tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185716652064653672024-03-05T09:59:02.543-05:00The Literate Man, a Book Blog for MenBooks, not which afford us a cowering enjoyment, but in which each thought is of unusual daring; such as an idle man cannot read, and a timid one would not be entertained by, which even make us dangerous to existing institution—such I call good books. - Henry David ThoreauUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-71398166672243874892019-06-18T06:35:00.001-04:002019-06-18T06:37:28.292-04:00Eastbound into the Cosmos: A search for normal in a sea of crazy<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="https://tsburke.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/burke_cover_final.jpg?w=249&h=374" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Burke_Cover_FINAL" border="0" src="https://tsburke.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/burke_cover_final.jpg?w=249&h=374" style="background-color: transparent;" /></a><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(Editor’s note: After a long hiatus The Literate
Man was forced to crank up the book review machine by a book so compelling we
had to share it with our readers. </span></i><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Eastbound into the Cosmos<i> is
the type of book that reminds us what a pleasure a novel can be.) <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Everett can’t seem to
make sense of his past or his future but he knows there’s got to be something
better than the shit sandwich he finds himself stuck in. In <i>Eastbound
into the Cosmos</i> we ride shotgun as he transitions from emboldened world
traveler and ESL instructor in China to a creature of fear and loathing
prowling suburban convenience stores.
It’s a tapestry of international, intercultural and existential
daydreaming that scours the deep and shallow themes of belonging. It’s a fascinating ride and it’s extremely
funny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The unexpected death of
his father forces Everett’s return to his childhood home in Chicago and opens
up a can of emotional turmoil. He’s right
back where he started just several years older and less equipped to handle his
circumstances then before he left. And on
top of that his mother has been carried over the deep-end by a </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">pony-tailed</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> mystic and his crystals. Crazy abounds. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Finding it strangely difficult
to re-immerse himself in the <i>vita
americana</i> and a past that's left him behind, he does the only logical thing:
smuggling exotic mushrooms. Trafficking of Asian fungus may seem an odd
choice on the surface and that’s because it is.
His frenemy and ex-roommate from China, Dino, provides entrée into the
world of gourmet mushroom smuggling (“the premium”) but fails to provide a
road map. Dino’s interest in the
partnership is not purely commercial –a cult is involved- nor is it compliant
with Chinese Communist Party laws, or FDA guidelines, for that matter. Things get sideways in a hurry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">But superseding his
mushroom entanglements is the </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">guerrilla</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> war he’s waging with his mother for her
soul: Everett searching for the mom he used to know as Tucky the new-aged guru drags
her into the light via hypnosis, naked yoga at dawn and an abundance of sage
burning. Battle lines must be
drawn. The conflict culminates with a memorable
confrontation at his guru nemesis’ dojo that goes just about how you might
expect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">But the thing about Everett
is that he doesn’t give up, even if most of his efforts register high on the pathetic
scale. And that sloth-like relentlessness
along with his unfailing narrative honesty is what makes him so compelling. He sets out to shred through the veil of insanity
he finds himself enveloped in and despite his lack of success he trudges on –partly
because he’s got nothing else to do and partly because buried underneath his
strange and sometimes shameful behavior is an innate sense of justice nudging
him along. As he works through the ambient
lunacy he realizes that one man (or woman’s) crazy is another man’s
divine. And underneath the veneer we’re
all more or less looking to get to the same place, we’ve just got different GPS
coordinates to get there. The search for
that commonality is what get’s him out of bed in the morning…usually quite late
after sleeping in and trying to avoid his mother. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The story hums along, jumping
continents and calendar years, filled with hilarious moments and propelled by
the multidimensionality of the people and places we’re introduced to. Burke does a masterful job amidst the milieu
of East/West, past/future exploring what it means to belong in both time and
place. In the parlance of Everett that may sound like a lot of
"new-age hooey" and it kind of does, but Burke has superbly grounded
the characters and the backdrops and avoided the trap of devolving into
something cartoonish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Burke himself spent a
year teaching English in China and has a deep well of expertise to draw
from. He’s long honed his craft as a
veteran contributor to Playboy, Tin House, and other publications as well as
doing good stuff like helping emerging writers in Eastern Europe and
Sub-Saharan Africa and working with Words without Borders. We’re glad to see he finally got around to
writing a novel and can’t wait to see what’s next.</span>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-47366276729828525252013-12-20T07:44:00.001-05:002013-12-20T07:44:25.984-05:00So Much Unknown About The Known World<div class="MsoNormal">
<a 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" 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" /></a><i>The Known World</i> is
not a book that you will soon forget. As
you turn the pages, the story reveals itself as such a singular and unique
piece of work that, despite some its imperfections, it’s something that sticks
in your head. It’s one of the rare books
that offers up an unknown world to the reader that far transcends the paper and
ink confines that it’s written on.
Author Edward P. Jones struck gold with this, his first novel, and the
compelling story combined with his unusual writing talents have resulted in a
stunning book.</div>
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Set just several years before the outbreak of the Civil War
in Manchester County, Virginia, Jones gives us the story of the Henry Townsend
Plantation. As with any pre-Civil War
plantation at that time and place slavery was a sad reality. However, what makes the Townsend plantation
unique is the fact that Henry was black; a free man, slave owner, and shoemaker,
“protected” by the wealthiest white man in the county. </div>
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When Henry unexpectedly dies it’s up to his young widow to hold
the plantation together and maintain a certain way of life. But things began to unravel one strand at a
time and we experience this upheaval and its consequences through the
perspective of the various slaves, slave owners, community of freemen, crackers
and other members of Manchester County.
With a sprawling cast of characters, each perspective adds a new piece
to the puzzle as the author constructs a vibrant and complexly layered portrait
of a disturbing, but very real, part of our past; a past that only half-a-dozen
generations removed, we marvel at in disbelief. </div>
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Jones has created one of the most vivid profiles of slavery
in fiction. Throughout the book he draws
liberally from an historical record that, while highly plausible, was also
invented. In the absence of any real
historical record of black slave owners, Jones superbly employs this tool to
reinforce the plot-line and it adds a distinct richness to the writing. It’s this, and other unconventional writing
devices, that both surprise and add heft to the story. And while sometimes distracting, these efforts
succeed much more often than they fail.</div>
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But perhaps the most impressive aspect of his writing is his
restraint. In a world founded on excess,
Jones’ controlled writing is a powerful contrast to the absurdities and
extremes of the environment. It allows the
reader to feel the rawness of the human emotion in its most powerful
light. As he navigates through a system
of complex moral issues and social contradictions -made even more complicated
by skin color- Jones reveals his character’s pain, and societies hypocrisy, more through what he
leaves unwritten, than by any of the words he puts on the page.</div>
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Comparisons to Tony Morrison’s <i>Beloved,</i> and William Styron’s <i>The
Confessions of Nat Turner</i> are apt, as they have become the contemporary
standard-bearers for this genre. But
what Jones has done is present this gripping subject matter in an original light; in a way that’s never been conceived before. He has put new wine in old skin and the
results are dazzling, perhaps even unforgettable.</div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-42965051105836128052013-11-15T08:12:00.000-05:002013-11-15T08:12:46.997-05:00History And Intrigue Collide In Wolf Hall<div class="MsoNormal">
<a 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" 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" /></a>Much has been made of <i>Wolf
Hall</i>, the fictionalized account of Henry the VIII’s court, since its
original release in 2009; from the Man Booker Prize, to universal critical acclaim
and monster sales, it’s all been richly deserved. Though repeatedly the subject of writing, theater
and film, Hilary Mantel’s engrossing retelling of this Tudor chapter of history
is perhaps the finest since Shakespeare broached the subject.</div>
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Set in the years between 1500 and 1535 and centered on the events
that helped shape modern Europe, it’s the story of Henry’s wedding of Anne Boleyn
and the divorce that forever altered Western Civilization. The courting of Anne and Henry’s quest for an
heir form the ostensible backdrop of this story but Mantel’s focus on the
backroom dealing and horse trading that facilitated the betrothal is the real
point of interest. Wrangling with the Vatican,
the slippery French, and the hated Spanish while trying to prevent an invasion
by a united Christian Europe and suppressing an uprising on the home front are just some of the preoccupations Henry faces.
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Fortunately he has a ringmaster named Thomas Cromwell to
handle the delicate -and not so delicate- intricacies of his agenda. And in the hands of Mantel, what a fascinating
man Cromwell proves to be. The archetype
of a “well-rounded Englishman” he is an engrossing and complex protagonist in
this original take on the Tudor court. As
a sort of a benevolent Machiavelli, who deftly balances and pragmatism and
hope, ambition and intrigue are just as much at the core of Cromwell as the
other courtesans, but we want to believe that his motivations are somehow for a
greater good and that’s partly why Mantel’s Cromwell is so irresistible.</div>
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Contrary to most works that tend to focus on Henry or Anne
as the singular characters, Mantel cleverly chooses Cromwell as the narrative
vessel for navigating this era of European upheaval. Cromwell is all the more remarkable as he is
the first man of low-born status to ascend to right hand of the throne, head
the government and essentially hold the keys to the realm. And this clash of classes adds to the richness
of this work by humanizing the historical events. </div>
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Mantel’s gifts as a writer are apparent from the first few
paragraphs. From the opening scenes the
prose accelerates, compelling you to burn through the 604 pages. She flaunts convention writes with clarity
and doesn't indulge in wordy flourishes.
But perhaps the most impressive quality of her writing is that she’s
able to inject an almost kinetic quality into the economical, even sparse, prose;
the words dance off the page and it reads almost like a thriller.</div>
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<i>Wolf Hall</i> is the
first of a Cromwell trilogy and we give this remarkable book our highest recommendation
for historical fiction. The second of
the series, <i>Bring Up the Bodies,</i> was
published in 2012 and has also been showered in critical acclaim and
awards. We can’t wait to devour it! </div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-75908634494656872402013-10-04T07:50:00.000-04:002013-10-04T07:50:36.958-04:00Middlesex: More Than Just An Address <div class="MsoNormal">
<a 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" 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" /></a>Hermaphrodites, incest, boot-legging, illegal immigration…this
might sound like a Jerry Springer episode but we’re actually talking about the
themes in Jeffery Eugenides Pulitzer prize winning novel, <i>Middlesex</i>. In lesser hands,
you might expect a story woven around these elements to rely on shock and novelty
to grab the reader’s attention. But in Eugenides
hands, these are little more than a starting point for an entertaining and provocative
work about our search for identity.</div>
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Like so many epic novels <i>Middlesex</i>
is a multi-generational tale of uprooted immigrants creating a new life in a
foreign environment. When Turkish forces
invade the Greek countryside in 1922, Lefty and Desdemona Stephanides are
forced to flee their simple village life and start over in Detroit, USA. Over the next three generations we learn of
the family’s and the city’s intertwined histories, their secrets and their
future. Using prisms of ethnicity, race,
socio-economic grouping and sexual identity Eugenides takes us on a fascinating
tour of a colorful Greek family and the legendary highs and lows of the city of
Motown. Throughout the narrative both
the characters and the city struggle to resist externally imposed identities and
remain true to their heritage in an ever-changing environment. </div>
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The protagonist of this tale, Cal, is the granddaughter of
Lefty and Desdemona, and just happens to be a hermaphrodite whose condition
remains undiscovered until her late teens.
You can be forgiven for assuming that this plot element is simply a
gimmick. But it’s not. And the reader is hardly even aware of Cal’s
unusual biology until the latter stages of the book. Instead, when the story finally reaches Cal’s
part in the story, her/his inter-sexed makeup is used as a tool for
deconstructing yet another layer of identity: sex/gender. And what could easily become freakish or even
tawdry is actually quite tender and illuminating.</div>
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Eugenides employs science, biology, humor and unwanted
sorrow to handle Cal’s story, deftly balancing these perspectives to create a holistic
vision of an unusual life from birth to middle-age and the perpetual search for
identity. It’s a grossly compelling
vision grounded in the universal need to be accepted -something that is
certainly far more difficult for someone whose physiology does not fit within
the norms of a biology textbook. </div>
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At the heart of <i>Middlesex</i>
is an enlarged ensemble of colorful characters that practically jump off the
pages and Eugenides has a knack for capturing the immigrant experience and the reverberations
felt throughout the first, second and even third generation family
members. Throughout this excellent book,
the writing is engaging, the pace is crisp and the characters sparkle. <i>Middlesex</i>
has all the requisite ingredients for an impossible-to-put-down-page-turner and
it does not disappoint. </div>
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Eugenides has written just one other book since winning the
2003 Pulitzer, <i>The Marriage Plot </i>(2011),
and previously authored <i>The Virgin Suicides</i>
(1993); both of which have found commercial and critical success. We look forward to reading these other works
and can only hope that we don’t have to wait another decade for his next novel.
