You may have heard (via this site or elsewhere) that Harold Bloom has a new book out. In the Times Sunday Book Review, Cynthia Ozick gives her take, identifying the critic’s use of the phrase “without precedent” as key to understanding his theory. You could also read Matt Hanson on Bloom’s classic The Anatomy of Influence.
Daemon Days
Michael Lewis’ Man Cave
Here's a sentence I never thought I'd type: A seersuckered Michael Lewis shows off his "man cave" for ValleyGirl.tv. You can skip ahead to 9:20 for the tour. (via)
If You Like TED Talks
On the Media's Bob Garfield hosts "The Genius Dialogues," a new interview podcast featuring recipients of the MacArthur Foundation's so-called genius grants. First-season guests include Radiolab creator Jad Abumrad; Luis von Ahn, founder of the language learning app DuoLingo; microbiologist Manu Prakash; choreographer Elizabeth Streb; and writer and producer David Simon. We've hosted a few geniuses here as well, including Ben Lerner, Yiyun Li, and Karen Russell.
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A Well-Rounded Curriculum
“I have a girl brain but in a boy body. This is called transgender. I was born this way!” The Los Angeles Times reports on an elementary-school teacher reading I Am Jazz, written by transgender teenager Jazz Jennings, with her class; encouragingly, not that many parents freak out. Pair with writer T.K. Dalton reflecting on how to traverse the terrain of books, children, and gender.
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List of Lengthy Books
In honor of our own Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire (which stands at a hefty nine hundred pages), Bethanne Patrick has compiled a reading list of lengthy books at Lit Hub. You could also check out our interview with Hallberg.
Cheering Up the Country
Oh, The Humanities
Andrew Hazlett discovers that following the keyword "humanities" on Twitter is not the best way to keep tabs on the discipline.
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