JPCSaturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
I think Salander is a part of me
I believe that Lisbeth Salander is rubbing off on me. Having two hours before an appointment, wandering around in a city I don't know particularly well, I walked into a dollar store and bought black nail polish on a whim. I then painted my nails, something I've never done before, as you can see by the blotchy bits. I happened to be carrying The Girl Who Played with Fire with me, and, when I got to the appointment, they asked me if I was becoming Salander. "I had too much free time," I said. "I would have gotten the piercings, only I didn't have that much time."But more coming soon.
JPC
PS. Anthony Weiner, you're my hero:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp=38485863�
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Favorite Borges
Found this little number tucked away in my stacks; will review it in the new issue of CS2
JPC
The Best Margin Comments Ever
http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2010/07/26/alex-abramovich/oh-i-get-it-its-a-sci-fi-novel/
Some of the best margin comments ever have been discovered in a copy of White Noise by Don DeLillo. Leave it up to the London Review of Books (sans-"Naughty Lola") to up the ante, RE: Literary Laughs.
JPC
Some of the best margin comments ever have been discovered in a copy of White Noise by Don DeLillo. Leave it up to the London Review of Books (sans-"Naughty Lola") to up the ante, RE: Literary Laughs.
JPC
E. M. Forster (misread)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/books/review/Toibin-t.html?_r=1&ref=books
Colm Toibin, author and critic, reviewed a new biography of E. M. Forster for the New York Times a few weeks ago and, as I was reading it over, I began to wonder, why does it appear that Toibin is misreading or incorrectly reflecting on Forster. The incorrect reflection? That after "A Passage to India" Forster wrote
Nowhere mentioned in the article are the radio talks he gave for the BBC (transcripts of which were published a few years back, reviewed by Zadie Smith in the New York Review of Books [Smith is E. M. Forster's most powerful disciple, perhaps a tad too influenced by him]). His essays fill several books. And to say that
is technically wrong. He never finished writing the novels, but he did continue to write. There are fragments of two books, one of which was published in 2003 (Arctic Summer). And don't forget the libretto to Billy Budd. I know that Toibin is a devotee of Forster as well, and I can only hope that this was a slight oversight.
Also from the New York Times, a new biography of Maugham is reviewed:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/books/review/Leavitt-t.html?ref=books
Most Intriguing
JPC
Colm Toibin, author and critic, reviewed a new biography of E. M. Forster for the New York Times a few weeks ago and, as I was reading it over, I began to wonder, why does it appear that Toibin is misreading or incorrectly reflecting on Forster. The incorrect reflection? That after "A Passage to India" Forster wrote
"merely a few short biographies, some essays and literary
journalism."
Nowhere mentioned in the article are the radio talks he gave for the BBC (transcripts of which were published a few years back, reviewed by Zadie Smith in the New York Review of Books [Smith is E. M. Forster's most powerful disciple, perhaps a tad too influenced by him]). His essays fill several books. And to say that
"he wrote no more novels"
is technically wrong. He never finished writing the novels, but he did continue to write. There are fragments of two books, one of which was published in 2003 (Arctic Summer). And don't forget the libretto to Billy Budd. I know that Toibin is a devotee of Forster as well, and I can only hope that this was a slight oversight.
Also from the New York Times, a new biography of Maugham is reviewed:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/books/review/Leavitt-t.html?ref=books
Most Intriguing
JPC
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Literary Non-News Stories
New Kafka papers to be revealed to the public? I think not.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10682482
According to the BBC, these documents (part of a long-running feud) will only come under the eye of a "Kafka Specialist" and will not be released to the public.
I don't understand this. Why not make these public? Even Nabokov's manuscripts have been seen in public. Laura has come into the public eye (after 25+ years of debating). I have a Laura manuscript upstairs, in Nabokov's own hand.(*)
They've even discovered Kafka's stash of pornography and made selections of the contents public knowledge.(**) If his choice of porn has literary value, why not let us see the real stuff?
JPC
*Attention possible theives, the "manuscript" of Nabokov's Laura is no real manuscript, it's just a copy of the book, which reproduced the index cards he wrote the text on.