</div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-29852265579559706112013-09-13T07:37:00.001-04:002013-09-13T07:38:54.887-04:00Failed Dreams and Hilarity in Lipsyte’s Home Land<div class="MsoNormal">
(Editor’s Note: <i>Apologies
for the hiatus. Since the arrival of our
tiny Literate Man, Sam, there have been fewer hours in the day for basic
exercises like reading, sleeping, and working on our time
machine. But we are now back at work. Also, please do wish our very
own talented editor/author/highlander, Patrick, a happy 400th birthday today</i>!)</div>
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<a 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" 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" /></a>Candor and honesty are rare commodities and not something
typically found in a high school alumni newsletter. Unless you’re reading <i>Catamount Notes</i>, an alumni correspondence containing personal updates
penned by a certain Lewis Minor. These
soul-bearing dispatches are riddled with failure and regret –but never without
hope!- and form the basis for Sam Lipsyte’s novel, <i>Home Land</i>, a darkly hilarious and surprisingly poignant examination
of what remains when your dreams are crushed and you find yourself three months
late with the rent.</div>
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Minor, aka Teabag, is our faithful tour guide through the wreckage
of his unfulfilled aspirations. Years
after graduating, little has changed from his high school days. He still lives in the same mind-numbing New
Jersey suburb; he still has the same friends; he still suffers the same
insecurities; he still does the same stupid things; and he describes them all
in a very frank and very funny way. But
with his ten-year high school reunion fast approaching feelings of self-doubt
and disillusionment began to cloud the horizon as people and events he’s tried
to forget begin reappearing in his life with mostly unpleasant results. </div>
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<br />
Lipsyte has a rare talent for narrative introspection that
is both entertaining and revealing. In
Teabag, he’s created a distinctive protagonist, a sort of Ignatius J. Reilly/Holden Caufield mash up, that will not soon be
forgotten. He’s a crass buffoon that if
not for his redeeming vulnerability, would come off as the kind of weirdo you
might see hanging around a 7-Eleven browsing pornographic magazines. But Teabag has heart. And he pours it out on the pages, both the
compelling and the creepy, with heartbreaking honesty. Throughout the story, he and his ensemble of
friends and enemies prove a worthy vehicle for Lipsyte’s stylized plumbing of
existentialist anxieties. </div>
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The depth of introspection that Lipsyte’s able to achieve in
<i>Home Land</i>, often juxtaposed against a
backdrop of childish situations or foolish rantings, is a pleasant surprise and
a great testament to his talent. For
some, these themes may border on the obscene or feel overdone, but Lipsyte
remains true to the characters and the quality of writing is never compromised. At times, the sparse storyline also feels threatened
by the constant introspection, but the overall product will impress with some
unexpectedly rich prose, not to mention dozens of laugh-out-loud moments and
clever dialogue.</div>
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<br />
Since publishing <i>Home
Land</i> in 2004, Lipsyte, now a professor of fiction at Columbia, has earned
wide acclaim for other works such as <i>The
Ask</i> (2012) -also recommended by The Literate Man- and <i>The Fun Parts</i> (2012). </div>
<br />
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In short, this is one of the funniest novels we’ve read in
some time and Lipsyte’s writing is superb.
<i>Home Land</i> is a deceptively
good read that will linger in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page. </div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-84063939230944611542013-05-24T08:20:00.000-04:002013-09-13T07:43:27.741-04:00The Power And The Glory Of Greene's Masterpiece<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJ7lXpmcmgcUbb19aBlTp6wA4qFNEybi8Hqk-mGlVgtvBsfJ2P" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJ7lXpmcmgcUbb19aBlTp6wA4qFNEybi8Hqk-mGlVgtvBsfJ2P" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">The Literate Man’s
nation of followers has surely noticed that we’re well past due for the requisite </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Graham Greene post. Greene is not just a giant of twentieth-century
fiction but he’s also one of our favorite authors. </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">The Power and the Glory</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> is Greene’s masterpiece and it’s long past
time that we did a post on it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">All of
Greene’s works of fiction are highly recommended, but </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">The Power and the Glory</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> is Greene at his absolute best.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Set in the sweaty
Mexican state of Tabasco in the 1930’s, this story chronicles the tale of a
renegade “whisky priest” on the run from the <i>Federales </i>during the government’s great purge to eradicate the
Catholic Church in Mexico. As the priest flees from one hiding spot to
another, from the jungle rivers and banana sheds to small mountain villages, he
struggles with his own existence, begging to be caught and spare his co-conspirators, and himself, further suffering and hardship. Yet, at the same time, he's unable to
surrender to the state and give up on his priestly calling and duty to God even
as great suffering is inflicted upon his former parishioners for harboring him.</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">It’s hardly a simple
theme, but juxtaposed against Greene’s concise and deliberate writing style,
the reader is in no danger of being overwhelmed by existential elements.
In fact, the simplicity of the writing and the characters involved allows
Greene to distill these greater themes in much more compelling terms and the
result is a powerful and moving novel. It’s also easy to see how he transitioned into
screenplay writing as this novel, and many others of his, are composed of a series of
powerful scenes stitched together to make a larger narrative</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Like so many of Graham’s
novels set in “developing countries” during the mid-twentieth century, </span></span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">The Power and the Glory</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> offers a
brilliant and vivid snapshot of a volatile place and time. Viet Nam (</span></span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">The Quiet American</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">), Sierra Leone (</span></span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">The Heart of the Matter</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">) and Haiti (The
Comedians) are all turbulent places full of social upheaval and conflict. </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">Tabasco</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> in the 1930s is no different.
And this setting is just as important to the story as the people and it’s
instrumental to our understanding of his characters. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">For Greene, the
absolutes of good and evil and -even morality- are hardly black and white and
he makes his living in the gray area of everyday life. His protagonists
are neither good nor bad, and even his antagonists are acting on behalf of what
they believe to be honorable intentions.
But weakness in his characters thoughts and actions tend to distort their
intent and produce regrettable results. It’s these moments of weakness that
create the conflict that drives Greene’s writing, as he continually asks us: is
it our frailties or our strengths that define us as humans?</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">A brilliant back-drop,
compelling character struggle and the immense literary talents of a master of
the craft make <i>The Power and Glory</i>
one of our favorite novels of all time.</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-35231733220636227242013-04-19T07:37:00.000-04:002013-09-13T07:46:02.089-04:00Books: A Paper Love Affair<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSpRtwrhNMfTCiosQb8_0ucSIojQAEtfpJDhonVhJE3LXAJz1mb" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSpRtwrhNMfTCiosQb8_0ucSIojQAEtfpJDhonVhJE3LXAJz1mb" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Larry McMurtry has done
many things in his life but perhaps none is as impressive as turning Archer</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> City, Texas -a lonesome patch of Texas prairie- into one of the world’s great
book towns. And in his suitably titled </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Books</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> we learn all about
this labor of love as we’re granted a rare and fascinating look into the world
of book collecting and book dealing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">As the bestselling
author of more than 30 novels (including the 1985 Pulitzer prize winning <i>Lonesome
Dove</i>), over a dozen works of non-fiction, and Oscar Award-winning
screenplays like <i>Terms of Endearment and The Last Picture Show, </i>he's contributed
his share to the American literary canon.
And as one of the last true book scouts and purveyors of rare and
antiquated books, he’s been involved in the book trade in one way or another
for the past seven decades. That experience and longevity has yielded
some fascinating stories and insight which he chronicles in his plain and
engaging prose as only someone with his skill-set and résumé can.</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Tinos, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">From McMurtry’s humble farm beginnings, to his days as a book scout, to his first bookshop in Washington D.C., to the
international auction circuit and beyond, the pages are peppered with
larger-than-life characters and book hoarding eccentrics. Things eventually come full circle as he returns
home to Archer City; the place where his love affair began as a book-obsessed
youth hoarding a ragged stash of 19 books (a sum that has since blossomed into
more than 300,000 volumes). And the
endearing narrative thread throughout is that McMurtry has remained that West
Texas boy for whom the written word is the “cheapest and most stable pleasure
of life.” Operating in a world that
prizes books as commodities rather than art, he has never lost that
perspective.</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Tinos, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Books<b> </b></span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">is written in typical McMurtry fashion with his
rapid-fire burst of one and two page chapters and non-pretentious style succinctly
detailing action and ideas with economy. He seems to have an anecdote for
every occasion and for a man who was on the fringe of the beat generation,
palled-around with Ken Kesey (and reportedly married his widow), and has rubbed
elbows with just about everyone from aristocrats to Hollywood folk, it’s not
all that surprising. And these tidbits are augmented with interesting
revelations such as the struggle between his inner-writer and inner-reader and
the resulting friction, which he concludes, is a benefit to both his
passions. </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Tinos, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">But more than just documenting
the amazing life of a bibliophile and recounting some fascinating stories about
books, there is a timeless quality and an obvious preservational importance to <i>Books</i>.
It’s been labeled a “memoir”, but it’s not really. McMurtry is not the memoir type. It’s more
like a postcard for posterity, a chronicling of the dying art of book dealing
for future generations. And with the rise of the Internet and EBay this
world seems to vanish a little more each day. That’s why <i>Books</i> is
not only an interesting book, but an important one. And it would be hard
to find a more apt chronicler for the task. </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Tinos, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-14315088435997742702013-03-08T07:56:00.001-05:002013-09-13T07:48:58.783-04:00Me Talk Pretty One Day: Very Entertaining Essays<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSthMuzOlF1Zz2VUKbbaFJpll8hHnC5unII8ZjyeXvXOfyVXxq" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSthMuzOlF1Zz2VUKbbaFJpll8hHnC5unII8ZjyeXvXOfyVXxq" /></a>Imagine Garrsion Keillor ditching Lake Wobegon, moving to
the city, his perspective dirtied by the ugliness of everyday life, and you’ve
got a pretty good picture what David Sedaris is all about. His biting, New York-infused, commentary
mixed with a folksy Carolina sensibility form an improbable but illuminating
insight that’s highly appealing. In his
book <i>Me Talk Pretty One Day</i> his
talents are on full display and the result is one of the most entertaining
collections of essays we’ve read in a great while.</div>
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Sedaris, who moved to North Carolina as kid and, in his own
words “relentlessly made fun of [his] new neighbors and their backwards, poky
way of life,” remains thoroughly grounded in this world; even after escaping to
New York and progressing through various life chapters that include: failed
furniture mover, failed student, failed drug abuser, failed performance artist,
among other amusing endeavors. Through
it all, Raleigh remains Sedaris’ baseline, his metric of normalcy and right in
whatever foreign environ. And he is one
of the few people on planet earth that can straddle between Appalachia and The
Meat Packing District, with one foot deeply rooted in each terrain.</div>
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But under the veneer of humor, there’s a subtle and enduring
allusion to sadness and melancholy lurking just beneath the surface. The death of his mother, economic
difficulties, concern for his family, and an apparent fear of loneliness that’s
familiar to us all. Fortunately, this
buried sorrow is never overwhelming and maintaining the balance between humor
and poignancy provides just the right depth and complexity to his writing. It’s not frivolous and it’s not depressing,
it’s a comfortable amalgamation of the two; funny, thoughtful and filling all
at the same time. </div>
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In one of the more memorable essays (The Great Leap Forward)
he chronicles the excess of New York in a hilarious recollection of his time
working as an “assistant” to a wealthy Colombian heiress. And in another (You Can’t Kill the Rooster)
he tackles the subject of his mother’s death by taking us into the white
trash world of his lawn-mowing brother whom is affectionately known as “The
Rooster.” And what’s remarkable is how
he effortlessly he steps between the two worlds.</div>
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The author mines his family life for much of his inspiration. Indeed, his father and siblings are central
to his writing and provides a solid foundation that prevents his work from
becoming simply a snarky <i>Seinfeld </i>episode<i> </i>about life in the city. The connection to family anchors the work in
compassion and provides substance to some of the more whimsical subject matter. </div>
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David Sedaris is widely recognized for his social commentary
and witty essays. <i>Me Talk Pretty One Day</i> was a #1 national bestseller when released
in 2000, and Time magazine named Sedaris “Humorist of the Year.” Just about everything he writes reaches
bestseller status and he’s been nominated for multiple Grammys for his readings
and public radio work. He is arguably
this generation’s greatest essayist and chronicler of American life and
anything he produces is worth checking out. </div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-16553973055154770892013-02-28T07:49:00.001-05:002013-09-13T07:51:38.906-04:00The Book of Basketball: Holy Scriptures of the NBA<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSXDYYirltLTnFnxJslMs6X7TFgCWkrg-Tdy5ufMqFtb05bQBiM" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSXDYYirltLTnFnxJslMs6X7TFgCWkrg-Tdy5ufMqFtb05bQBiM" /></a>Very rarely is a subject so thoroughly and entertainingly
encapsulated in a single text as Bill Simmons’ <i>The</i><i> Book of Basketball</i>: The NBA according to the Sports Guy. It is, until another writer is crazy or
talented enough to attempt to do better, the definitive bible of professional
basketball. His insightful analysis, attention
to basketball minutia and the absolute thoroughness of his examination make you
wonder if God didn’t appear to the author as a burning bush and dictate the
text. It’s hardly high literature but
it’s superbly written and offers enough –often hilarious- references to pop
culture that it’s entertaining for even the most limited of basketball fans.</div>
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Simmons offers a unique and
vibrant dissection of the evolution of the game over the past five decades, a
thorough and well-reasoned ranking of the top 96 players ever to play the game,
a chapter on the greatest teams of all time, and -in a chapter that is sure to
appeal to the NBA-obsessed- he also tackles dozens of fascinating alternative
histories like: “What if Len Bias hadn't overdosed?” and “What if the 1984
draft had gone differently?” Very few
stones are left unturned in this exhaustive examination. </div>
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But what elevates <i>The
Book of Basketball</i> from just another entertaining sports book to the
pantheon of important books is that it breaks new ground by straddling
genres. When originally published in
2009 it was one of the first books that successfully navigated the intersecting
terrain between sports and pop culture.
