#tobyreads: Myths Abound

I’ve been reading a lot of mythologically-oriented work lately. Sometimes that’s been explicit; at other times, it’s more implicit, found in a metaphor or a passing reference. A little while ago, I read Anders Nilsen’s graphic novel Rage of Poseidon, which brings together irreverent takes on Greek mythology, eventually blending them with irreverent takes on Christianity; for a piece that should show up elsewhere in a couple of weeks, I read Jo Walton’s The Just City, which blends Greek gods, Plato’s The Republic, […]

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#tobyreads: Three Collections, From the Cerebral to the Horrific

And we’re back. Three collections this week: one memorable selection of essays on artists, one group of realistic stories of cultures intersecting, and one gripping dose of cosmic horror. Stating that I’m a fan of Janet Malcolm’s writing is not exactly a groundbreaking comment, I realize. I was eager to read her newly released nonfiction collection Forty-One False Starts in part because I’ve largely encountered her work at book length; reading more focused examples of her writing was definitely appealing.

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Afternoon Bites: “Seinfeld” Art, Janet Malcolm, Tim Harrington’s Children’s Book, and More

"The Journalist and the Murderer"

“As a critic, Malcolm owns her biases, and allows the reader to join her as she interrogates what these predilections reveal about gender, race, class, and the other thorny issues.” At The New Republic, Cara Parks on the career of Janet Malcolm. MobyLives interviewed J.A. Tyler about the end of Mud Luscious Press. Richard Prince’s Seinfeld-inspired composite. Would you like to hear a song from Tim Harrington’s upcoming children’s book? Claire Messud: interviewed. (And here’s some commentary from David Daley.) Amelia Gray: also interviewed! […]

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