Comments on: Sven Birkerts and the Frightening Fitzroya http://www.edrants.com/sven-birkerts-and-the-frightening-fitzroya/ a blog in ever-shifting standing Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:27:32 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Pumpy http://www.edrants.com/sven-birkerts-and-the-frightening-fitzroya/comment-page-1/#comment-242751 Pumpy Sat, 03 May 2008 02:29:55 +0000 http://www.edrants.com/?p=7522#comment-242751 Did they consider future crises in light of web logging? I read that with scarcity of oil, minerals, food, water, and other resources, not to mention a global credit crunch and other financial problems, the Internet along with other perks of middle-class lifestyles, might not last. Did they consider future crises in light of web logging? I read that with scarcity of oil, minerals, food, water, and other resources, not to mention a global credit crunch and other financial problems, the Internet along with other perks of middle-class lifestyles, might not last.

]]> By: Helen DeWitt http://www.edrants.com/sven-birkerts-and-the-frightening-fitzroya/comment-page-1/#comment-242666 Helen DeWitt Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:16:12 +0000 http://www.edrants.com/?p=7522#comment-242666 About a month ago Ed Park asked me if I wanted to contribute something on Best Books of 2007. There were two novels I was excited about: one was Hilary Raphael's "I [Heart] Lord Buddha", which unfortunately had come out in 2004, the other was Bernardo Moraes' Minimundo, which unfortunately was a) in Portuguese and b) published in 2006. So they weren't eligible. The editor of a newspaper books section is never going to commission a review on a novel from a small press that came out in 2004. If a keen reviewer happens to discover a brilliant book that came out in 2004 and write a review the editor won't print it. And no editor of a books section in an American paper is going to publish a review of a book that is currently available in Portuguese, regardless of its year of publication. I don't have to persuade anyone to let me post a review on my blog. In fact, I don't have to write a proper review; if I'm lazy, as I mostly am, I can just type in generous extracts of the good writing that got me excited about the books in the first place. As it happens, of course, I've been so lazy I haven't even done that - or rather, I have posted an extract from Moraes on a sister blog, being too lazy to do the decent thing and translate... But then again, if I can get off the dime, I actually can translate from an untranslated book and show readers why I think it's worthwhile. I can urge readers to check out an untranslated French book on free thinkers in the Arab world that I happened to pick up at the airport in Casablanca. Those things seem worth doing. They are not more valuable than what Mr Birkerts does, but they are more valuable than replicating something reviewers like Mr Birkerts already do very well. About a month ago Ed Park asked me if I wanted to contribute something on Best Books of 2007. There were two novels I was excited about: one was Hilary Raphael’s “I [Heart] Lord Buddha”, which unfortunately had come out in 2004, the other was Bernardo Moraes’ Minimundo, which unfortunately was a) in Portuguese and b) published in 2006. So they weren’t eligible.

The editor of a newspaper books section is never going to commission a review on a novel from a small press that came out in 2004. If a keen reviewer happens to discover a brilliant book that came out in 2004 and write a review the editor won’t print it. And no editor of a books section in an American paper is going to publish a review of a book that is currently available in Portuguese, regardless of its year of publication.

I don’t have to persuade anyone to let me post a review on my blog. In fact, I don’t have to write a proper review; if I’m lazy, as I mostly am, I can just type in generous extracts of the good writing that got me excited about the books in the first place. As it happens, of course, I’ve been so lazy I haven’t even done that – or rather, I have posted an extract from Moraes on a sister blog, being too lazy to do the decent thing and translate… But then again, if I can get off the dime, I actually can translate from an untranslated book and show readers why I think it’s worthwhile. I can urge readers to check out an untranslated French book on free thinkers in the Arab world that I happened to pick up at the airport in Casablanca.

Those things seem worth doing. They are not more valuable than what Mr Birkerts does, but they are more valuable than replicating something reviewers like Mr Birkerts already do very well.

]]> By: NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS » Blog Archive » TLS’s Sir Peter Stothard on Blogs and Journalists http://www.edrants.com/sven-birkerts-and-the-frightening-fitzroya/comment-page-1/#comment-242595 NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS » Blog Archive » TLS’s Sir Peter Stothard on Blogs and Journalists Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:47:00 +0000 http://www.edrants.com/?p=7522#comment-242595 [...] of which, here’s Ed Champion concluding a recent post on this topic: "It has become evident that the biggest problem with [...] [...] of which, here’s Ed Champion concluding a recent post on this topic: "It has become evident that the biggest problem with [...]

]]> By: Maxine http://www.edrants.com/sven-birkerts-and-the-frightening-fitzroya/comment-page-1/#comment-242592 Maxine Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:25:53 +0000 http://www.edrants.com/?p=7522#comment-242592 Nice post. Re your opening, do you know that Charles Darwin has just started a blog? Worth checking out, see: http://network.nature.com/blogs/user/charlesdarwin Nice post. Re your opening, do you know that Charles Darwin has just started a blog? Worth checking out, see: http://network.nature.com/blogs/user/charlesdarwin

]]> By: Lee http://www.edrants.com/sven-birkerts-and-the-frightening-fitzroya/comment-page-1/#comment-242579 Lee Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:06:15 +0000 http://www.edrants.com/?p=7522#comment-242579 My indie quibble with a lot of writer-bloggers is that they don't put their money where their keystrokes are. Blogging is fine, but they're after conventional publishing contracts for their 'real work' - their novels, for example. My indie quibble with a lot of writer-bloggers is that they don’t put their money where their keystrokes are. Blogging is fine, but they’re after conventional publishing contracts for their ‘real work’ – their novels, for example.

]]> By: eNotes Book Blog » Blog Archive » Hope Dale Peck Likes Pie… http://www.edrants.com/sven-birkerts-and-the-frightening-fitzroya/comment-page-1/#comment-242563 eNotes Book Blog » Blog Archive » Hope Dale Peck Likes Pie… Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:36:27 +0000 http://www.edrants.com/?p=7522#comment-242563 [...] Ed takes on Sven Birkerts on behalf of all of us here in the unfortunately named Blogosphere. [...] [...] Ed takes on Sven Birkerts on behalf of all of us here in the unfortunately named Blogosphere. [...]

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