Recommended Listening: Ben Lerner stops by The New Yorker’s fiction podcast to discuss “Woven, Sir,” a story by John Berger.
Lerner on Berger
Start Something New
A Betsy Lerner follower asks Betsy what to do when you hit the wall at page 60 of your novel--of every novel you try to write. Betsy's answer? Try novellas.
RIP Chinua Achebe
According to the Times, The Guardian and other sources, Things Fall Apart author Chinua Achebe has died. Last October, we published a review of his final book, There Was a Country, which you might want to reread as a first step to considering his legacy. (You could also check out our piece on Things Fall Apart.)
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Tales of the Library
"The reality of being a librarian is that it’s hardly ever about sitting down and it has absolutely nothing to do with peace and quiet." Lit Hub launched Tales of the Library, a new bimonthly column, by Kristen Arnett. From our archives: an essay about libraries and homelessness.
Literary Podcasts
Recommended recommendations: "Eight Excellent Literary Podcasts for Your Morning Commute."
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William S. Burroughs’ Long Lost Graphic Novel
From Flavorwire: in 1970 William S. Burroughs teamed up with British cartoonist and painter Malcolm McNeill to "put together what they called a ‘Word/Image novel’ (the term ‘graphic novel’ had not yet been popularized) and shopped it to publishers. After seven years of trying to sell the new genre, Burroughs and McNeill gave up. Next year the work will finally see the light of day.”
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Bits
Millions reader Lisa found Booker winner Line of Beauty to be "a more intellectualized, less satirical version of Stephen Fry's The Liar." I'm sure Lisa won't mind if you borrow that line at the next cocktail party.The new Gabriel Garcia Marquez book (Memories of My Melancholy Whores, they're calling it now) continues to generate headlines. This time Gabo foils the pirates. Go Gabo!At Amazon you can watch Jon Stewart make an ISBN joke whilst hawking his book America. Just click on the link and then check out the "Amazon.com Exclusives."Spotted on the El: Truman Capote's "unfinished novel" Answered Prayers.
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.
Breaking Newton’s Heart
"Insanity, madness, obsession, math, objectivity, truth, science and art. These friends always impress me. They’re sculptors and tailors, not scientists or spies. I’ve chosen them with the peculiar attentiveness of a shell collector stupidly combining the overwhelming multitude of broken detritus to hold up one shell so beautiful that it finds its way into my pocket, lining my clothes with sand. And then another. Not too many, so that the sheer number could never diminish the value of one." On madness and genius with cosmologist Janna Levin.