While it contains sufficient stats and jargon to sate basketball purists’
appetites, it also contains enough of the other stuff to appeal to a very broad
audience. It reads something like a well-informed
blog; what one might imagine the result of cramming <i>Sports Illustrated</i>, <i>The Onion</i>
and <i>People</i> magazine into a blender
and pureeing. And while that may not be
an appealing dish for everyone, that seems to be the present state of the publishing industry. </div>
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<i>The Book of Basketball</i>
is also an incredibly fun reading experience as the author’s passion and
child-like exuberance for the subject is highly infectious and jumps off of
nearly every page. Simmons, aka The
Sports Guy, and the brains behind the popular mixed media website <i>Grantland</i> (The Literate Man highly
recommends this site, which delves into a little bit of everything, including
literature), is not only addicted to the NBA but is also a reverent student and
able chronicler of the game. He’s also
compiled what might be the most engrossing and ample set of footnotes we've ever seen. </div>
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So if you hold even a passing interest in the game of
basketball do not hesitate to pick up this book. Before you know it, you’ll be on page 300 -crunching
stats and reading about Rick Barry’s hair piece and Larry Bird’s locker room
beer consumption- unkempt, unshaven, and pathetic; partaking in NBA lore to
levels of near depravity, wishing you’d never picked this book up. And loving every minute of it. </div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-57924669149228785182013-02-08T07:15:00.001-05:002013-02-09T07:29:11.981-05:00The Great Book Giveaway!<br />
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Always on the vanguard of that nebulous frontier where social
media and innovation collide, <b>The
Literate Man (TLM)</b> has crawled into the 21<sup>st</sup> century of book
blogging and we've set our sights on yet another daring first: we’re giving the people what they want. And what do the people want? Why, free books of course! So let us welcome you to the first ever <b>TLM Free Book Giveaway!</b> That’s right the <b>TLM Free Book Giveaway!</b> It is, without a doubt, the greatest free
book giveaway in the history of the universe (we wouldn't use bold font if it wasn't). So, we got that going for us,
which is nice. And it’s even nicer for
the two lucky winners of this amazing contest.
Two very special people will receive free copies of <b><i>At Drake’s Command</i></b>, the terrific new novel by David Wesley Hill (<a href="http://literateman.blogspot.com/2013/02/author-interview-series-david-hill-at.html">click here to see review</a>). We’re big fans of the book and
we're sure you will be to. But that's not all, act now and three lucky runner-ups will also receive an electronic version for Nook or Kindle. That's five free books being given away, folks! <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To enter for your
chance to win you must<span style="color: #333333;">:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hit the comments section of this post and tell us the next book
we should review on this site and why. </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The best submissions (as judged by the
brilliant editors at TLM) will not only see their book suggestions reviewed on this
site, but will also win a free copy of <b><i>At
Drake’s Command</i></b>.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Please
note: This contest is open internationally. It will close on Friday, February
22 at 11:59 PM (EST) and the winners will be notified via email shortly
thereafter.</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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This contest couldn't be any easier! So let us know what book you’re hankering to
have reviewed on TLM and win yourself a free copy of a great book. We can’t wait to start sorting through the
millions of outstanding submissions that are sure to follow. Thanks for following and happy reading!</div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-89988958265456526522013-02-01T07:45:00.001-05:002013-02-01T16:40:10.617-05:00Author Interview Series: David Hill, At Drake's Command<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT-C6oepubpsmo_o0VEm_PnbZiB2IV-T3r3marzKhw2-iIqZtLXK4yZe3g" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" class="rg_i" height="400" name="dRebGDdb9TstbM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT-C6oepubpsmo_o0VEm_PnbZiB2IV-T3r3marzKhw2-iIqZtLXK4yZe3g" style="height: 150px; margin-top: 0px; width: 105px;" width="280" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the best things about producing The Literate Man is the opportunity to read new and interesting books submitted to us by authors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re both humbled and elated at the prospect of cracking the spine on these submissions and sharing a great new book or author with the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At Drake’s Command</i> by David Hill (Temurlone Press, 2012) is latest of the many excellent books we’ve received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">At Drake’s Command</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> is the rare kind of book that once you open it up, you’ll be planning your day around the next opportunity to pick it up again and devour its 424 pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the story of Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the world as seen through the eyes of Peregrine James -a kitchen boy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cum</i> privateer- and it’s absolutely fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James, a novice seaman, learns the ropes as he’s reluctantly drawn into one enthralling adventure after another, culminating with the stunning climax of this first volume of a three part series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hill has created a captivating vision of 16<sup>th</sup> century at sea that weaves historical accuracy, engaging characters -both real and imagined- and an alluring plotline into a swashbuckling adventure on the high seas and lands unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It holds its own as both a compelling story and as a painstakingly attentive portrait of the details of ship life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hill transports the reader back to the Golden Age of Exploration by cleverly re-creating the vernacular of the day and provides an intimate glimpse into the life of an English pirate. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a richly layered depiction of loyalty, betrayal, intrigue and the historical geopolitics of the era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t wait for an advanced copy of the next book in the series!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mr. Hill was kind enough to take the time to participate in our Author’s Interview Series. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>(Editor's note: certain of Mr. Hill's responses were condensed by the Editor due to space constraints; any usage of seemingly out-of-place punctuation is the fault of the Editor, not Mr. Hill.) </em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">TLM: Why write about Sir Francis Drake’s voyage?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Hill:</strong> In 1998 I was a winner of the Writers of the Future Contest, which was created by L. Ron Hubbard, who was a science fiction writer before he founded the religion of Scientology. Each year winners of the contest are invited to Los Angeles for a black-tie awards ceremony and a week-long writing workshop conducted by a professional science fiction writer…Thus, one morning we were let loose in the aisles of the LA Library to browse the shelves in search of inspiration. I was mildly interested in pirates and began reading a facsimile edition of <i>The World Encompassed by Sir Francis Drake</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This was not written by Drake himself but published by a nephew thirty years after Drake’s death in an effort to keep alive Drake’s reputation<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">…</span></span>I said to myself, “This is utter mendacity.” So I started researching the real story of what had happened<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">…</span></span>My first inclination was to write a non-fiction book about the…affair. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am, however, a fiction writer, so I decided to tell the tale in novel form.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The dialogue is fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did you go about re-creating the day-to-day language of 16th century privateers?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Basically, I divided the English language into three sets:</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Modern English</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Elizabethan English</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Words Common to both Modern and Elizabethan English</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then I used only the words common to both Modern and Elizabethan English (although sometimes, for flavor, I would throw in a purely Elizabethan word). I also added some Shakespearean cadences, and borrowed heavily from John Dunne.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why did you choose a kitchen boy as the protagonist for this tale?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I chose a cook rather than a sailor because I wanted to make the book accessible to the general reader rather than only nautical aficionados. Perry knows nothing about sailing and thus we learn about the sea as he does, and I'm able to explain (as one reviewer noted) “the difference between a fathom and a firkin.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Furthermore, I know much about cooking since I worked for many years as a chef for major hotels, mostly in the South. I also briefly cooked aboard the <i>Clearwater</i>, a replica of a 19<sup>th</sup> century sloop built by Pete Seeger and others, which to this day sails the Hudson River, educating people about the environment. Once, too, I cooked aboard a 50 foot vessel on a blue water delivery sail from Maryland to Florida. These experiences allowed me to bring a certain level of realism to Perry's adventures.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i>At Drake’s Command</i> strikes us a story firmly rooted in historical detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did you prepare for and research this writing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What were your primary sources?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I mentioned, I began with <i>The World Encompassed</i>, which, unfortunately, is a pack of lies and has been known to be such since the publication of the Cooke Account (a manuscript<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>written by one of the gentlemen adventurers accompanying Drake) in the mid 19th century. Most of the text is derived from the notebook of Francis Fletcher, parson to the adventure; however, Fletcher's notes were heavily edited to cast Drake in a favorable light. Still, though, <i>The World Encompassed</i> remains the most important available source of information about the second circumnavigation of the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next I read Corbett’s <i>Drake and the Tudor Navy, </i>which was published in the late 19<sup>th </sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>century and is considered the seminal biography of Drake. Unfortunately it, too, is little more than white wash.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The best scholarly account of the circumnavigation is Wagner’s <i>Voyage Around the World,</i> which was published in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">…</span></span>biased, but of utmost importance, is <i>New Light on Drake</i>, edited by Zelia Nuttall. </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="freeTextreview445496143"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the early 19th century, Ms. Nuttall scoured archives in Mexico and Spain to search out any references to Francis Drake during the voyage of circumnavigation<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">…</span></span><i>The Principal Navigations</i>, by Haklyut<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">…</span></span>is an invaluable resource and contains much about Drake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">…I wrote to the British Library and had them send me photocopies of manuscripts pertinent to the voyage, and then I had to decipher the writing letter by letter, not an easy task but a thrilling one—it was an amazing experience to hold in my hands the actual signatures of the men about whom I was writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I wrote the book, to get into the spirit of the period, I immersed myself in Medieval and Renaissance music, particularly the work of Orlando Gibbons, William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, and, of course, John Dowland. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How many volumes will this series encompass and how did you arrive at the decision to make it more than one book?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I originally planned a single volume but gave up this idea at the 50,000 word mark, when I realized the story needed much more room. The circumnavigation required more than two years, after all! <i>At Drake's Command</i> follows the adventure from Plymouth to the Cape Verde Islands. The next volume,<i> Desperate Bankrupts</i>, picks up the story in Africa and continues until the fleet reaches Patagonia and Thomas Doughty is executed. The final installment, <i>Beyond Dreams of Avarice</i>, continues the adventure until the <i>Golden Hind</i> returns to England laden with one of the greatest pirate treasures in history.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What are some of your favorite books –fiction or non-fiction- written about the Golden Age of Exploration?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I highly recommend <i>Portuguese Voyages 1498-1663: Tales from the Great Age of Discovery</i>, edited by C. D. Ley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is an amazing collection of original source material from the Portuguese Age of Discovery. The section, "The Furthest East", is a first-person account of a shipload of Portuguese desperadoes marooned in the China of Genghis Khan, and it's as gripping as a novel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another favorite of mine is <i>The Defeat of John Hawkins</i>, by Raynor Unwin. This is about Hawkins's disastrous slaving voyage, and it's an amazing story. Drake was there, and did not well distinguish himself. So was Pascoe Goddy, a sailor aboard the <i>Pelican</i>, who tells part of the tale himself while explaining his dislike for rapiers and how he lost his ear.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is it about the Golden Age of Exploration that makes it so interesting for readers and writers?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First, I truly hope the Golden Age of Exploration is interesting for readers. When my agent was marketing <i>At Drake's Command</i> to major publishers, we were continually told that readers only wanted nautical adventures set in the Napoleonic era, not the 16<sup>th</sup> century. However, by the 1800s, most of the world was mapped, while two centuries earlier most of the world remained t<i>erra incognita</i>. This, to me, is the more interesting time, when mystery was just beyond the horizon and every voyage was a journey into the unknown. I hope many readers will feel as I do.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Patrick O’Brian, and his Aubrey Maturin series, is obviously the standard-bearer for this genre, and we’ve written plenty about his work, but how does <i>At Drake’s Command</i> compare with his work?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have to admit that I've never read Patrick O'Brian. Around ten years ago I picked up a book in the middle of the series but just couldn't get into the story. I figured I should start at the beginning but before I could, I had begun writing <i>At Drake's Command</i>. I rarely read other people's novels while I'm working on my own. I'm afraid of allowing another author's voice into my head because sometimes a good voice will take over and I will find myself imitating the other writer. Since I suspected that comparisons between <i>At Drake's Command</i> and O'Brian's books would be inevitable, I was particularly careful to avoid his work, so that I could honestly claim that I was not influenced by him. I have, however, read all of the Hornblower novels, and Forester is one of my favorite authors. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your previous work has dealt with science fiction - if we’re not mistaken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did you make the leap from science fiction to historical fiction?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How are they similar?</span></b></div>
