Year In Reading contributor and The End of Oulipo author Scott Esposito has been reading a lot of William Gaddis’s letters recently. Over at his blog, he’s shared his favorite ten passages from Gaddis’s collected correspondence.
The Best of Gaddis’s Letters
Civic Duty
Claudia Rankine’s new book of poetry, Citizen, is getting a lot of attention in part due to its meditations on race in modern America. In the latest issue of BOMB, Lauren Berlant interviews the poet, asking her about micro-aggressions, Kara Walker and the implicit tone of the word “citizen.”
Booker Prize Chair on the Shortlist
“With the [Booker] longlist it was ‘What, no Amis or McEwan or Rushdie?’; with the shortlist it’s ‘What, no Mitchell or Tsiolkas or Tremain?’” Andrew Motion, chair of the judges, shares his thoughts on the whole business of judging the Booker prize, at Guardian.
●
●
The Kiddies are Alright
Celebrity watch: that guy from The Decemberists lands a children’s book deal. Waiting in the wings: A Vampire Weekend macroeconomics textbook; Dina Lohan’s‘s haiku collection; and Jeremy Irons’ zombie mashup, Bride’s Head Revivified.
●
●
What They Teach
For those who are out of the collegiate loop and are curious what’s being assigned in classrooms these days, The Literary Hub has compiled a fascinating list of books being taught by English professors at institutions across the country. Pair with these two related pieces from The Millions on the business of teaching creative writing and fifty-five thoughts on teaching English in public school.
●
●
Shelf Life
“‘You can tell how serious people are by looking at their books,’ Susan Sontag told Sigrid Nunez.” The meaning of book shelves.
●
●
Appropriate Today More Than Ever
For the tenth anniversary of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Barbara Ehrenreich has penned a new foreword and introduction which you can read here.
●
●
Black Balloon’s Horatio Nelson Prize
Black Balloon has announced a new Horatio Nelson fiction prize, and the terms are pretty sweet. There’s no entry fee, and one winner will receive $5,000 and a book deal. Details can be found here.
●
●