New this week is David Bezmozgis’s The Free World, the new Geoff Dyer collection of criticism Otherwise Known as the Human Condition (reviewed here today), “Professor X’s” higher ed expose In the Basement of the Ivory Tower, Funeral for a Dog, a German novel in translation by young author Thomas Pletzinger, which John Wray has blurbed as “ballsy,” and Chinaberry, a posthumously published novel by the Appalachian author James Still.
Tuesday New Release Day: Bezmozgis, Dyer, Professor X, Pletzinger, Still
The Originals Series
Farrar, Straus & Giroux will team up with GQ for something called “The Originals Series.” The series, as stated in a blog post from FSG’s digital marketing manager, will consist of “authors and musicians in conversation, hosted by David Rees (Get Your War On, Artisanal Pencil Sharpening, Kale City), in an intimate West Village loft space. We’ll film each event and edit it down to a compelling short film for broadcast online.” You can RSVP to the November 8th kick-off, which features John Jeremiah Sullivan and the Brooklyn-based band Caveman, here.
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Looking for Cleopatra
Recommended Reading: This love letter to Shakespeare’s Cleopatra, “the only woman in the world.” Here’s a bonus infographic that compares Cleopatra to everyone’s favorite Khaleesi, Daenerys Targaryen.
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The Good Stuff
“I always think, ‘What if I can’t?’ Then I always think, ‘Oh shit, don’t think that.’ Because thinking about it can make it happen. Not like it’s happened that often. But I get scared about it. We all do. Anybody that tells you they don’t they’re full of it. They’re always scared it might happen.” There’s a lot of really bad writing about sex. This is a piece about some of the good stuff.
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Lyrical Gifts
John Darnielle, who you may know through his work with The Mountain Goats, released a new novel last week, titled Wolf in White Van. Over at The Hairpin, our onetime #LitBeat editor Emily M. Keeler reviews the book, which she calls “a novel that unspools rather than reads.” Pair with: Jesse Jarnow on the 33 ⅓ book series, which includes a volume written by Darnielle.
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A Japanese Country Doctor
Recommended viewing: Kafka‘s “A Country Doctor” translated into Japanese animation.
Here We Go, I Guess
Bret Easton Ellis was apparently serious when he said he wanted to adapt Fifty Shades of Grey for the big screen. He even has a cast and director in mind.
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Teju Cole’s Meticulously Curated Playlists
During these uncertain times, Teju Cole is curating playlists that reflect current events and his own thoughts on history and music.
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No love for Michael Crummey’s GALORE, Max? Yes, I realize it only just came out in the States today after two years in Canada. But given its ambition (which is very much up your alley), I figured I’d bring it to your attention. The Dyer volume, however, is very good.
Ed, The book probably should have been included here. An oversight, though there is no real rhyme or reason to how these new release updates are compiled. Anyway, it’s not as though we’ve been ignoring Galore. Michael wrote a nice essay about his book, whales, and Moby Dick for us last week.