A few years ago, at some random point in my reading journey, an author or critic said he or she preferred Theodore Dreiser's Jennie Gerhardt, published in 1911, to the more famously known and assigned Dreiser classic Sister Carrie. Not just preferred, though -- the book was described as a favorite. I went online to purchase a copy, only … Continue reading Jennie Gerhardt is back
I miss letters
On October 8, 1946, legendary singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie wrote an eight-page letter to Charlotte Strauss. The two had been corresponding since 1945, after Strauss read Guthrie's autobiography Bound for Glory and wrote him a fan letter. That eight-page letter went up for auction on January 15, 2009 at Freeman's, as part of the Manuscript Archive of … Continue reading I miss letters
Will you be dispensable?
The Other Press is publishing The Unit in June, the first novel by Swedish author Ninni Holmqvist, translated byMarlaine Delargy. From what I read in the press release, it's sci-fi along the lines of Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World. Sci-fi is not a genre that calls to me, although I've read the aforementioned classics, … Continue reading Will you be dispensable?
W. S. Merwin wins Pulitzer
Pulitzer Prize winners for Letters, Drama and Music 2009 announced today are listed here in the New York Times. Among them is W. S. Merwin for his extraordinary collection of poetry The Shadow of Sirius. One of my favorites in the collection, etching unforgettable images/sounds, "An Empty Lot" about the "long dusty patch/ of high ragweed" … Continue reading W. S. Merwin wins Pulitzer
A super son nevertheless: Michael Dirda
Michael Dirda reviews Jayne Anne Phillips Lark and Termite in the current New York Review of Books (April 30, 2009). His exceptional analysis of this dreamy, multi-narrated novel unravels the complexity that IMO makes the story less accessible to all readers. Anyone who's already read the novel or who plans to read it will find … Continue reading A super son nevertheless: Michael Dirda
Breathing the most fascinating and admirable characteristics of race
Paul Lawrence Dunbar come to mind? Not as well known yet writing during the same time period, Elliott Blaine Henderson hit my radar when a book dealer handed me one of his collections, Humble Folks, published in 1909. I had no idea who Henderson was but fell in love with his photo in the book and also in … Continue reading Breathing the most fascinating and admirable characteristics of race
A common story that’s irresistible reading
Happens Every Day by Isabel Gillies went on sale this week. It had a strict-on-sale date of March 24 due to the deal with Starbuck's to sell the memoir in its stores. Maureen Corrigan in her recent NPR "Fresh Air" review called it compulsively readable, and it is indeed that. (Corrigan's review is the reason I ran … Continue reading A common story that’s irresistible reading
One plus one = truth
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa; translated by Stephen Snyder Don’t let the math equations frighten you off from this gentle gem. I hated math and struggled with it in school – and while I didn’t always get the nameless professor’s explanations in these absorbing pages about prime numbers, let alone amicable numbers, … Continue reading One plus one = truth
The memorable Jack Brule
In the March 2 issue of "Publisher's Weekly," there's a starred preview of Ward Just's novel to be published this July, Exiles in the Garden. The reviewer says, "Just writes with confidence and authority as he works through larger themes of politics, history, war and historical judgment." I'll be eager to read it -- I've … Continue reading The memorable Jack Brule
Siriusly
W. S. Merwin’s The Shadow of Sirius was sitting on the passenger seat along with several other books I felt compelled to carry with me on my Saturday errands – I couldn’t decide what to read next, hence all my choices traveled with me for potential ‘sneak read’ moments. Reading in the grocery parking lot, I … Continue reading Siriusly
Who knew?
It was a windswept, raw March morning and the city looked bleak and dreary as it shivered under the overcast sky. But the man who stood at the window of his study in the large house on Market Street didn't hear the rattling of the wind against the panes or even feel the persistent draft … Continue reading Who knew?
The Longest Chapter 