May 17, 2013
Secrets of the Creative (Life in Hell)
November 5, 2012
“What I Know About Gordon Lish” (1986 Spy Magazine Feature)
October 3, 2012
Chris Ware on DFW’s Novel The Pale King
Crippled Robot painting by Chris Ware
Cartoonist/graphic novelist/chronicler of shame and despair Chris Ware wrote about his favorite books for Foyles bookstore. The list includes Ulysses, Moby-Dick, and works by cartoonists like Lynda Barry and Ivan Brunetti. Here’s what Ware wrote about David Foster Wallace’s posthumous novel The Pale King:
The first great novel of the 21st century uses the sinister beauty of the American Tax Code as a springboard from which to launch into a genuinely serious discussion of the origins and importance of civic responsibility amidst the hazy, blurred stupidity of a country in quick decline. Contrary to many reviews, I don’t think it’s about boredom, and it’s certainly not boring. Another posthumous editor-to-manuscript resuscitation, the book hangs heavy with the clotted spectre of Wallace’s suicide, which makes the writing glow all the more painfully through it.
March 26, 2012
Portrait of William Gaddis — Julian Schnabel
Bill Gaddis by Julian Schnabel, oil, plates and bondo on wood (1987)
October 31, 2010
Francis Bacon Documentary
I will be trick or treating as a Francis Bacon painting this Halloween. (Via).
September 16, 2010
Odds and Ends
At A Piece of Monologue, Rhys Tranter reviews Simon Critchley’s “philosophical antidote to the self-help manual,” How to Stop Living and Start Worrying. Read our review of Critchley’s The Book of Dead Philosophers here.
MobyLives expands Flavorwire’s post on author photo clichés to include Melville House authors.
Here’s an author photo we love: Harold Bloom wearing big headphones and looking kinda skeptical and very green (the image is by Paul Festa from his film Apparition of the Eternal Church)–
If you still haven’t done your Juggalo Studies homework for this week, read Camille Dodero’s inspired report from this year’s The Gathering (at The Village Voice). And then watch “Miracles” again, because, hey, it only gets better. It still shocks the eyelids.
We love this tumblr (or is it tumblog?)–Anatomy–even if it looks like they aren’t doing much these days. C’mon guys. We need more gifs like this–
Finally, check out Stanford Kay’s series of paintings of books and bookshelves, “Gutenberg Variations.” Like abstract expressionism, only good (via) –
May 20, 2010
Friends, Lovers, Family; Kevin Bacon
From Lapham’s Quarterly, via Chris DeWeese via HTML GIANT.
Said