’m getting priced out of Manhattan. Moving just across the pond. I’m happy though; it’s a house, has a small yard, and I have a huge basement office to myself to work in. Hopefully I’ll get to finally push forward on the novel that I’ve been writing. But that’s what I say every summer. I’ll at least set up a kiddie pool and slip ‘n slide for my girls, grill some steaks. Crank up some records by The Band and drink a lot of cold-ass beer. Good enough for me.
And I promise to be good to you again, blog. No more neglect.
(Image: “Summer” by the incomparable Weegee)