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<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">...</span></span>The transition from one genre to another went fairly smoothly since in both genres the author must create for the reader a world different from our own. In this regard, historical fiction is easier to write than science fiction because the history already exists and you can take from it what you will. For a SF story, however, you must create the new world from whole cloth, a much harder task. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When can we expect part II of The Drake Circumnavigation?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It took me eight years to research and write <i>At Drake's Command</i>. However, now that the research is complete, Book II, <i>Desperate Bankrupts</i>, should take under a year. I should have it finished in late 2013 or early 2014.</span></div>
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<a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/f2/be/5b8bd5abe4f20ac1d188c0.L._SX80_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="David Wesley Hill" border="0" class="cmuImage" height="100" id="cmuImg" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/f2/be/5b8bd5abe4f20ac1d188c0.L._SX80_.jpg" width="80" /></a><em>David Wesley Hill is an award-winning fiction writer with more than thirty stories published in the U.S. and internationally. In 1997 he was presented with the Golden Bridge award at the International Conference on Science Fiction in Beijing, and in 1999 he placed second in the Writers of the Future contest. In 2007, 2009, and 2011 Mr. Hill was awarded residencies at the Blue Mountain Center, a writers and artists retreat in the Adirondacks. He studied under Joseph Heller and Jack Cady and received a Masters in creative writing from the City University of New York, as well as the De Jur Award, the school's highest literary honor. </em></div>
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<em>For more information about Mr. Hill and At Drake's Command visit</em>: <a class="yiv968326497moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.amazon.com/Drakes-Command-adventures-Peregrine-circumnavigation/dp/0983611726/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359567223&sr=8-1&keywords=at+drake%27s+command" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1359718353246_1909" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1359718361_0">http://www.amazon.com/Drakes-Command-adventures-Peregrine-circumnavigation/dp/0983611726/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359567223&sr=8-1&keywords=at+drake%27s+command</span></a></div>
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</span><em></em>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-62968956501535225992013-01-11T07:13:00.000-05:002013-01-11T07:13:51.611-05:00The Sportswriter Starts Slow but Finishes Strong<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We did not like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Sportswriter</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least through the first few chapters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then the focus shifted from an exhaustively thorough examination of a New Jersey suburb and the protagonist’s unchecked introspection to the real-time interactions of an engrossing set of characters and we simply couldn’t put the book down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This novel and the entire Frank Bascombe series came so highly recommended that we trudged on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we’re glad we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Sportswriter</i> is the story of Bascombe, a divorced suburban WASP sportswriter in his late-thirties, who, by his own admission “just [tries] not to do any harm.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has no illusions about life and is able to find satisfaction in things like a cozy armchair, a well-mixed drink and no-hitters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He takes the days as they come; an extremely self-satisfied man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recovering from the death of his oldest child he is slowly coming back to orbit after his life became shrouded in “dreaminess” following the tragedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story unfolds over a long weekend in his beloved Haddam, New Jersey and a quick excursion to Detroit to interview an ex-football player.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s easy to see why Pat Ford has a Pulitzer on his shelf (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Independence Day</i>, the third novel in the Bascombe trilogy) as his gift for finding meaning in the smallest details is evident from page one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The way that he unearths beauty and truth in his straightforward description of small town life in the Northeast makes him something of a New Jersey Faulkner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But this is also perhaps the single aspect of the book that we struggled with the most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For anyone thirsting for an exemplarily thesis on the Jersey ‘burbs, the first hundred odd pages of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Sportswriter</i> is paydirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add to that a protagonist that has been characterized as smug, even shallow by some critics, and you have cause for valid criticism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Sportswriter </i>is so much more than a man driving through his neighborhood describing what he sees out his car window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Bascombe is a comfortably sympathetic character -something like a white collar Springsteen for the Wall-Street commuter class- which Ford impressively employs to cover nearly every square inch of human emotional terrain in just 375 pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ford is a gifted and empathetic writer and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Sportswriter</i> reads like a cross between <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</i> and Updike’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rabbit</i> novels, with a dash of baseball to spice things up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It strikes an entertaining balance between character, story, and environment as Bascombe’s existential contemplation weaves almost seamlessly with the character interaction and clever dialogue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Insightful observational nuggets that can be gleaned from nearly every single page and it’s the type of rewarding read that you won’t soon forget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Independence Day</i> (1995) is the more celebrated book of the Bascombe trilogy but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Sportswriter</i> is the introduction to the series and a very impressive book in its own right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s difficult to walk away from this novel not being impressed by Ford’s skill as a writer and eager to read his other works.</span></div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-44010238362055921452012-12-13T07:48:00.001-05:002012-12-13T07:48:44.240-05:00The Big Short: And Idiot's Guide to the Financial Crisis<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_EXa9MHFI06bAsgh5N057AdCYkQx6tpAhMTgwFyBnYjCYUEtasl0q_40eLrWs8Olj7116VBDxSQyZZjtdMP9FQes_2CkPNtPY8sdQWN_5O4_Yz2SMLS6fJdHg3z4iyhJB_eWGopN7fQ/s1600/The+Big+Short.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_EXa9MHFI06bAsgh5N057AdCYkQx6tpAhMTgwFyBnYjCYUEtasl0q_40eLrWs8Olj7116VBDxSQyZZjtdMP9FQes_2CkPNtPY8sdQWN_5O4_Yz2SMLS6fJdHg3z4iyhJB_eWGopN7fQ/s1600/The+Big+Short.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Michael Lewis has done it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this time he has truly outdone himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has taken, what is quite possibly the most boring subject on the planet earth, and made it palatable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just palatable, but actually quite interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And during the process he’s also managed to explain the cause of the Great Recession in terms that even book blog editors and chimpanzees can understand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Big Short</i> is Lewis’ finely crafted attempt at distilling the housing market bubble and the eventual collapse of the global financial markets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He revisits the well-trodden world of Wall Street bond trading, the subject of in his 1989 debut book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Liar’s Poker</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the uninitiated, this area of debt derivative investing is so byzantine and obscure that the lecturing of its finer points should be banned under the Geneva Accord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suffice to say, this confusing and completely made-up investment universe is basically incomprehensible…by design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the people immersed in this paper world of complicated bets don’t understand what’s going on most of the time, and there lies the crux of the financial market meltdown of 2008.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fortunately, Lewis expertly guides us through the process, while providing insight, understanding and even a few laughs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of diving into the nuts and bolts of it, in typical fashion, he paints this highly pedantic subject with a humanistic flourish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He uses a group of peculiar hedge fund managers and traders as his instruments for spicing up the dry subject matter with heroes and scoundrels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These peculiar characters belong to an exclusive fraternity of less than two dozen or so hedge funders that actually understood what was going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in the face of great ridicule from their peers -and at times themselves- actually bet against the market and made a killing while most people lost their shirts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What makes this small group of investors extraordinary, aside from their market vision, is their idiosyncrasies and Lewis has a masterful gift for not only spotting such traits but mining them for narrative adhesive as he weaves the storyline together: an Aspergers suffering neurologist turned hedge fund manager; a pair of garage band investment nerds operating out of a shed in Berkeley, CA; a New York Jew intent on exposing the myths of the Talmud and destroying the financial system as we know it; an apocalyptic trader holed up in a survival compound in the mountains; a bond-buyer villain named Wing Chau -these are the narrative vessels that Lewis uses to deconstruct the mortgage-backed securities mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And without their colorful personal contributions this subject matter would be impossible for most humans to digest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And that’s the art of Lewis’ craft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a thinker on par with Malcom Gladwell and his lively writing is reminiscent of a young Tom Wolfe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has a knack for taking impossible to understand, and seemingly unappealing topics, and brilliantly repackaging them into beautiful things like the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blindside</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Moneyball</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New New Thing, </i>among others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With his mix of academic understanding and deft treatment of the human experience there simply isn’t’ anyone writing today with his rare skill-set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Read anything by Lewis you can get your hands on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You won’t be disappointed. </span></div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-36699111647807362362012-11-18T07:41:00.000-05:002012-11-18T07:41:14.858-05:00Maverick Jetpants in the City of Quality by Bill Peters<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPHpjcmd_AMphHuxDAqdKEQ-G9NgwLE6Lm78jS079z1DrHLITfnqgPis-QYHO8FJopmIZjUVetWdVtWwLxCAkibH-sw7PnRHcuGkLEahw5Oq3fj2AeyRVenRh_53wawc8aiaKiYeNemNK/s1600/9781936787029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPHpjcmd_AMphHuxDAqdKEQ-G9NgwLE6Lm78jS079z1DrHLITfnqgPis-QYHO8FJopmIZjUVetWdVtWwLxCAkibH-sw7PnRHcuGkLEahw5Oq3fj2AeyRVenRh_53wawc8aiaKiYeNemNK/s200/9781936787029.jpg" width="136" /></a>Aaron and I had a vision a couple of years back when we first discussed writing a blog by the name of The Literate Man: to ferret out the best works of modern literary fiction from among the unknown masses, which we were (and are) certain are all too often overlooked by the commercial establishment. We continue to seek out works that not only entertain but challenge us as readers and break new creative ground in the process. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Maverick-Jetpants-The-City-Quality/dp/1936787024" target="_blank">Maverick Jetpants in the City of Quality</a> is precisely what we had in mind. We give it our highest recommendation.<br />
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A few disclaimers are necessary here: I grew up in Western New York, in farm country about 60 miles southwest of Rochester, the self-proclaimed "City of Quality," and the setting for Bill Peters' debut novel. And like Bill Peters, my appreciation for Western New York and my own formative years, has grown with age and perspective. We both seem to have great, vivid memories of the Golden Age of the Buffalo Bills, who made it to (and lost) four straight Super Bowls from 1991-1994. The entire region's preoccupation with that brief glimpse of respectability on the national sports page is reflected again and again in the pages of Maverick Jetpants, not in references to American football per se, but in the holdover Bills-themed clothing worn by Nate and his cohorts. It is one detail among many that depicts the slow, creeping desperation of daily life in a region in perpetual economic decline since the 1970's. And Bill Peters captures it with art and precision. <br />
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By way of overview, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Maverick-Jetpants-The-City-Quality/dp/1936787024" target="_blank">Maverick Jetpants in the City of Quality</a> is the entertaining portrait of Nathan Gray, an aimless but sympathetic young man, just a few unproductive years out of high school, as he and his small group of friends grasp about awkwardly (and, perhaps, violently) for what is to become the next stage of their lives. Nate seems particularly unsuited to make the jump into adulthood, as evidenced by his near obsession with his group's past collective experience and an irrational fear that his best friend, Necro, is poised to leave him behind. It is a novel that speaks to our common experience in coming of age and our common fears of being left behind by those closest to us. <br />
