The story behind Le Grand Meaulnes, the neglected French classic that was beloved by Henry Miller, name-dropped by Jack Kerouac, and a potential inspiration for the title of The Great Gatsby.
The Grand Neglect
A dimension of mind
There are two essays on the narrative genius behind The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling, over at Berfrois: Michael A. Moodian on how using genre tropes allowed Serling to tell politically volatile stories during the McArthy era of Hollywood, and Christopher Cappelluti takes a look at how The Twilight Zone changed television history.
Shakespeare’s NYC
Coming soon: short films for each of Shakespeare‘s 154 sonnets, all set in New York City.
Hangovers and Strip Clubs: The Wire
Maxim’s long, comprehensive oral history of The Wire shouldn’t be missed. In fact, it should be supplemented with Idris Elba’s short profile in New York Magazine.
Reading Mustang
Recommended listening: Anjelica Huston reads an excerpt of Deanne Stillman‘s Mustang.
This Week’s New Releases
A.S. Byatt’s new novel The Children’s Book has won a ton of praise overseas – it may take home the Booker tonight — and now it’s finally available in the States. Meanwhile, Michael Chabon is trying his hand at memoir with his new book, Manhood for Amateurs.