What do indie rock musicians share in common with experimental writers? A great deal, and not just a distaste for both of those over-used adjectives.
“The worlds of rock and lit appear to be merging”
We Read No More
Victor Hugo, when asked about the other parts of Dante’s Divine Comedy that aren’t the widely-read Inferno, had this to say: “The human eye was not made to look upon so much light, and when the poem becomes happy, it becomes boring.” Ouch. Is this why so many of us haven’t even read Dante, despite his being a kind of cultural icon?
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A Bit of Advice
Recommended reading: Andrew Solomon draws from Rilke‘s Letters to a Young Poet and gives some advice for young writers. Pair with our own look at “the best advice writers ever received.“
Unlikely Correspondence
In a compelling personal piece for The Paris Review, Nick Antosca recounts his unlikely relationship with a “faceless confidant.”
New McEwan on the Way
Ian McEwan is going after religion in his latest novel. The Children Act will focus on the conflict of parents who refuse medical treatment for their children due to religious beliefs. You can expect the book in September.
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Seriously, Read This Book
Lev Grossman is ready to dub John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Blood-Horses and, more recently, Pulphead, “the next Tom Wolfe,” and NPR‘s Dan Kois agrees that he might be “the best magazine writer around.” Elsewhere, Zach Baron writes an interesting profile of the author for The Daily.
Shirley Clarke Project Commences
Shirley Clarke, older sister of Elaine Dundy (who wrote Millions favorite The Dud Avocado), was an Academy Award-winning filmmaker. If you’re curious about her work, you’ll be happy to learn that Milestone Films will soon begin their Shirley Clarke Project by releasing her restored documentaries, and on Friday, May 4th, they’ll be releasing her first film, The Connection. You can check out a trailer here. (via)
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“Go home to your parents, you losers.”
Frank Miller, penman of renowned comics like 300 and Sin City, is the latest author to take on Occupy Wall Street. His sentiments are much less kind than Lemony Snicket‘s.
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