Poetry in Motion: Sympathy for Notre Dame Football from Great Irish Writers

This week, Notre Dame woefully dongs its bell tower, with each member of the proud college’s football phalanx feeling like a true Quasimodo.   A crushing 42-14 defeat in Monday’s bowl-game-of-all-bowl-games to Forrest Gump’s alma mater inspired many an armchair Lombardi nationwide to – in ways both fair and callous – damn the Fighting Irish as faux-contenders.  “Unfit to the cleats of several squads arguably more deserving of BCS title game contention,” says some easily imagined surly grump.

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How Samuel Beckett Rolls

New issue of Bookforum is great.  One of the better reviews of Emily Gould’s book I’ve read;  Van Gogh, Adam Thirlwell, Seymour Krim and Nathanael West  make appearances. I gotta admit that I was sold on the cover of  Mr. Samuel Beckett pimpin’ it in the sunshine.

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