Recommended Reading: This excerpt from The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains by Thomas Laqueur. In it, Laqueur explores the cultural peculiarities of mourning and the necrobotany of the yew tree, or “tree of the dead.”
Mythic Beginnings
Bad from Good
Sometimes good writers write very badly. As evidence, Literary Hub has collected samples of bad writing from the likes of Year in Reading alum Isaac Fitzgerald and Daniel Clowes, who we interviewed here.
●
●
Even more Girls
Okay, so earlier this week I mentioned Emily Nussbaum's excellent profile of Lena Dunham for New York Magazine. Now Lorrie Moore's written one too, for The New Yorker blog. The short piece, as you might imagine, is a near perfect meeting of author and subject; who could be better at writing about Girls?
●
●
I would like to read one from Maury Povich, no lie.
A report from Book Expo America: "Celebrity memoirs will survive Armageddon."
●
●
Mr. Gay Syria
“We wanted to show a side of the migration crisis that is rarely portrayed, steering away from the depictions of nameless masses by certain media and politicians,” write the producers of Mr. Gay Syria, a documentary about Syrian refugees and their quest to shine a spotlight on the community of “Syrians who had to run away from war and homophobia,” and who have relocated to Turkey, “a place that did not accept them either.” Now, after two years of work, the filmmakers are raising money to fund post-production and community outreach. You can donate here, and visit their Facebook or Twitter pages for more information.
●
●
1Q84 Uncovered
The cover for Haruki Murakami's long-awaited 1Q84 has been unveiled. The book is due out in October.
●
●