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The most impressive aspect of the novel, however, is Bill Peters' innovative use of dialogue. The characters speak to one another (and Nate occasionally speaks to the reader) in a lexicon largely unique to his small group of friends--a series of humorous names and labels affixed to their common history. It is a habit in which we all engage, but rarely notice, and beyond glimpses of the technique in Thomas Pynchon and the writings of David Foster Wallace, it is the first time that I have seen such a device become the centerpiece of a work of fiction. It makes for a seemingly disjointed (but extremely enjoyable) tale that is woven together by the reader's intuitive understanding of the relationships and events described. The novel becomes a post-adolescent version of Gravity's Rainbow, where Pirate Prentice is not a delusional American mercenary, but a retiring Generation X slacker, and post-World War II Europe becomes the post-industrial decline of the American rust belt.<br />
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Reportedly ten years in the making, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Maverick-Jetpants-The-City-Quality/dp/1936787024" target="_blank">Maverick Jetpants in the City of Quality</a> announces the arrival of a powerful and innovative young voice in American fiction. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-53785361598711640362012-11-14T07:50:00.001-05:002012-11-14T07:50:40.479-05:00A River Runs Through It : Man, Nature and the Art of Fly Fishing<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEyGbCuUoLQ1tGKU28ZvMB5c0vKZUKEsK5TYFryayikxdTThn-NTKCLwEUqCoNPM1nzNVkFZj8dt_kppes_uYU3O1PwfvGvZuLn3WEWYsTd-OeVntnse8GyuoJ9hJFzQp0FURhgAL7vU/s1600/A+River+Runs+Through+It.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEyGbCuUoLQ1tGKU28ZvMB5c0vKZUKEsK5TYFryayikxdTThn-NTKCLwEUqCoNPM1nzNVkFZj8dt_kppes_uYU3O1PwfvGvZuLn3WEWYsTd-OeVntnse8GyuoJ9hJFzQp0FURhgAL7vU/s1600/A+River+Runs+Through+It.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Editors Warning</i>: This is one of the manlier books we’ve ever reviewed at The Literate Man so if you’re not ready for a blast of testosterone handle with care; side effects may include a sprouting of chest hair, deepening of voice and referring to women as subordinate and marginal plot devices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if you’re not the type of reader frightened off by such things, a beautiful story and some mesmerizing writing lays ahead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A River Runs through It</i> is a haunting tale of sorrow and regret as the author, at the age of 71, attempts to make sense of the painful and complex relationship with his gifted, but troubled, brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He begins with the opening sentence, “In our family there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing” and he ends with this: “I am haunted by waters.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In between these two poetic bookends lies a treasure of manly and moving prose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s nothing sentimental in his powerful words and the poignancy of the writing is delicately and expertly balanced against the ruggedness of the characters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Set in Northwestern Montana during the early decades of the 20<sup>th</sup> century, when the Wild West was still alive, and bold and cavalier men carved their existence out of the mountains around them, Maclean and his brother grow up Presbyterians and fisherman; not necessarily in that order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their relationship was a volatile one, as brotherhood can be, and there’s an incurable lament in the author’s tone as he re-examines their relationship, their adventures, and the unspoken words between them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A River Runs Through It</i> is also a love letter to the art of fly fishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re an aficionado of the sport, Maclean’s ode to his family’s pastime and passion will hypnotize you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There may be no more beautiful writing about fishing anywhere in literature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The care he takes to describe the detail and joy of the sport, and above all, the reverence, seemingly explains man and nature in such pure and simple terms, that if Maclean was even half as good a fisherman as he was a writer, than he was truly a master of the fly-rod.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His skillful words tease out the artistry of everyday life and the in-the-moment perfections of an imperfect world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he makes you feel like life is a bit fuller with a fly-rod in your hand. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The obvious comparison to Hemmingway is unavoidable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the onset, the economic and minimalistic writing style, as well as the subject matter, and aforementioned chauvinistic tones are abundantly evident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Maclean, using the same methods and tools, achieves an intimacy that we rarely, if ever, find in Hemmingway’s writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is no small feat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The writing is Spartan at times but rings with a clarity and poignancy that is rarely achieved in this –or any- genre of novel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Originally published as part of a three story collection, and spanning 161(tiny) pages, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A River Runs Through It</i> is a novella of extraordinary quality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the book collector/fishing enthusiast, we suggest the Pennyroyal Press hardcover edition with wood carved lithographs by Barry Moser. It’s a handsome book that includes a dozen exquisite imprints of flies, fishing scenes and the author.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This book is one of our favorites, and certainly one that every literate man should have on his bookshelf.</span></div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-30993309121018362732012-10-24T06:45:00.000-04:002012-10-24T06:47:17.789-04:00Midnight’s Children Gives Every Novelist Something to Aspire to<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfT23HJd5oSOtj-pJBEKK1OF_ki-ZOkEtWIvM8RmEwybie4AOTJA3XfiEpggQao-jCMbua7c1uBM_Co3qN7bg-NKZEByA5amtrKh6H8JF9uAhJVFnGcSZ2n8o3wtYuccthHFdsKXPvsQ/s1600/Midnights+Children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" oea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfT23HJd5oSOtj-pJBEKK1OF_ki-ZOkEtWIvM8RmEwybie4AOTJA3XfiEpggQao-jCMbua7c1uBM_Co3qN7bg-NKZEByA5amtrKh6H8JF9uAhJVFnGcSZ2n8o3wtYuccthHFdsKXPvsQ/s1600/Midnights+Children.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Contrary to what the Grand Ayatollah may have to have to say on the subject, Salman Rushdie is a damn fine writer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may recall the Iranian Book-Critic-in-Chief’s dissatisfaction with the fatwa-spawning <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Satanic Verses</i>, but we can assure you that even his “Supreme Holiness” was impressed by Rushdie’s masterpiece, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Midnight’s Children</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story of a man born on the stroke of midnight on August 15<sup>th</sup>, 1947, the same moment that India gained its nationhood, and the intertwining of their own dysfunctional histories and futures; it’s a brilliant bit of storytelling and literary genius.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Midnight’s Children</i> is a work of such rare excellence that there’s not really much more to say about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every conceivable superlative has been slapped on this book and far finer minds than our own have sung it’s praise and lauded its merits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No less than the Man Booker Prize committee deemed it the best novel of the past 40 years when it awarded it the one-off Best of the Booker Award in 2008. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now Mr. Rushdie your finest hour: a shout out on The Literate Man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well done, old boy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But lengthy intro aside, this book is so obviously extraordinary, with so many flattering reviews already in print and in cyberspace, that posterity would probably thank us for ending this piece right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we won’t! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Instead, let us count the ways (five) in which our minds were staggered by this work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, the sheer ambition and scale of this saga is enough to turn your brain into sawdust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rushdie’s packed enough content inside the 533 pages for a dozen novels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an epic on the scale of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">War and Peace</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">East of Eden</i>, but condensed into half the pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s so many competing themes at work here (coming-of-age, the birth of a nation, ageless religious conflict, culture clashes, family dynasty, etc.) that in the care of a lesser writer this story would be stillborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Rushdie’s mighty talents allow him to weave these ideas into a seamless tapestry that never feels forced, confusing, or worse: boring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And how does he do this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By narrating the journey through the eyes of a self-important crackpot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Quixotic protagonist adds levity to the heavier themes with his distinct and whimsical voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is the second point: a fresh, original, and fantastic protagonist point of view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thirdly, the pell-mell stream of consciousness narrative, jumping from present to past and from one scattershot thought to the next add an element of artistic flair that elevates this tale above almost every other literary epic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Protagonist Saleem and the country of India become one and the same through Rushdie’s brilliant allegory, which is teased to the surface through an earthy mix of magical realism that comes as close to distilling the essence of India onto a sheet of paper as is possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Which brings us around the fourth point: Rushdie’s use of local dialects and cultural detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He brilliantly mimics the local pigeon and mannerisms of the various subcontinent’s cultures, further deepening the reach of the story and providing a hard-earned authenticity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And if that weren’t’ enough to convince you to pick up this book than a fifth and final note of praise is due to the author for his courage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And not his courage in tackling such vast and broad-ranging subject matter, but real courage for attacking the authoritarian regime that nearly strangled the life out of the young nation-state in the 70’s and 80’s and which earned him a libel lawsuit from none other than disgraced former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In summary, -and after five hundred odd words of redundancy- Midnight’s Children is one of the finest novels ever written in the English language.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Editor’s Note:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This review coincides with the recent release of Rushdie’s autobiography, </i>Joseph Anton<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. It’s been well received by critics, and for any lovers of biography, you’re guaranteed top-notch writing and certainly an interesting subject matter as he delves into his years hiding from Muslim assassins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enjoy!)</i></span></div>
<em></em>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-56708256267480991592012-10-17T12:20:00.000-04:002012-10-17T12:20:21.753-04:00Aesthetic Experience, by Lucas Hunt[Editor's Note: We at TLM have been fortunate to have made many friends in literary circles around the country and the world. One such friend is Lucas Hunt, who both writes beautiful, critically-acclaimed poetry and contributes from time to time to our meager efforts here at TLM to spread the good word. Enjoy.]<br />
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I said to my soul, be still and wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, but the faith and the love are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought: So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing. --T.S. Eliot</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOF7LMMrxTQgZMTU5ruaimBCeNoM4-Sjg0f8d1oZfjcLc-3iXrHM8A3JcYlaQcwy6ybR8KLPvxdTKkfDSn0D45f44Nd_XD9eLAEP9q0RuXR13HRbkeCilLDeimteIgR_R1ytzM3Cth5N-/s1600/Light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOF7LMMrxTQgZMTU5ruaimBCeNoM4-Sjg0f8d1oZfjcLc-3iXrHM8A3JcYlaQcwy6ybR8KLPvxdTKkfDSn0D45f44Nd_XD9eLAEP9q0RuXR13HRbkeCilLDeimteIgR_R1ytzM3Cth5N-/s200/Light.jpg" width="145" /></a>Our reactions to works of art differ from our reactions to other things in a remarkable way. We look at paintings, listen to music, read poetry, and grow conscious of the distinct impressions they have on us. In a perhaps more tangible way, we stand near buildings with architectural presence, watch films with emotional resonance, and come to realize how powerful representations of life can be. </div>
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We become aware of something in ourselves as we experience works of art. There may be a strange, yet familiar, force at play, which changes our understanding of things. There may be a sudden clarity, or wild disorientation, as we participate in a dialogue with an artist who is neither present nor sure of our existence. And we pass a subjective judgment, deeply informed by the unconscious, on a work of art, that might last forever.</div>
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To better identify the aesthetic experience, let’s look at poetry, for a poem can burn brighter in the dark. It is a foot in the door of time, a kind of entry that makes uncommon sense to the soul. Poetry is a threshold to possibility, which incorporates all things, even death. Who does not want to come into more direct contact with life, especially thru words?</div>
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Poetry is the most exceptional form of human language. It expresses our passion with an exactness that defies rational thought. It is the man who is alive, and the man who is dying, walking in the same direction, down the same road. When you read a poem or hear one read aloud, a lyrical transformation occurs in the heart. The rhythm of breath and pulse alter to receive the message of the poem. Its essential feeling becomes yours for a spell. It all depends on how you take it.</div>
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It was his nature to suppose,</div>
To receive what others had supposed, without<br />
Accepting. He received what he denied.<br />
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But as truth to be accepted, he supposed</div>
A truth beyond all truths.<br />
