True Detective director Cary Fukunaga will soon turn his attention to a biopic about Alexandre Dumas’s father.
“The Black Count”
Graveless Dolls
Still working on your costume for Halloween this year? Check out these recommendations from Electric Literature for some hilarious costumes based on some really great short stories.
For David Foster Wallace Completists
A new anthology out from Da Capo Press, Bound to Last: 30 Writers on Their Most Cherished Book, includes an essay by David Foster Wallace's widow, Karen Green, on how books helped her cope with his death: "I'll try not to use the word survive. I think I've determined, by trial and error, that certain underlined, highlighted, and dog-eared books, in conjunction with pharmaceuticals, are beneficial after a trauma. What was it the realtor called it? 'The Incident.' Books can be helpful after an Incident." (Thanks, Diavanna)
Wanderlit
As part of their Five Books series, The Browser interviews Colin Thubron, a travel writer from the UK (and author of a recent book on Tibet) who shares his favorite books from the genre.
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Monkey Shakespeare
Who was it that came up with the idea that a million monkeys in front of a million typewriters would eventually, with their random keyboard smashing, type William Shakespeare's complete works? Well, you can give the experiment a try here (link from the CC). And while you're waiting for your monkeys to finish typing Love's Labor's Lost, check out some book excerpts I found:Heir to the Glimmering World by Cynthia Ozick -- excerpt, NYT review, SF Chronicle reviewChain of Command by Seymour Hersh -- excerpt, CS Monitor reviewThe Double by Jose Saramago -- excerpt, NZ Herald reviewThe Fall Of Baghdad by Jon Lee Anderson -- excerpt, WaPo review
Last Call for MPWs
Last November, the University of Southern California announced that it would stop offering a Masters in Professional Writing, ending a program that counts Richard Yates and Hubert Selby, Jr. among its faculty alumni. At The Nervous Breakdown, Aram Saroyan (son of William) looks back on his time as an instructor.
Lauren Bacall on Writing
"Writing a book is the most complete experience I've ever had," said Lauren Bacall, who passed away on Tuesday. She wrote three memoirs over 30 years - By Myself, Now and By Myself and Then Some.
Another Reason to Subscribe to The Millions
With the US Postal Service facing massive cuts to its budget, Saturday delivery may soon become a thing of the past. Print publications are bracing themselves for this possibility.