Are you familiar with JT LeRoy (or rather, Savannah Knoop … or wait, Laura Albert), perpetrator of one of the greatest literary hoaxes in recent memory? Author: The JT LeRoy Story is a new documentary by Jeff Feuerzeig that asks questions about whether or not existence is predicated on real-world physicality — LeRoy’s books exist, so doesn’t LeRoy exist by association?
Deceitful Above All Things
“A Imperfect Dad”
"As much as I claimed that I read for my own edification, it was a lie. The books I was most drawn to were those that were loved by someone in my life. Reading them, I thought, would teach me all I needed to know about them—nice and safe, from a distance. Reading them with one hand, it was easy to have the other keep them at arm’s length." Romy Sugden writes for The Oyster Review about trying to connect with her estranged father by reading John le Carré's A Perfect Spy.
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Twilight Belt
What does it mean that the "Twilight Belt" so closely resembles the Bible Belt?
“Alayne”
Tired of waiting for The Winds of Winter, the latest installment in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire? The author has posted an excerpt on his website, as a reward for your continued patience.
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For the Imagination Impaired
If your ego is so large that it blots out your ability to identify with characters who don’t bear your own name U Star Novels offers a solution. The company will replace the names of characters in famous novels with those of your family and friends.
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Kafka’s Dogs
Recommended Reading: On the subject of dogs in Kafka’s works at Queen Mob’s Teahouse. Our own Matt Seidel rereads The Metamorphosis in different places, letting his setting shape the reading of the text.
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Lev Grossman on Aspiring Writers
Lev Grossman offers some words of encouragement for aspiring writers: "because it turns out that talent, whatever that is, and that glowy aura, are only part of the picture."
RIP Oscar Hijuelos
You may have heard that Pulitzer laureate Oscar Hijuelos passed away on Sunday at the age of 62. Hijuelos, who won the prize in 1990 for his novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, broke ground as the first Latino author to take home the prestigious award. On NPR, David Greene talks with Columbia professor Gustavo Perez Firmat about the author’s legacy. (Related: Thea Lim on people of color and American writing.)
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The Family
Recommended Reading (National Prayer Breakfast edition): Jeff Sharlet's terrifying, timely The Family.