Recommended Reading: Roger Angell describes life in the nineties. His nineties.
“Here’s to you, old dears. You got this right, every one of you.”
The Naval Academy’s Reading List for Life
What does it mean that so many faculty members at the United States Naval Academy have recommended Ayn Rand’s work on the “Reading List For Life?”
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Paris, I love you
There's an excerpt of Rosecrans Baldwin's new memoir in GQ. Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down comes out next week!
Links for Literary Aspirations
If you have aspirations of the literary sort, I strongly recommend Dan Wickett's interview with "founders, editors and managing editors of 8 Literary Journals of varying age and size." And you should also look at the latest posts at Mad Max Perkins' Book Angst in which hears from editors and publishing industry types about "the true meaning of midlist."
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His Mom Had a Tattoo That Said, “Son”
Forget the Dos Equis guy. John Fairfax was truly "the most interesting man in the world" and, if you don't believe me, read this series of lines from his actual obituary: "At 9, he settled a dispute with a pistol. At 13, he lit out for the Amazon jungle. At 20, he attempted suicide-by-jaguar. Afterward he was apprenticed to a pirate."
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Vuvuzela Time
Pretend you're at the World Cup while you enjoy The Millions! (explanation)
Teach Yourself Italian
Recommended Reading: This essay by Jhumpa Lahiri on language and translation, translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein. Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for her collection of stories The Interpreter of Maladies.
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New Paris Review Board Members
Word came out yesterday that Jonathan Galassi and Year in Reading alum Mona Simpson will join the Paris Review editorial board. Former editors both -- Galassi edited the magazine’s poetry, while Simpson edited its fiction -- the two will join Rose Styron, Jeffrey Eugenides and other notable figures on the board. Simpson also has a new novel coming out in April.
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