“[A] brilliant fable of a Russia oversaturated with “semiotic signs”, a skewing of a country where rhetoric – and not actual substance – is most often the locus of communication.” Scott Esposito on Victor Pelevin’s The Hall of Singing Caryatids. Norman Brannon on pie. Birdsong made L Magazine‘s 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. (Not a bad idea — a three-pack of Brooklyn literary magazines — from the booksellers at Spoonbill & Sugartown.) Steve Almond’s “Kiss The Officer In Question” is worth […]
Afternoon Bites: Steve Almond, R. Crumb, St. Vincent, and more
“The central power-dynamic itself — teacher seems superhuman then is revealed to be a normal human — is, well, boring. But that makes it all the more amazing when Maksik somehow pulls it off.” At Full Stop, Scott Beauchamp reviews Alexander Maksik’s You Deserve Nothing. Jeffrey Wasserstrom on the works of writer Yu Hua. R. Crumb’s album artwork has been collected. Gabrielle Gantz on Steve Almond’s recent reading at Greenlight. At Book Riot, Liberty Hardy on alternative methods of bookshelf organization. Jon […]
Living in a Post-20 Under 40 World
The New Yorker put out it’s first issue since it’s 20 Under 40 Summer Fiction edition came out. That meant we all had two weeks to read the entire issue, reflect upon the choices, and blog a lot about it. Is the entire literary landscape forever altered? Probably not, but at least it gave us all some fodder until something else comes along. Ward Six gave us ten writers over 80 that we should go back and read. Steve Almond […]
Weekend Bites: Washington’s Overdue Fees, Steve Almond, Herzog in a Cave, The Other Hitchens, and More
The overdue fees of our founding fathers. Steve Almond will convince you that Rock And Roll Will Save Your Life. Werner Herzog discusses a cave and Roger Ebert films it. Get your Abraham Joshua Heschel, George Carlin, Philosophy and Baseball fix all in one place! Peter Hitchens: The other Hitchens
Weekend Bites: Cusack on Hot Tub, Alex Ross Out of His Comfort Zone, Death of Journalism (School), NY Tyrant Does Franco, Will Self Debating, and More
Richard Metzger and John Cusack talk Hot Tub Time Machine: “I’ll quote David Letterman here: “I haven’t seen ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ but I know genius when I hear it, and ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ is genius.” I really prefer to think I’m committing new cinematic sins. With all of the rampantly heroic stupidity that can be mustered within the normal time constraints and the Hollywood studio system.” And you thought Alex Ross was all Bartók and Mahler… Is J […]
Steve Almond is Ian MacKaye to Stephen Elliott’s Henry Rollins
Remember that time I asked if Stephen Elliott is the new punk rock because of his DIY book tour? Steve Almond is starting to make me think that he too is deserving of my horrible photoshopping skills. Today on The Rumpus, Almond continued sharing his thoughts on why he decided to self-publish, a subject he discussed a few weeks back in the LA Times.
Bites: Hemon and McCann Talk, Jack London’s 134th Birthday, Because Paul Auster Says so, Yummy Fur, and More
Aleksandar Hemon talks with with Colum McCann nin the new issue of The Believer. I love both writers, but I put this at the top so I could post the Tony Millionaire illustration. People care that it’s the 134th anniversary of Jack London’s birth. If Paul Auster says that Paul Auster is putting out a new novel, it must be true. Steve Almond weighs in on Katie Roiphe’s males writers and sex fiction piece. Weird writer rituals. Dave Eggers talks […]