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This passage from Landscape with a Boat by Wallace Stevens fits perfectly with the notion of aesthetic experience as it differs from other experiences. There are physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and sexual experiences, to name just a few. Such experiences can be described in terms that are recognizable. We can be relatively certain that our bodies, thoughts, feelings, religious attitudes, and erotic appetites can in some way be shared with others. Aesthetic experience has another dimension. <br />
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It occurs to the artist that there is something more to life than already exists. They use the inspiration to create, and suffer from it. It is generally perceived that all people experience a type of artistic motivation at some time in their lives, but often, the impulse gets diverted to other types of experience. However, that does not mean the desire or appreciation for a purely aesthetic experience disappears in those who do not personally express it. On the contrary, the hunger grows. Witness our passion for popular music, cinema, and sporting events. (The latter is an experience with multiple aesthetic qualities, the beauty of athletic performance just one.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObARRHYksXjWR1NkJ7_uh9W7HXB540PpDCQkWDB57Ya_eE99nnG_ZGiEwIEX3xmTQiey-G80vFtTUSTutizLDfpa-2xFf8wI-WHDiyR7Lpte2yQi7N16xso_na-cxT4WyCyYLP77IZjqT/s1600/Lives.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObARRHYksXjWR1NkJ7_uh9W7HXB540PpDCQkWDB57Ya_eE99nnG_ZGiEwIEX3xmTQiey-G80vFtTUSTutizLDfpa-2xFf8wI-WHDiyR7Lpte2yQi7N16xso_na-cxT4WyCyYLP77IZjqT/s200/Lives.bmp" width="133" /></a>Because the artist makes and does things, others can get a sense of their own creative powers thru the various forms of art. Artists act as mediums to the great aesthetic experience human beings crave. We are mortal, but that’s not it. There has always been a sense of something more, beyond ourselves, that finds expression in the notes of a song, the colors of a painting, or the words of a book. There is a fleeting thing that takes flight when we experience a work of art that comes to represent our very souls.</div>
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We were born with the ability to appreciate things not just for what they are, rather for what they might be. Aesthetic experience goes back to childhood, when our imaginations were more potent than the world. Nothing really mattered; it was what you made of things. There was an active, participatory, wildness about experience that swirled in a mix of uncontrollable fascination. If we could have spoken during our early lives (but why break the silence?), it would likely have been in poetry. The poetry of aesthetic experience.</div>
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Lucas Hunt was born in rural Iowa, and is the author of Light on the Concrete, published in 2011 to critical acclaim. He studied at the University of Iowa Writers Workshop, and in the M.F.A. program at Southampton College. He is the recipient of a John Steinbeck Award for poetry, and lives in East Hampton, New York, where he works at a literary agency. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-34349055172197060282012-08-27T10:48:00.002-04:002012-08-27T10:48:42.332-04:00Try The Geography of Bliss For Your Next Bookation<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With summer practically over, and many of us lamenting the vacation that we didn’t take, Eric Weiner offers the next best thing: a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bookation</i>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a made-up word, of course, but it refers be any book that so thoroughly transports the reader it’s like going on a trip without ever leaving the comforts of your reading space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Geography of Bliss: One grump’s search for happiness</i> is one of the most enjoyable <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bookations</i> we’ve been on in awhile.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are million of books in the world that profess <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how </i>to be happy, but Weiner gives us something we can really use by showing us <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">where </i>to be happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Admittedly, the study and search of happiness is a little like a hunting Sasquatch or unicorns, but more and more people with really big brains, and even governments, are dedicating an increasing amount of time and resources to this emerging field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And (spoiler alert!), while anyone looking for an “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">x</i> marks the spot” guide to happiness will probably not find it, what you will find is a clever, entertaining and thought-provoking examination of people and cultures around the world and a pretty respectable attempt at isolating the keys to happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wiener, a long-time foreign correspondent for NPR and reporter for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New York Times</i>, sets out to find the happiest place on the planet and unearth the essential components to this harmony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does this by not only searching out the so-called happiest places, according to various polls and studies, but by also venturing to the least happy places –according to these same measures- on earth as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He travels to nearly a dozen countries (<st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">India</st1:country>, the <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Netherlands</st1:country>, <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Singapore</st1:country>, <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Moldova</st1:country>, <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Iceland</st1:country>, <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Bhutan</st1:country>, <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Qatar</st1:country>, <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Great Britain</st1:country>, <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Thailand</st1:country> and the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">US</st1:country></st1:place>) to see what happiness is all about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the 325 pages we learn that happiness is many things to many people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, binge drinking and vocational failure apparently translate to happiness in <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iceland</st1:place></st1:country>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bhutan</st1:place></st1:country>’s government actually measures the mountain kingdom’s contentment through its Gross National Happiness index, in place of GDP. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That Moldovans love misery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That the Swiss are uptight, and yet, very happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That the Thai people have a scientific method for spotting fake smiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But perhaps most revealing is the counterintuitive concept that the more a person focuses on being happy the less happy they’ll likely be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A self-admitted “grump” Wiener fortunately doesn’t let any of his personal discontent spill over into the narrative and the writing is crisp, lively and full of insight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s often pretty funny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Equal parts philosophy guide, travelogue and social commentary, it never drags and there’s always something new to discover on the next page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book touches on many scientific studies and academic interviews, but it’s hardly a scientific or academic work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wiener includes just enough of the starch to prop up his colorful narrative and give it a point of reference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Aside from creating a hugely readable and revealing book, Wiener manages to successfully take the reader on a trip around the world from the comfort of an arm chair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His disarming writing style and investigative journalist skills puts the reader right in the middle of a temple in Bhutan, or the back of van in Moldova, or a coffee shop in Amsterdam, or a grimy strip club in Bangkok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while we may never know exactly where the happiest place on earth is (“happiness is a moving target”), Weiner’s given us a pretty good idea of where to start looking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TLM highly recommends <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Geography of Bliss</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<em></em>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-43210670616281590582012-07-27T09:25:00.000-04:002012-07-27T09:25:12.241-04:00The House of Tomorrow: Punk Rock and Geodesic Domes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sid Vicious, geodesic domes, and Buckminster Fuller…these are not themes you typically build a sentence around, let alone an entire work of fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, that’s exactly what Peter Bognanni has done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we’re glad he has because he’s not only created an immensely readable novel but he’s managed to put a fresh spin on the coming of age genre, which let’s face it, after several millennia of story-telling, is not easy to do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The House of Tomorrow </i>is, at times, both irreverent and poignant, charming and devastating, and this contrasting balance stemming from its odd couple protagonists makes this an engrossing book from the first page to the last.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first glance the pairing of two very different teenage boys seems improbable at best and gimmicky at worst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it works. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And after several chapters into the book it seems not only plausible but natural that these students of such divergent gurus (Johnny Rotten and Buckminster Fuller) would join together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sebastian Pendergrast is a 16-year old shut-in orphan raised by a Fuller-obsessed grandmother in a geodesic dome on a hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jared Whitcomb is a sickly and chain-smoking punk rock wannabe with a new heart in his chest and arguably the most bitter 16-year old on the planet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Sebastian’s grandmother is incapacitated by a stroke he’s left to his own devices and, for the first time in his life, has access to life outside the dome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t take long before the siren song of teenage temptations (think punk rock, cigarettes and girls) beckons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a chance meeting through the kindness of Jared’s mother, these two loners strike up an unlikely friendship and the baddest punk duo North Branch, Iowa as ever seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sebastian plays the straight man to Jared’s ball of fury and neither has been dealt a very good hand in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they make each other better and their respective lives richer and that’s what makes these characters so compelling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither one emerges as a wholly-formed young adult, but for the brief sliver of time we’re allowed in their lives, they lead the reader on a journey of unexpected and satisfying discovery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bognanni‘s prose drips with angst, but a good angst, and he never allows it to suffocate the story. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He keeps the tone on target with inventive teenage dialogue that generally hits the mark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s one of the surprising things about this book: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>his ability to mimic the mostly mindless chatter of teen boys in a way that’s not only engaging, but revealing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using Fuller’s creative philosophy as a strangely effective prop, he maintains a narrative that is unexpectedly moving and creates a surprising tenderness amidst the barren void of young male adolescence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The House of Tomorrow</i> won the LA Times award for new fiction in 2010 and critical acclaim from various media outlets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to his website, Bognanni is hard at work on his next novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-19922102527557270272012-07-20T10:00:00.000-04:002012-07-26T12:23:01.123-04:00The News From Paraguay: All's Fair in Love and Megalomaniacal War<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7vNpgoPQFoihevrvJUaPgaf54djyXXr6KJiWVwnzFWMkGaUxIjQ_yDxyU_HDMSk7dS84YZDdlUh44HHTn-wxccmHyY-SHY9_ARKwrhjcUnpQ1OHBXuKJU8UNvKYMRT71lkCNvA-_6nA/s1600/News+From+Paraguay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7vNpgoPQFoihevrvJUaPgaf54djyXXr6KJiWVwnzFWMkGaUxIjQ_yDxyU_HDMSk7dS84YZDdlUh44HHTn-wxccmHyY-SHY9_ARKwrhjcUnpQ1OHBXuKJU8UNvKYMRT71lkCNvA-_6nA/s1600/News+From+Paraguay.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the past 15 months, 18 days, seven hours and nine minutes, The Literate Man has featured exactly one review of a book authored by a woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason: we are chauvinist pigs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in a meager attempt to right our wrongs we offer up high praise for <em>The</em> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">News From Paraguay</i>, a delightful book from the very talented author, Lily Tuck (and we’re pleased to note that the National Book Foundation shares our good taste, having named this novel the National Book of the Year in 2004).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The News From Paraguay</i> is the classic love story of girl meets dictator, runs off to the South American frontier to be his mistress, raises a family, and helps run the country into the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That old story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Tuck presents this real-life account -loosely based on actual people and events- in a refreshingly original voice, spread over an economic and stylish 245 pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Irish-born Ella Lynch is hardly won over by the rough-edged Franco Lopez at their initial meeting on the Paris party circuit in 1854. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A coarse man from <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paraguay</place></country-region> with bad English, body hair, and a seven-piece Indian band that follows him like a shadow, Franco is hardly the definition of Parisian chic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when Ella’s Russian lover decamps and leaves her penniless and destitute, Franco’s silly boots and his seemingly endless supply of gold suddenly seem a lot more attractive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within months Ella’s pregnant and on Franco’s personal yacht sailing for his magical South American kingdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shrouded in mystery and full of surprises, <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paraguay</place></country-region> might as well be a far-off planet, as Ella musters all her strength and courage, in anticipation of her new life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What follows next is a sad and enlightening story of excess, outsized ambition and the self-destruction of a man and a country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Franco is a larger-than life character with enormous and lusty appetites, this is mostly Ella’s story to tell as both an outsider (to <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paraguay</place></country-region>) and an insider (an intimate advisor to the Franco).