**http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2008/aug/15/kafkasguiltypleasures
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10682482
According to the BBC, these documents (part of a long-running feud) will only come under the eye of a "Kafka Specialist" and will not be released to the public.
I don't understand this. Why not make these public? Even Nabokov's manuscripts have been seen in public. Laura has come into the public eye (after 25+ years of debating). I have a Laura manuscript upstairs, in Nabokov's own hand.(*)
They've even discovered Kafka's stash of pornography and made selections of the contents public knowledge.(**) If his choice of porn has literary value, why not let us see the real stuff?
JPC
*Attention possible theives, the "manuscript" of Nabokov's Laura is no real manuscript, it's just a copy of the book, which reproduced the index cards he wrote the text on.
**http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2008/aug/15/kafkasguiltypleasures
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Of Gaga and Twlight
What happened here?
Anyway, last night, listening to the radio, I heard a song which I was later informed was Lady Gaga's "Teeth". Listening to the song, stuck by the odd rhythm of the beat (like an old gospel number) it also hit me that, with one or two alterations, this song could be the theme song for Bella of Twilight, particularly in light of her obsessive devotion to this guy who's really kind of a jerk ("My religion is you.")
"Show me your Teeth, Edward," she said.
"Sparkle Sparkle," he said as he glittered in the moonlight.
Why do I even care?
JPC
Anyway, last night, listening to the radio, I heard a song which I was later informed was Lady Gaga's "Teeth". Listening to the song, stuck by the odd rhythm of the beat (like an old gospel number) it also hit me that, with one or two alterations, this song could be the theme song for Bella of Twilight, particularly in light of her obsessive devotion to this guy who's really kind of a jerk ("My religion is you.")
"Show me your Teeth, Edward," she said.
"Sparkle Sparkle," he said as he glittered in the moonlight.
Why do I even care?
JPC
Monday, July 12, 2010
That's the way to do it
Mark Twain and his post-departure publishing:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/books/10twain.html?ref=books
Be honest, the best thing about this is going to be the insults he couldn't get away with in life. Only in death does free speech exsist.
NPR yesterday had a talk about libel suits, saying that in this economy and with various other factors (including "THE INTERNET") libel suits are on the wain. No one's suing anyone anymore. Good or bad? Don't know quite yet.
JPC
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/books/10twain.html?ref=books
Be honest, the best thing about this is going to be the insults he couldn't get away with in life. Only in death does free speech exsist.
NPR yesterday had a talk about libel suits, saying that in this economy and with various other factors (including "THE INTERNET") libel suits are on the wain. No one's suing anyone anymore. Good or bad? Don't know quite yet.
JPC
Monday, July 5, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Two New Pieces in CommonSense2.com
This month I have two new pieces in CommonSense2.com.
The first is a review of Alice Walker's poetry collection A Poem Travelled Down My Arm:
http://commonsense2.com/2010/07/book-reviews/a-poem-traveled-down-my-arm-by-alice-walker/
Alice Walker and I have had a troubled history (my review of her collection Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth is the only 100% negative review I have ever given), and so I found myself surprised when I enjoyed the new collection of poems. Indeed, I have great respect for Walker's recent work, which seems to be a return to form after a dry spell.
The second piece is titled "The McLaughlin Group (with Monica?)":
http://commonsense2.com/2010/07/cultural-criticism/the-mclaughlin-group-with-monica/
In which I attempt to figure out what Monica Crowley was put on the McLaughlin round table and beg Tony Blankley to come back.
JPC
The first is a review of Alice Walker's poetry collection A Poem Travelled Down My Arm:
http://commonsense2.com/2010/07/book-reviews/a-poem-traveled-down-my-arm-by-alice-walker/
Alice Walker and I have had a troubled history (my review of her collection Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth is the only 100% negative review I have ever given), and so I found myself surprised when I enjoyed the new collection of poems. Indeed, I have great respect for Walker's recent work, which seems to be a return to form after a dry spell.
The second piece is titled "The McLaughlin Group (with Monica?)":
http://commonsense2.com/2010/07/cultural-criticism/the-mclaughlin-group-with-monica/
In which I attempt to figure out what Monica Crowley was put on the McLaughlin round table and beg Tony Blankley to come back.
JPC
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