In our morning reading: an excerpt from Catherine Lacey’s new novel, Benjamin Myers on metal and history, and more.
Pearl Anniversary for a Dirty Wedding: Denis Johnson’s “Jesus’ Son” at 30
It’s been three decades since a slim volume of 11 interconnected stories, cobbled together for a few thousand dollars to keep the IRS at bay, changed the landscape of American literature. Denis Johnson’s Jesus’ Son is one of those books you read in a single sitting, again and again. It’s a repeat offender, in the best sense of the term. A professor at Brooklyn College handed me my first copy in the late 1990’s—he said only this: “Read this. I’ll say no more.” I read it often, and I’ve been handing it to students, friends, and family members ever since. As we reach its pearl anniversary, I can’t help but connect this book with Matthew 7:6 and not “casting your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn again and rend you.” Such is the wisdom of this small, epiphanic book about a drifter, druggie, drunk, and ne’er do well as he slowly finds himself working out of drug addiction and acedia and toward a hard-earned, sober redemption and reengagement with the world.
Morning Bites: Denis Johnson on Film, Revisiting “Achewood,” Martha Anne Toll’s Recommendations, and More
In our morning reading: Denis Johnson on film, thoughts on George Saunders’s new collection, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Kali Fajardo-Anstine on Writing, Denis Johnson on Film, Interviewing Vanessa Hua, and More
In our afternoon reading: interviews with Kali Fajardo-Anstine and Vanessa Hua, Denis Johnson on film, and more.
Morning Bites: Sad13, Revisiting Denis Johnson, Ivan Vladislavić, Sarah Davachi Interviewed, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on Sad13’s new album, Rax King on writing, and more.
Vol.1 Brooklyn’s Best of 2018: Fiction
The fiction we admired most in 2018 ran the proverbial gamut from thought-provoking surrealism to evocative realism. Some illuminated the present day or recent past, while others ventured into much more uncharted territory. Some took us to unimaginable psyches; others showcased how ordinary people dealt with the extraordinary. Here’s a look at ten of our favorite works of fiction this year.
Morning Bites: Paul Tremblay’s Latest, Denis Johnson, Edmund White’s Influence, Aruna D’Souza, and More
In our morning reading: reviews of new books by Paul Tremblay and Aruna D’Souza, a look at Edmund White’s literary influence, and more.
The Making of “Hundreds of Days,” With Literature: An Interview With Mary Lattimore
Hundreds of Days, the new album by Mary Lattimore, is a stunning, sprawling work abounding with moving compositions anchored by Lattimore’s distinctive harp playing. It’s the result of a residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts, located in northern California, and the result is Lattimore’s most moving work to date. Her tour of the US begins today–she’ll be in NYC on May 29th, at Union Pool, for her record release show, and will be back on June 28th for […]