In our morning reading: remembering the life and work of Denis Johnson, a look at literary Chicago, and much more.
Afternoon Bites: Lorin Stein Talks Denis Johnson, 5 Under 35, Barbara Comyns Revisited, Anna von Hausswolff, and More
In our afternoon reading: revisiting Denis Johnson’s fiction, reviews of books by Natalie Eilbert and Molly Tanzer, and more.
Morning Bites: New Mount Eerie, Fiction and Comedy, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Sarah Gerard’s Latest, and More
New music from Mount Eerie, a look at what fiction can learn from comedy, new writing from Karl Ove Knausgaard and Meredith Graves, notes on Sarah Gerard’s new novel, and more.
Afternoon Bites: “The Laughing Monsters,” Emily St. John Mandel, East Village Radio Returns, John Lurie Talk Show, and More
In our afternoon reading: notes on the new novel from Denis Johnson, an interview with Emily St. John Mandel, John Lurie has a talk show, a look at the current state of music journalism, and more.
On “Entertainments” and Denis Johnson’s “The Laughing Monsters”
Years ago, I went to Housing Works to see Jonathan Lethem and George Saunders in conversation. Among the topics up for discussion: the MacArthur Foundation’s genius grants, of which both had been recipients. Lethem brought up an interesting angle on this: namely, that felt that he had to tell them that he would be consciously going in a different direction with his work in the aftermath of The Fortress of Solitude. Specifically, he would be exploring different tones: The Fortress […]
Vol.1 Brooklyn’s November 2014 Books Preview
As the year turns the corner into November, the array of fantastic, challenging books available to read continues. Our picks for our most highly-anticipated books for the month include investigations of the art world and irreverent takes on literature; a novel of grief and the open road and a novel of families falling apart; the return of one of America’s greatest living authors and a collection of some of the best essays written in the last few decades. Alternately: it’s a particularly […]
Morning Bites: Denis Johnson Excerpt, Nell Zink, Xylouris White’s Album, Elizabeth Kadetsky on Distraction, and More
In our Monday morning reading: an excerpt from Denis Johnson’s new book, Alexander Chee on gender and reading, thoughts on Nell Zink’s debut and the new album from Iceage, and more.
#tobyreads: Obsessions, Fixations, and Secret Crimes
Continuing in my read-through of Harry Mathews’s body of work, I recently delved into his novel The Conversions. It begins in a recognizable fashion: the narrator is invited to the home of a wealthy man, where he takes part in a competition; winning it, he’s given a mysterious adze. As the novel continues, the narrator must delve into the adze’s history in order to answer three fairly surreal questions. And while this might seem like the framework for an adventure story, […]