Novels of Marriage and War, and the Conflicts Within

For as long as novels have existed, writers have found the juxtaposition of marriages and war difficult to resist. The contrast is hard to miss: an institution that brings two people together brought into comparison with an event that puts thousands, if not millions, of people at violent odds with one another. Wars can strain the bonds of matrimony: sometimes by separating two people and sometimes by placing them on opposite sides of a conflict. The overlap of a marriage […]

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Morning Bites: Shel Silverstein archive, The Royal Foers, Crystal Stilts, and more

So many treasures from the Shel Silverstein archive. New idea for a Wes Anderson movie: The Royal Foers, starring Jonathan, Joshua, Franklin, and their monopoly fighting father. Jonathan Ames writes about his life as a bachelor. Marc Maron talks to Conan. Keegan Cooke of Crystal Stilts makes a pretty fine soul mixtape for Magnet. The classical Christmas music you should be listening to. Follow Vol. 1 Brooklyn on Twitter, Facebook, and our Tumblr. Got tips for Bites?  Info@Vol1brooklyn.com

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Morning Bites: Another American Psycho, Sara Levine’s music, Unpopular Proverbs, and more

Another American Psycho film?  Seriously?  Is that really necessary?  Is Bret Easton Ellis hard up for cash or something? Emma Straub on Amazon kicking bookstores while they’re down. Sara Levine talks to Largehearted Boy about the songs that helped inspire her book Treasure Island!!! Slate doesn’t seem to like the trailer for the movie adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  Teddy Wayne lists another unpopular proverb at McSweeney’s. Greil Marcus really wants you to know […]

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Echoing: More on Foer’s Mash-Up Novel “Tree of Codes”

Posted by Nick Curley Unlike your nightly news, we’re follow-uppers: we follow up.  Here now, the double whammy in a one-two punch of a story we first brought you this past Friday.  Over at The Huffington Theorum, Park Slope resident and café recliner occupant Jonathan Safran Foer details the process of literally carving Bruno Schultz’s short story collection The Street of Crocodiles into a new novel, Tree of Codes.  Schultz enthusiasts may recall that when Penguin reprinted Crocodiles for their […]

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Jonathan Safran Foer: WTF?

I’m not going to make this your run of the mill Jonathan Safran Foer rant post, but what the hell is the deal with his new book? I’m scanning this post and I see that it was nearly impossible to print, and a mention of Bruno Schulz’s The Street of Crocodiles.  Also, the thing looks impossible to read.

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Weekend Bites: No Good Witz Reviews, Be in a Safran Foer Film, Top Chef Aleister Crowley and More

At HTMLGIANT: Months after it came out, Kyle Minor still doesn’t think he’s read a good review of Joshua Cohen’s Witz. At Jewcy: For those of you who have always dreamed of being in a film adaptation of a Jonathan Safran Foer book, this is your big chance…considering you’re under the age of thirteen. At The Telegraph: Expectations are high for George W. Bush’s memoirs. At Galley Cat:  Billy Idol gets a deal to put out his memoirs, Dancing With […]

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Benjamin Kunkel Will Make Sweet Love to You, Philip Roth Will Tap Your Ass

By Jason Diamond But my favorite part of Kate Roiphe’s essay, “The Naked and the Conflicted“, in the New York Times Sunday Book review has to be: “writers like Jonathan Safran Foer who avoid the corruptions of adult sexuality by choosing children and virgins as their protagonists.” What I gained from this essay is more evidence that Philip Roth is an old guy who can’t deal with his inability to hump women that he probably treats like shit, Norman Mailer […]

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