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Tearing Down Our Idols

November 16, 2009 in gewgaws, the literary conversation

Here‘s a great essay by Garth Risk Hallberg at The Millions about the myth of Robert Bolaño, and how everyone—the publisher, the reader, the blogger, and the reviewer—are complicit in its construction. It’s interesting to see such a vivid example of a community turning against its construction—by which I mean the myth, not the man:

If the Bolaño backlash augured by The New Yorker’s “Book Bench” materializes, it will not be because readers have revolted against the novel (though there are readers whom the book leaves cold) but because they have revolted against a particular narrative being told about it.

Tangentially, I’ve been thinking about the ways in which we rebel against our own constructions, especially vis-a-vis (and I say this with a cringe) The Office. I watched the wedding episode the other night, and I can’t stand to watch the saccharine wordplay between Jim and Pam anymore. On the other hand, aren’t I (and my ladypeers) responsible for Jim and Pam’s success? Didn’t we ask for this nerdy-romance plotline? If so, why does it disgust me so?

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83 Slogans to Better Writing

November 16, 2009 in the literary conversation

…as curated by Allan Ginsberg. Here are a few of my favorites:

5. “My writing is a picture of the mind moving.”—Philip Whalen

9. “Do I contradict myself?
Very well, then I contradict myself,
(I am large. I contain multitudes.)”—Walt Whitman

15. Notice what you notice.—Allan Ginsberg

40. Maximum information, minimum number of syllables.—Allan Ginsberg

74. “Speech synchronizes mind & body.”—Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche

From The Huffington Post’s sometimes aggravating, sometimes fascinating, always worth-reading book blog.

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Literary Rock Stars

November 10, 2009 in gewgaws

Upon coming up from the cafeteria, the elevator doors opened on our floor, and a co-worker and I get out. Orhan Pamuk gets on. When the elevator doors had closed, both of us start shrieking:

“AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

“WHOOOOAAAAAAA!!!!!”

An editor passes by and sees us in the midst of our hysteria. “Who was that? A rock star?” she asked. “Nope,” we replied. “It was Orhan Pamuk.”

[Edit] It has been been brought to my attention that we did not, in fact, wait until the doors were closed before shrieking. To which I say, “Oops.”

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Top 1 Habits of Amazing Writers

November 4, 2009 in the literary conversation

Taken from this lovely post on 43 Folders. At the recommendation of the blogger, I picked up my unread copy of Jack Hart’s A Writer’s Coach (yes, the to-read pile is still bigger than the have-read pile). Against the recommendation of the blogger, I will likely read this book instead of writing on this blog. Hopefully you readers out there will take me as your worst-case example: don’t be like me! Close your browser’s open tabs, except for the one with your WordPress dashboard!

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What I learned from Thomas Aquinas

November 1, 2009 in book thoughts

Things are signified by words…but through the use of metaphors, things can also signify spiritual truths!

I also like how this one site sums up Articles 9 and 10 of the “Sacred Doctrine” essay by writing:

1) God made the world;
2) The world is God’s book; and
3) The book is made of symbols.

That’s so Dan Brown-y.

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