Alienated In a Near-Future Chicago: A Review of Ben Tanzer’s “Orphans”

Orphans by Ben Tanzer Switchgrass Books; 164 p. In the past few years, Ben Tanzer has established himself as an adept chronicler of a particular type of middle-class male anxiety. Fathers figure prominently into his work, as do cities — most especially, Tanzer’s home of Chicago. Orphans, his latest novel, shares many characteristics with Tanzer’s body of work, but ventures into the realm of science fiction. Orphans zeroes in on the fears and frustrations of its protagonist: his new job, which […]

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Afternoon Bites: Neverending Songs, An Epic Peter Straub Interview, Free Ham, Vanessa Veselka and the Truck Stop Killer, and More

There is a sequel to the bizarre adventure comic Far Arden? Excellent. Vanessa Veselka’s “The Truck Stop Killer” may fill your daily required dosage of excellent nonfiction. Douglas Wolk explores the world of very, very long songs. Jason Rice on Marie-Helene Bertino’s “Free Ham.” Nightmare Magazine has published the first part of a lengthy interview with Peter Straub. Ben Tanzer has new fiction up at Hobart. Hyperallergic has some art world-themed costume suggestions for your young’uns. Follow Vol. 1 Brooklyn on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and […]

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Afternoon Bites: The Adam Wilson/Don Draper Letters, John Zorn, Val Kilmer As Mark Twain, And More

“I am drawn to confusion: how we try to make sense of things, relationships, work, our family history, and how we cope, both in healthy and unhealthy ways, as well as compulsions, how we get stuck, and our desire to be unstuck, mostly, but not entirely, because those compulsions are part of our worldview.” Chicago’s Ben Tanzer is interviewed at Big Other. (We reviewed his Hold Steady-inspired novel You Can Make Him Like You last year.) A John Zorn-directed film […]

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