The above photo is of The Michigan Theater. These and many other striking images of urban dissolution can be found at The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit.
Author / Edward Champion
The Perils of Honest Criticism
Lionel Shriver: “I try neither to be cowed by big names, nor to succumb to the pathetic illusion that by trouncing accomplished writers I make myself superior to them. I always read the entire book. And my naiveté – my refusal to think twice about alienating a colleague who down the line might help or hurt me – may make me a fool, but it also makes me fairer.” (via The Literary Saloon)
One Thing’s For Sure: It Won’t Be Filmed in a Basement in Terre Haute
Richard Ford’s Frank Bascombe trilogy will be turned into a miniseries, encapsulating all three novels. (via Slushpile)
Pessl Roundtable
Callie Miller, editor staff writer of the LAist and proprietor of the litblog Counterbalance is looking for a few good minds to discuss Marisha Pessl’s novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, next week for a forthcoming roundtable discussion. Drop Callie a line if you’ve read the book and you’re interested in talking Pessl.
Lionel Shriver, Serendipitous Expert
Independent: “The trouble is, her new book is the last thing anyone seems to want to discuss with Lionel Shriver right now. We meet within a week of the Virginia Tech shootings, and Shriver has unwillingly been thrust into the role of an expert. Four years ago, she published We Need To Talk About Kevin, a bold and shocking novel with one of the most chilling endings since Don’t Look Now. It was a very early example of what she now, guiltily, calls the ‘campus shooting’ genre. Which means that, since Virginia Tech, her phone has not stopped ringing.”