Tim Parks investigates the idea of “writing to death” in the cases of Thomas Hardy, D.H. Lawrence, Anton Chekhov, Charles Dickens and William Faulkner. “So many of the writers I have looked at seem permanently torn between irreconcilable positions,” Parks writes. “Eventually, the dilemma driving the work either leads to death, or is neutralized in a way that prolongs life but dulls the writing” (Bonus: Our own Mark O’Connell just reviewed Parks’s latest book, Italian Ways.)
The Personal Dilemma of Writing
Give Rock and Roll Another Name
Chuck Klosterman wonders, which rock stars will historians of the future remember?
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Elena Ferrante Writing for Kids
Elena Ferrante will be publishing a children’s book, The Beach at Night, this December. Revisit our own Jacob Lambert’s series on whether or not picture books are leading our children astray to prepare for the release.
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England’s Green and Pleasant Land
William Blake may have described its "green and pleasant land" but this week England had traded green for white, as you can see in this NASA photograph (c/o Gizmodo).
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Tuesday New Release Day: Rash, Gavin, Hainey
New this week: a pair of highly anticipated collections, Nothing Gold Can Stay by Ron Rash and Middle Men by Jim Gavin. Also out is Michael Hainey's intriguing memoir chronicling his investigation into his father's mysterious death, After Visiting Friends.
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Literary T-Shirts from Kafkacotton
The t-shirt team at kafkacotton has generously offered to extend a special deal to readers of The Millions (knowing, I assume, that you bookish folks will dig t-shirts that cleverly proclaim their love for classic books). Use the discount code "THEMILLIONS" to get 10% off. Remember to put the discount code in the "Message to Seller" box. Then, I'm told, you can either immediately pay the full price and they'll issue you a refund for the discount amount or you can wait for kafkacotton to send you a revised, discounted invoice. Thanks for setting up this deal kafkacotton!
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Something Is Off
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