Controversial though it may sound, the people who work at Waterstone’s — and, in particular, Jon Howells — have smaller penises than those working at any other bookstore in the world.
Year / 2007
Malcolm Jones Kisses the Literary Rosary
I don’t know if Newsweek‘s Malcolm Jones felt guilty about failing to finish Against the Day, but getting John Banville and Donald Westlake together for a conversation is enough to momentarily recuse him from acute scrutinty.
You’re off the hook, Mr. Jones.
For now.
(via Sarah)
Litblogs May Be “Sub-Literary,” But At Least We Get Bylines Right
Who knew that actor James Woods was now contributing pieces to the New York Times Book Review?
Emus in the Headlines
In a sad and desperate attempt to take attention away from Vonnegut’s death, CBS has pulled the plug on Don Imus’s radio show.
Kurt Vonnegut, 1922-2007
RESOURCES:
- Vonnegut Web
- How Kurt Vonnegut Changed Our Lives.
- Maud Newton’s thoughts and previous entries.
- alt.books.kurt-vonnegut FAQ.
- Kurt Vonnegut timeline.
INTERVIEWS:
- Don Swaim’s 1981 interview with Vonnegut.
- The first of many parts of a Vonnegut documentary posted on YouTube.
- Jon Stewart interview.
- NPR interview: Kurt Vonnegut Judges Modern Society.
- The Kurt Vonnegut Audio Library.
- 2003 interview with Douglas Brinkley.
- 1999 interview with Salon’s Frank Houston.
- Vonnegut plays chess with Andrew Leonard.
- 2005 appearance on Nova.
- Paris Review (1977, excerpt featuring manuscript page).
- McSweeney’s interview.
WRITINGS:
- “Harrison Bergeron.”
- Excerpt from Slaughterhouse-Five.
- Excerpt from Mother Night.
- Excerpt from A Man Without a Country.
- A good chunk of Man.
- God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian.
- “To Be a Native Mid-Westerner.”
- Vonnegut’s contributions to the New York Review of Books.
- In These Times: “But I know now that there is not a chance in hell of America’s becoming humane and reasonable. Because power corrupts us, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Human beings are chimpanzees who get crazy drunk on power. By saying that our leaders are power-drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East? Their morale, like so many bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated, as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas.”
- Eight rules for writing fiction.
- Vonnegut on telling a story.
- More reviews penned by Vonnegut.
- “Smile, America. You’re on Candid Camera.”
- Vonnegut on science fiction (Playboy, 1973)
- Vonnegut’s 1998 blueprint for the American Dream.
RECEPTIONS:
- Contrary to popular belief, Vonnegut did not offer a commencement speech involving sunscreen.
- Justin Hall.
- Terry Southern’s 1963 review of Cat’s Cradle.
- Bad enough that Christopher Lehman-Haupt was so wrong about David Markson, but he was equally confused about Vonnegut. And not just once.
- John Leonard on Vonnegut (1979).
- Lorrie Moore on Vonnegut (1985).
- Jay McInerney (!) on Vonnegut (1990).
- Kurt Vonnegut and the No Asshole Rule.
- The Critical Response to Kurt Vonnegut.