Bites: New American Stories, New Nabokov is “Not a Novel”, Literary Journals as News Sources, Air Waves at Daytrotter, and More

Maud Newton talked about it in early November, but this recently posted review on Becoming Americans: Four Centuries of Immigration (Library of America), had a quote I liked. Gary Shteyngart falls in love with cereal for the “unprecedented miracle” of toy prizes: “It tastes the way America feels. . . . . Something for nothing.” Lit. “The first thing you need to know about this new Nabokov thing is that it is not a novel.” — Ward Six. “In an ongoing effort to […]

Continue Reading

Bites: Henry Miller in LA, Bolaño was a Reader, Frost Sent Christmas Cards, Art Basel is on, Idiots, and More

When I think of Henry Miller, Paris, Brooklyn, and Big Sur come to mind, not Los Angeles.  The Rumpus changes that. You are probably going to like this Justin Taylor guy. Roberto Bolaño read an awful lot. Serbian experimental writer Milorad Pavić has passed away. Jonathan Lethem calls Padgett Powell’s The Interrogative Mood “a supreme literary stunt” at The Millions. At HTML Giant, Jimmy Chen says of Nabokov’s The Original of Laura, “doesn’t do much except make a publishing event […]

Continue Reading

Bites: Ayn Rand Dominates and is “Influential”, Paris Review Conversation, Finding Edward Gorey, and More.

This terrifying picture is from the GQ piece on Ayn Rand called “The Bitch is Back“. If you like Ayn Rand, enjoy reading about “2009’s most influential author”.  Otherwise, if you are like me, continue shielding your eyes. Lit. L Magazine wonders who will take the helm at the Paris Review with Philip Gourevitch leaving? One of the names tossed around in the comments of the L Mag. conversation for a possible new Paris Review editor is Geoff Dyer.  Oh, […]

Continue Reading

Bites: Get Crazy About Nabokov, Zadie Smith, Tao Lin’s Stuff, John Irving is Worried, New Magnetic Fields, The Beets at a Museum, and More.

Let’s go crazy about Nabokov! On the Media talks to Ron Rosenbaum of Slate about his conflicted feelings over the publication of The Original of Laura. Aleksandar Hemon is sorta against Laura seeing the light of day. Nabokov specimen covers. Lit. Village Voice on Zadie Smith’s collection of essays, Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays. Tao Lin will sell you a bunch of his stuff for a really good price. John Irving is worried about me?  I was worried about John […]

Continue Reading

Bites: Nabokov, Pynchon likes weed and food, Deerhunter vs. Flaming Lips, and more

We are close (November 17th) to the release of Nabokov’s The Original of Laura.  Slate discuss on the only way to get a sneak preview. Lit. Wasafiri turns 25, and celebrate by listing the books that most shaped literature in the last quarter century. Lots of weed and food in Inherent Vice. Conversational Reading on John Hawkes Gigantic has an interview with Clancy Martin Indichik: “Vampires and Jane Austen“ Momus has a book out?  Seriously?  That sorta rules. Politics A […]

Continue Reading

Bites: Nabokov with naked women, Tao Lin selling bumper stickers, Sufjan Stevens, and the zombie train adds an extra passenger

Well, some of us are actually gonna have to buy Playboy for the writing it seems, because they are giving us a 5,000 word glimpse at Vladimir Nabokov’s final, unfinished novella, The Original of Laura in their December issue (which comes out Nov. 10th) a week before it ships for sale. An all string reworking of Sufjan Stevens 2001 album Enjoy Your Rabbit will be out in November. I’m happy about this. The title of the album is Run Rabbit […]

Continue Reading