How Could You Like That Book?

Curiosities
November 13, 2015 | 1

“On the other hand, I do spend endless hours mulling over the mystery of what others like. Again and again the question arises: How can they?” Tim Parks asks us why we enjoy reading what we read at The New York Review of Books. For Millions readers’ favorites, check out October’s Top 10.

is an intern for The Millions. She is the managing editor of Concrete Literary Magazine at Emerson College, where she is pursuing a BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing. She tweets at @Cara_DuBois.

● ●
Curiosities

7x20x21 Recap

Curiosities
June 9, 2012
If you didn’t make it to BEA this year, first be thankful that you didn’t have to eat any of the food around the Javits Center. Then, check out some of the highlights from the comfort of your desk chair. I recommend Ami Greko and Ryan Chapman’s perennially excellent 7x20x21 panel, which this year featured Nate Silver, Dan Wilbur, and Sheila Heti among others.
Curiosities
Curiosities

Glorification of the Human

Curiosities
September 10, 2015
“Everywhere in the language of this collection is the deliberate and sustained glorification of the human. Long after his 11 months in what he calls the Lager (Auschwitz III), as a survivor, Primo Levi understands evil as not only banal but unworthy of our insight – even of our intelligence, for it reveals nothing interesting or compelling about itself.” Toni Morrison on The Complete Works of Primo Levi in The Guardian.
Curiosities
● ●
● ●

One comment:

  1. Tim Parks (“How Could You Like That Book?” NYR Daily, Nov 10, 2015) writes:

    “Could this be the function, then, or at least one important function of fiction: to make us aware of our differences? To have our contrasting positions emerge in response to these highly complex cultural artifacts? […]

    If this is the case, then, the important thing would be, first, really to understand one’s own reaction, to observe it with great care; and, second, to articulate it honestly, without any fudging for fear that others might disagree.”

    It makes me want to throw bags of cash at him.

Add Your Comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Curiosities

Grief Is The Thing

Curiosities
January 18, 2016
In his 2015 Year in Reading, Garth Risk Hallberg told us about Max Porter's Grief Is The Thing With Feathers, a quasi-poem/novel/memoir which "you will quickly forget is weird as hell, because it is also beautiful as hell, moving as hell, and funny as hell." Though the book isn't slated for stateside release for another few months, there is a fantastic review over at the London Review of Books that's well worth the read.
Curiosities
● ●