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be easy to fall into a sentimental or predictable tone of lament and loss but Tuck is confident in her writing and presents a powerful and flawed female protagonist that embraces her role in the ill-fated drama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author’s consistent narrative remains true to her characters and ultimately reads something like Nero’s diary as <city w:st="on">Rome</city> (<country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paraguay</place></country-region>) burns around them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tuck is an inventive and disarming writer and she pens a fascinating account of <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paraguay</place></country-region>’s obscure history using an imperfect love story as her vehicle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She achieves complexity of narrative not through any single, multi-faceted character but rather through an ensemble of marginal people that provides an impressively broad scope of perspective using relatively simple characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s the book’s charm, deftly mixing the viewpoint of the indigenous, ex-pats, mestizos, elites and the victims of one man’s narcissistic ambitions into a recipe of sheer literary pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tuck threads these conflicting perspectives together like a handmade quilt and the book reads like a collection of singular, but related paragraphs, each featuring a different and unique narrator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is hardly a definitive history of <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Paraguay</place></country-region>, but that’s not really the point, as Tuck includes just the right balance of true events and research to lend the storyline credibility without bogging down the human elements of the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <em>The</em> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">News From Paraguay</i> is first and foremost the tale of a strong-willed and sometimes delusional woman in love; but the early struggles of the Paraguayan republic and it’s insanely determined dictator provide a fascinating backdrop for Ella’s story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone that picks up this creative and engrossing work will be glad they did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-26556199823609070702012-05-04T08:41:00.000-04:002012-05-04T09:20:06.837-04:00Holy War: Jesus was Vasco de Gama's Co-Pilot<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaSQj0_7W6XMy-3Cw9hFbggNQ9dNLx28ILQZcXovI2FMYkt0ug6JTqeeqcjqUFhk-jqFrvRZHpepUVcU8apkbNtOKWV_tXX6XeF0FtaB0w3EV16xzweQX-CJ-VtxTnhLiEPnH6ZuqHZY/s1600/Holy+War.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaSQj0_7W6XMy-3Cw9hFbggNQ9dNLx28ILQZcXovI2FMYkt0ug6JTqeeqcjqUFhk-jqFrvRZHpepUVcU8apkbNtOKWV_tXX6XeF0FtaB0w3EV16xzweQX-CJ-VtxTnhLiEPnH6ZuqHZY/s320/Holy+War.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">History is riddled with injustices: taxation without representation, the OJ trial, Super Bowls XXX and XLIII and Vasco de Gama second-fiddle status on the list of great European explorers. Thanks to centuries of reimagining his exploits by popular culture and the Catholic Church, glory-whore </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Christopher Columbus<span style="color: black;"> is the best known and regarded explorer from this era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for anyone hoping to see de Gama placed above his seafaring rival on the pantheon of “discovery” Nigel Cliff provides plenty of ammunition for the cause in his terrific and engaging <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Holy War</i>: How Vasco de Gama’s Epic Voyages Turned the Tide in a Centuries-Old Clash of Civilizations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is hardly the definitive work on de Gama's life nor is it anywhere near the first to poke holes in Columbus’ “achievements” (this book, in fact, devotes only a few chapters to Columbus ' doings despite a teasing reference to a “great rivalry” on the inside flap). But what set's this work apart is the impeccable research and accessibility of the historical context surrounding this pivotal moment in history. There's nothing really new here but Cliff's presentation and narrative are refreshing; he book flies-by as he wraps historical facts in personal details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He deftly balances the historical nuts and bolts with human levity adding lightness to a subject matter that tends to be gruesome and greedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There’s very little known about de Gama’s personal life but Cliff enhances this information by detailing an abundance of little known personal info about the Iberian monarchy, their courts and other explorers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Holy War</i> shines, thanks to a mountain of foot notes (arguably the most impressive we’ve ever seen) and the author’s vision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cliff’s version truly is a people’s history and his attention to these details makes this usually academic terrain, we dare-say, riveting –and we’ve never use that kind of word to describe historical non-fiction.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Where the book falls short is its promise to unearth any original Huntington-like “clash of civilizations” moment in this well-trod ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as Cliff painstakingly points out, de Gama’s voyage was motivated by a search for heathen souls, treasure and revenge –themes that would actually seem to bind 15<sup>th</sup> century Iberia and the Islamic East.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cliff also fails to connect the dots between the modern “war on terror” and 15<sup>th</sup> century clashes in any sort of meaningful way as the introduction seems to promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But don’t read this book for a re-defining of the civilization cornerstones and ethics that have carried us to the present; leave that to the tweeds in the ivory towers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Read this book as a rich and colorful glimpse into the place and context of the Age of Exploration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you do you’ll be well rewarded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With only two books under his belt (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Shakespeare Wars</i>, Schuster & Simon, 2005; look for his forthcoming <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Last Crusade, </i>Schuster & Simon, 2012), Cliff <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>has already placed himself among the most readable historians working today thanks to his historian’s eye for detail, his writing talent and rare foresight in arranging the details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the tradition of venerable contemporaries such as Howard Zinn or David McCollough, cliff tells the story from the ground up rather than the top down ensuring that the information is not only accurate but engaging.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is a lively and fascinating re-telling of one of history's greatest naval expeditions and the powers behind it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Historical non-fiction simply doesn’t get any better than this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-45858647077770120992012-04-25T17:36:00.000-04:002012-04-25T17:36:01.365-04:00Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys: Giving Voice to the Madwoman in the Attic<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1Ny-kvJwg_iQx_27mT0lpwv14LxncCZ2iED16_ViQhYtC9d5IHhexhPG313DUna4mf5DjBcjjvXjTs66QxMEf9_WHsht_g0OZrJ47hytcgtBCUxNzizxEgezJCxtj_f7jkO6T0xft5sT/s1600/Wide-Sargasso-Sea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1Ny-kvJwg_iQx_27mT0lpwv14LxncCZ2iED16_ViQhYtC9d5IHhexhPG313DUna4mf5DjBcjjvXjTs66QxMEf9_WHsht_g0OZrJ47hytcgtBCUxNzizxEgezJCxtj_f7jkO6T0xft5sT/s200/Wide-Sargasso-Sea.jpg" width="134" /></a>The premise of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wide-Sargasso-Sea-A-Novel/dp/0393308804" target="_blank">Wide Sargasso Sea</a> is fantastic: to present the back story of Antoinette Cosway (also known as Bertha Mason), the infamous "madwoman in the attic" and wife of Mr. Rochester in Charlotte Bronte's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jane-Signet-Classics-Charlotte-Bront%C3%AB/dp/0451526554" target="_blank">Jane Eyre</a>. And, if you're a lover of the character of Mr. Rochester, you may wish to stop reading here, because Jean Rhys is more than moderately successful in exposing his prejudices and placing the blame for his wife's alleged "madness" squarely upon his shoulders. </div>
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The work is even more impressive when it is considered in historical context: published in 1966, the book came just four years after Jamaica's independence from the United Kingdom, and can be read largely as a rejection of the long period of British imperialism and subjugation of the Afro-Caribbean populations of the West Indies. In short, Rhys (a native of Dominica) argues that the British never understood the culture or the motivations of their unwilling subjects, and it is this misunderstanding, labeled as inherited "madness" by Rochester, that condemns his wife to solitude and leaves her only an act of desperation. </div>
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Beautiful, powerful, and occasionally scattered (like the culture it describes), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wide-Sargasso-Sea-A-Novel/dp/0393308804" target="_blank">Wide Sargasso Sea</a> is number 94 on Modern Library's list of <a href="http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/" target="_blank">100 Best Novels</a>. Weighing in at less than 200 pages, the minimal effort is well worth the reward. For both literary and historical reasons, this is a novella that is not to be missed. Highly recommended. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-29178592346835722702012-04-18T07:44:00.002-04:002012-04-18T07:47:35.380-04:00Rivertown: A Marco Polo Journey for the 21st Century<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0GOK4R7X0pPIeacA_74RqXrZ6qKm9OPiph6t-DpVC_JXGRftwoSuWuBZaP67ZNmtxP9HU38H3U9z4qxrOzT2o39hbw6_J5rv1tq8cWgJdraJRZD1tmh8czJyF-P1IwFtTPjqa4rrt-U/s1600/Rivertown+Photo.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 186px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 272px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732705884878283170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0GOK4R7X0pPIeacA_74RqXrZ6qKm9OPiph6t-DpVC_JXGRftwoSuWuBZaP67ZNmtxP9HU38H3U9z4qxrOzT2o39hbw6_J5rv1tq8cWgJdraJRZD1tmh8czJyF-P1IwFtTPjqa4rrt-U/s320/Rivertown+Photo.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;">In case you hadn’t heard China is a pretty big deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s not only a massive place but it’s home to one-fifth of the world’s population, fifty-six distinct cultures, over two-hundred languages and is poised to become the most colossal economic force in history by mid-century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But there’s only so much you can learn about a country through statistics and in the case of China it’s not much.</span> <br /><div><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">To really understand something about China you need to know the people and Peter Hessler knows the Chinese people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is perhaps the world’s foremost foreign authority on what makes the people of China tick -at the very least the most insightful writer of such things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After spending two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the backwater Sichuan town of Fuling and becoming fluent in Mandarin Hessler stayed on in China for the next decade as a correspondent and contributor for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The New Yorker</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">National Geographic</i>, respectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He has since become the go-to chronicler of the turbulent remaking of modern China and just might be the first “Genius Grant” recipient ever featured on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">TLM</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">But it’s his two years in Fuling, his initial impression of the “sleeping giant,” that he focuses on in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Rivertown</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Oracle Bones</i>, Harper Collins 2006 and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Country Driving</i>, Harper 2010 are his other books about China) and it’s one of our favorite books regardless of genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s part memoir, part examination of a culture unfamiliar to the West and entirely engrossing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hessler’s elegant and revealing prose achieves a rare clarity for a subject matter often clouded with misunderstanding and bias.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Rivertown </i>Hessler paints a picture of an ancient past coming to terms with the radical upheaval of several recent decades of reform and how the current generation –unwittingly thrust into this tumult- is coming to terms with this uneven transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Embedded in a university classroom in the Sichuan hinterland Hessler writes from a privileged position surrounded by the unvarnished optimism of his student’s youth and the excesses and atrocities of their parents’ generation forever lurking in their thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Hessler’s done what almost no other observer of China has been able to accomplish: paint an even-handed portrait of present-day China as seen through the eyes of ordinary people and written in an accessible, perhaps even heartwarming, style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He captures both the innocence and indoctrination of his students’ thoughts and behaviors and presents these contradictions in a lively and engaging metaphor for an entire country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But his principal triumph is that he doesn’t try to simplify the complexities of modern China or compare them with the ways of the West; he simply tries to understand them.</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">What gives Hessler’s work such accessibility is the fact that he’s neither an academic (although his collective knowledge of Chinese culture, language and history would seem to qualify him as such) nor an outside observer as almost every other voice on the subject is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hessler is as close to a Chinese insider as a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">waiguo ren</i> can be and his writing style and introspection border on the literary.</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">This is one of the most tender, poignant, insightful and clarifying examinations of Chinese culture and society ever written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As purely memoir, it stands apart for the author’s piercing self awareness and the articulation of dislocation that foreigners experience in an inward looking society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As a glimpse into the human side of the changing social and culture currents in present day China it stands alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>TLM highly recommends <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Rivertown</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p></div>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-5783368195240972572012-04-11T08:04:00.007-04:002012-04-11T08:14:54.031-04:00Work Song: Another Doig Hit<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblgrQxtDjW85BL76aLBDgeoPvmwoHei9CupXG0-vASJsXtoPvpbUoOTU9bOP59O_NKazDSrULaQv7ooiDf-IMz0jkHTqSHwUqYe9PjRcvPGCl48VCUiAKLfwuOIczQtL3778cZj1BRfo/s1600/worksong.