Jessica Zafra's Blog, page 36

Watch Mark Z. Danielewski, author of The Familiar and House of Leaves, talk about writing, cats, and cosmic things

Allan Carreon recorded our Q&A at the Philippine Readers and Writers Festival yesterday. Thanks to Allan, Deo and Roni for the post-discussion discussion, during which they filled me in on the pop culture I have missed. I had no idea there were telenovelas in which women fought using photocopiers and balut.

I’m hosting a Q&A with Mark Danielewski on Saturday, 26 Aug, 3pm at Raffles Hotel Makati

Mark Danielewski is the author of The House of Leaves, Only Revolutions, The Fifty-Year Sword, and The Familiar, which he envisions as a 27-volume series. Mark loves cats, who show up in all his books. He will sign your books after the Q&A. His books will be sold at the venue. Admission is free. Go […]

On vacation from blogging

First break in 10 years. Writing offline, in cursive. Back in August. In case of emergency, read a book.

Jonathan from Buffy has made a J.D. Salinger biopic called Rebel in the Rye starring Nicholas Hoult

And I don’t know how to process that sentence.

If you want to read a novel about Dunkirk…

(One-fifth of a novel, to be exact.) Dunkirk is a big, impressive, very accomplished film about an event little known outside of Britain. I leave you to read the critics spraining their fingers to praise it, many of them using the K-comparison, which almost certainly guarantees a backlash. I did not know about the Dunkirk […]

Aggretsuko and Gudetama: Adorable and anti-capitalist

If Hello Kitty represents happy-go-lucky submission to globalization, Sanrio’s newer characters respond to the market with soul-crushing resignation or seething rage. Aggretsuko “is a symbol and expression of the pent-up stress and irritation that is rife in the world today,” her designer, Yeti, wrote in an email. And Gudetama, Amy wrote, parallels “the people in […]

The most human movie of the season is War for the Planet of the Apes

Yes, a movie that makes us root against our species also shows humanity’s potential for greatness. This humanity resides in Caesar the ape. He is a hero in the classical sense, possessing what the Greeks call arete. Few had high hopes for a prequel trilogy to a 1960s science-fiction movie that had already spawned a […]

19! Roger Federer wins his 8th Wimbledon title in straight sets (Didn’t drop a set in two weeks)

This year he has won the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Next month he turns 36.

Let’s read Jane Austen’s Emma and talk about it. (Updated)

Jane Austen is all over the news this month as we mark the 200th anniversary of her death and ponder, once again, how an 18th century single lady writing novels about women looking for good husbands became one of the most-read, most-loved writers of all time. The more she is dismissed (marriage novels, early chick-lit, […]

Let’s read Jane Austen’s Emma and talk about it.

Jane Austen is all over the news this month as we mark the 200th anniversary of her death and ponder, once again, how an 18th century single lady writing novels about women looking for good husbands became one of the most-read, most-loved writers of all time. The more she is dismissed (marriage novels, early chick-lit, […]