Literary links, sans comment

THE 2008 BELIEVER BOOK AWARD: Editors' Short List

The Nation reviews George, Being George: George Plimpton's Life as Told, Admired, Deplored, and Envied by 200 Friends, Relatives, Lovers, Acquaintances, Rivals

The personal blog of Richard Nash, who is leaving Soft Skull.

The Complete Review asks of the Warwick Prize judges, "Dear god, is this what literary commentary has been reduced to?"

Sci-fi author Philip Jose Farmer is dead.

The Boston Globe reviews Two Dudes, One Pan.

Joyce Carol Oates on "Zombie"

Joyce Carol Oates talks to the NY Times about the stage adaptation of her novella, "Zombie":

"It's a one-man play...a monologue, as if from the inside of a very troubled man's head. You're really descended into his soul."

From the NY Times' review of the play:

"Quentin P. seems a familiar type at first. In his 30s, Quentin (Bill Connington) lives alone in the basement of what used to be his grandmother's house. His voice and demeanor are somewhat childlike.

When he announces, 'I am an admitted sex offender,' it is a shocking confession. But that is only the beginning of the story..."

The New Yorker launches online book club

In brainstorming possible additions for the new version of Identity Theory (coming soon!), I thought, "Why not an online book club?"

It turns out the New Yorker was on the same wavelength, as they launched an online book club of their own this week (after a month of "beta testing").

The first book they're having members read is Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. Not exactly an obscure title there, and we're guessing the film version is going to inspire more people to pick up the book than 1,000 online reading groups could. But it makes sense to start with a really popular title, so kudos to them for this effort.

"No" to AWP, "Yes" to Chris Bohjalian

No, Identity Theory is not attending AWP this year. We have never, ever attended AWP. 2009 seemed like a good year for that to change, but the combination of Chicago + Winter + Valentine's Day did not exactly motivate us to endure the trials and tribulations of flying tiny regional jets.

So, more power to you, Monkeybicycle. Way to go, Art Spiegelman.

Maybe we'll catch you next year if you move the conference to Havana, which should be quite the hot spot by then. (Actually, Denver in April seems pretty feasible...)

One literary event we did attend was the launch of Chris Bohjalian's new Skeletons at the Feast book tour in South Burlington last night.

A summary: he hates all of his old books but absolutely loves his new one--though apparently not enough to actually read from it.

For more in-depth coverage of his new book, Bohjalian fans can listen to his Vermont Public Radio interview online.

Monday's Margins: Shepard Fairey, 2666, Kindle

n+1 on Shepard Fairey, creator of Obama "Hope" poster: "The problem that Shephard (sic) Fairey presents also leads to a fear: that he may be, in fact, the perfect portraitist to render Obama. The purveyor of radical aesthetics is rendering the visage of radical hope--neither of whom is very radical."

Robert Birnbaum writes: "This is a propitious time to celebrate and re-view the (arguably) most significant photography monograph since the Second World War, Robert Frank's The Americans."

The New Republic reviews Roberto Bolano's 2666: "A young man can still get up in a Mexico City bookstore and declare war on the literary establishment."

Maud Newton's "Portrait of My Father" at Granta: "Exactly how long the prostitute, unbeknownst to my father, stayed at our house and slept in my bed is hard to gauge."

And finally, if I hear one more mention of Kindle 2 this afternoon my head is going to asplode.

Here's Looking at You, Susan Sontag, Words Without Borders

The February edition of Words Without Borders is online (theme: graphic novels).

Here's Looking at You: Robert Birnbaum does his TMN digest thing with Jonathan Baumbach's You: Or The Invention of Memory.

"Sontag: The Precocious Years": Luc Sante reviews Reborn: Journals and Notebooks 1947-1963, a collection of entries from Susan Sontag with an intro by her son, David Rieff.

Monday's Margins: Narrative Mag, Soft Skull, Kyle Minor, & more

Maud Newton interviews Narrative Magazine editor Tom Jenks about the journal's dual presence in print and electronic media as well as its popularity on Amazon's Kindle.

Happily, Soft Skull/Counterpoint Press reported its best year ever.

Kyle Minor and Kathleen Rooney's "Live Nude Girl in the Devil's Territory" Book Tour is kicking off this week.

At the Boston Globe, Alex Beam offers an E-Z Guide to Publishing.

And, it's now February, but over at January Magazine, David Middleton reviews The Book of Dead Philosophers by Simon Critchley.