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 212px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730114561434003890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblgrQxtDjW85BL76aLBDgeoPvmwoHei9CupXG0-vASJsXtoPvpbUoOTU9bOP59O_NKazDSrULaQv7ooiDf-IMz0jkHTqSHwUqYe9PjRcvPGCl48VCUiAKLfwuOIczQtL3778cZj1BRfo/s320/worksong.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Ivan Doig is a terribly inventive writer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As one of the preeminent writers of the American West anything he puts on paper is worth reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Doig provides us with a thinking man’s glimpse into the Wild West; always looking beyond the cowboys and gunfights and providing a more complex –but always fun- account of the settling of this unsettled land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">In his most recent novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Work Song,</i> he has found the perfect backdrop to showcase his storytelling and writing talent: Butte, Montana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At one time during the past century Butte not only had the largest red-light district in the US but was also home to more millionaires per capita than any place on the planet thanks to its massive copper deposits which earned it the reputation as the “richest hill on earth” (curiously enough, Butte also produced the great Evil Knevil -arguably its greatest natural resource). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>Naturally this promise of instant wealth drew every type of character imaginable to the little town at the foot of the Rockies and this melting pot provides a rich and fertile canvass for Doig and his talents. </span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Work Song</i> Doig bring backs the popular protagonist Morrie Morgan from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Whistling Season </i>(Harcourt, 2006) and he provides the same insightful narrative as an educated fish-out-of-water in his new surroundings among immigrant miners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hoping to strike it rich in Butte he instead stumbles into a position as librarian overseeing “the finest set of books west of Chicago.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s while working at this fantastic library under a bearded mountain of a man known as the “strangler” that he runs into a former student and quickly finds himself embroiled in a battle between the powerful mine owners and the miners’ union.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He manages to complicate his situation even further by falling for the widowed –and apparently off limits- owner of his boarding house.</span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The book begins a bit uneven and some of this has to do with the assumed familiarity of the reader with Morgan from Doig’s previous work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But the reader needn’t be familiar with any of his other books to appreciate <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Work Song</i> and patience is generously rewarded once the book hits its stride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>By the time we were midway through we couldn’t put the book down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are times when the writing seems more clichéd than folksy and some of the characters are memorable only for their caricature-like qualities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But this takes little away from the overall enjoyment of the book and as a protagonist Morgan is a complex and compelling figure whom Doig skillfully uses as a vehicle to project elements about the broader time and place he occupies as he reveals the various layers of the man. </span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Doig’s real skill is telling a story and using the historical context of the West to paint a memorable setting; he’s done a masterful job bringing a turn-of-the-century mining town to life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Work Song</i> hums over the final 150 pages and the ending proves to be more fulfilling than expected as the story works to a plotted crescendo with the writing getting tighter with every turn of the page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Work Song</i> is a quick and fulfilling read and while perhaps not Doig’s greatest work it’s well worth a look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’s a fascinating man and a fine writer and his latest book is a unique period piece that you won’t forget any time soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Highly recommended by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">The Literate Man</b> -as are most of his Doig’s books.</span></p></div>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918571665206465367.post-60601375114251502502012-03-14T11:21:00.004-04:002012-03-14T12:16:28.335-04:00Author Interview Series: James Warner, Author of All Her Father's Guns<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBcgrwZu8ssiYOzVUF8kHgnm3oX9EvdXqxtbu2djEo5JXBHcElvxfOfwmA0mH7khqWSlMIa6g2lrWRuwKall8uc4YH7lbqiHe40s7AG2eoOSQJuCcX7RQGaMtGWKu2tb9Zf1F5s36C4U/s1600/All+HFG.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 247px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719777012641411538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBcgrwZu8ssiYOzVUF8kHgnm3oX9EvdXqxtbu2djEo5JXBHcElvxfOfwmA0mH7khqWSlMIa6g2lrWRuwKall8uc4YH7lbqiHe40s7AG2eoOSQJuCcX7RQGaMtGWKu2tb9Zf1F5s36C4U/s320/All+HFG.jpg" /></a>At The Literate Man we enjoy and take pride in shining the light on new authors and unheralded books, especially those from independent presses. James Warner recently released his first novel (<em>All Her Father’s Guns</em>, 2011, Numina Press) and he was kind enough to take a few moments and talk with us. Warner has produced a book that is clever, funny, at times enlightening and always entertaining. He’s also a man who knows his craft and offers us a deeper glimpse into his characters, writing technique and British campaign slogans.<br /><br />All Her Father’s Guns is a contemporary portrait painted in American cultural extremes which Warner deftly deconstructs through tender moments and universal bits of humanity, ultimately convincing the reader that maybe we’re quite as crazy as we think we are. It’s a terrific debut novel rich in characters and a warm core underneath its “absurd” veneer. TLM urges you to checkout Warner and his novel at <a href="http://www.jameswarner.net/" target="_blank">http://www.jameswarner.net/</a>.<br /><br /><br /><strong>TLM: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us James. Just finished <em>All Her Father’s Guns</em> and we really enjoyed it. It’s such a unique book that we’ve got to ask: what planted the idea in your head to write this story?<br /><br /></strong>James: I think before I knew anything else about All Her Father's Guns, I knew it was about a younger British guy –Reid -- and an older American guy – Cal... It's always hard to remember origins – probably the real beginnings of any creative project are subconscious. But looking back at the period when I started writing the book, that was around the time my father died and my daughter was born, events which occurred close together and obviously changed the meaning of fatherhood for me, just as having an American daughter must have altered my perspective on Americanness.<br /><br /><strong>TLM: What is that makes the Bay Area, from Silicon Valley to “Berzerkley” and points in between, such an interesting place and such fertile ground for a book setting?</strong><br /><br />James: The Bay Area is a good place for a satirical political novel – Berkeley, where Reid lives, is famously liberal, and Silicon Valley, where Cal lives, leans more libertarian... and then one doesn't have to drive too far into the hinterland to find the rest of the political spectrum.<br /><br />It fascinates me the way the flaws in an ideology, obvious when contemplated from the outside, become invisible once you're sucked into becoming a convert.<br /><br /><strong>TLM: You’ve created such distinct and opposing characters in this book, from liberals and conservatives to feminists and male chauvinists, etc., which was the most difficult character to write and why?</strong><br /><br />James: Lyllyan – Cal's daughter who is also Reid's girlfriend – was maybe the hardest. There's a writing exercise where, for each character in a book you're writing, you have to say what they have in their pockets. This is a good exercise since it turns out that, if your characters have fully come alive, you know instantly what's in their pockets! Lyllyan was the character whose pockets it took me the longest to see into, but I'm pretty sure she has a nail file and a flyer for a band I'm not cool enough to like.<br /><br />G.K. Chesterton – “Once I planned to write a book of poems entirely about things in my pockets. But I found it would be too long; and the age of the great epics is past.”<br /><br /><strong>TLM: There are overtly political themes throughout the books. Did you set out to write a political book or simply a book with politics as the backdrop?<br /><br /></strong>James: One of my hopes with Cal was to create a pro-gun, pro-life character who readers could empathize with even if they're unattracted by his policy positions. Guns and abortions aren't partisan issues in most countries, and I had a theory that the issues that are uniquely controversial in the U.S. must tell you something interesting about the U.S.<br /><br />While Cal takes his ideas to an illogical extreme – although check out some gun culture websites before you accuse me of exaggerating! -- his politics are a natural outgrowth of his life story as he interprets it. And when you can see that about someone, it makes them more sympathetic. Many men adopt belief systems they subconsciously hope will compensate for their personalities.<br /><br /><strong>TLM: Do you see any interesting story ideas hatching out of our current election season?<br /></strong><br />James: The struggle for the Republican nomination for 2012 has felt more than usually reminiscent of a reality TV show where contestants keep getting “voted off the island.” Both in electioneering and in reality TV, one's rewarded for being able to make up a sustainable story about oneself – which puts the people editing the footage in a powerful position.<br /><br />For most of history, a leader's role was to live out a personal drama of honor and shame that symbolized his people. That's no longer what our leaders are officially supposed to do, but on some level we still expect it of them. To sell yourself, you need a narrative – when a job interviewer says “So tell me something about yourself,” they're saying “Make up a story that inspires me to invest time or money in you!” Reid will always be completely dumbstruck by this question - - a question which Cal can hit right out of the ballpark. But the stories we tell about ourselves become less true over time, until eventually we need new ones, which is Cal's big problem in All Her Father's Guns – when the story you tell about yourself stops being true, how do you handle that?<br /><br /><strong>TLM: What writing influences did you have when creating <em>All Her Father’s Guns</em>?<br /></strong><br />James: My favorite writer when I was about twelve was P.G. Wodehouse, and when I was about sixteen, Evelyn Waugh. Waugh is probably the biggest influence you see in All Her Father's Guns, although the plot, it occurred to me after completing it, is Wodehousian: the story is driven by a series of escalating blackmail attempts within a family. I can't think of any other books with that plot that aren't by Wodehouse.<br /><br /><strong>TLM: Several of the main characters including Reid, Viorela and Boris belong to the “Department of Theory.” What inspired you to create the colorful cast of characters and dialogue that inhabit that crazy world?<br /><br /></strong>James: I guess the idea was to encapsulate the “crisis of the Humanities” in a single dysfunctional Department.<br /><br />Business people prefer theories that simplify the world – popular business books reduce everything to a simple formula or list. Humanities professors are more into complicating things – in the conclusions of their papers, academics may even take credit for “problematizing” or “difficultizing” an issue. The clash between the business and academic ways of looking at the world is one of the inner conflicts I was trying to work through in the book.<br /><br /><strong>TLM: As an outsider looking in on U.S. political culture what’s your take on all the madness?<br /><br /></strong>James: You're implying I myself are somehow outside of the madness! Actually I've lived in the U.S. for about the same period of time that I lived in the UK. My daughter certainly thinks the British are the mad ones.<br /><br />Americans are more likely than English people to see the glass as half-full – David Cameron's campaign slogan was “We Can't Go On Like This,” a thoroughly British utterance which sounds weirdly negative to the American ear. If Obama was British, he'd have had to run on a platform of Guarded Enthusiasm and Mild Tinkering – which come to think of it isn't a bad description of what he's been able to deliver so far.<br /><br /><strong>TLM: We’re always curious, and it’s not always apparent, but how did you arrive at the title?</strong><br /><br />James: I went through a bunch of titles – a lot of them had “father” or “guns” in them. All Her Father's Guns has the right cadence, rhythm and tension to it, and kind of a sardonic Western resonance. I like titles to evoke mysterious unexplored realms...<br /><br /><strong>TLM: Why would you recommend <em>All Her Father’s Guns</em> to the followers of The Literate Man?<br /><br /></strong>James: Uh oh, so now you want a stump speech! Well, many readers have commented that this book is about people from different backgrounds trying to find common ground – an affirmation that, even when the ideologies we cling to are opposed, we still have a shot at sympathetically entering each other's worlds. But mostly for me it's about the jokes and the language and the story.<br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>(<em>About the author: James Warner is the author of the novel </em>All Her Father's Guns<em>. His short</em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6B7JRCoVGAgrvYMEhifeYSjprUQQil74F1pv4tnAwg374gmcxu3ckdWUGw0TVBnKEQ7EB6pmo_FU-D5tmbxlOFAptfuAKLyWqtPufulLazmOPiQThAf91K5imS8FgWEM4aHFe2UT3x4/s1600/warner.png"></a><em> </em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6B7JRCoVGAgrvYMEhifeYSjprUQQil74F1pv4tnAwg374gmcxu3ckdWUGw0TVBnKEQ7EB6pmo_FU-D5tmbxlOFAptfuAKLyWqtPufulLazmOPiQThAf91K5imS8FgWEM4aHFe2UT3x4/s1600/warner.png"></a><em>fiction has appeared in Narrative,</em> <em>Agni Online, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere. He writes an almost-monthly literary column for the political webzine openDemocracy, </em><em>and organizes the San Francisco reading series InsideStorytime. </em><em>His website is</em> <a href="http://www.jameswarner.net/">http://www.jameswarner.net/</a>.)<br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6B7JRCoVGAgrvYMEhifeYSjprUQQil74F1pv4tnAwg374gmcxu3ckdWUGw0TVBnKEQ7EB6pmo_FU-D5tmbxlOFAptfuAKLyWqtPufulLazmOPiQThAf91K5imS8FgWEM4aHFe2UT3x4/s1600/warner.png"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 168px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 197px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719784585593887762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6B7JRCoVGAgrvYMEhifeYSjprUQQil74F1pv4tnAwg374gmcxu3ckdWUGw0TVBnKEQ7EB6pmo_FU-D5tmbxlOFAptfuAKLyWqtPufulLazmOPiQThAf91K5imS8FgWEM4aHFe2UT3x4/s320/warner.png" /></a></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6B7JRCoVGAgrvYMEhifeYSjprUQQil74F1pv4tnAwg374gmcxu3ckdWUGw0TVBnKEQ7EB6pmo_FU-D5tmbxlOFAptfuAKLyWqtPufulLazmOPiQThAf91K5imS8FgWEM4aHFe2UT3x4/s1600/warner.png"></a></div>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06802658404882075467noreply@blogger.com3