Chris Barsanti's Blog, page 46
April 28, 2021
Literary Birthday: Terry Pratchett
Even though his most popular series began as something of a spoof on the genre, Terry Pratchett (born today in 1948) nevertheless became one of the most famous fantasy authors of all time thanks to his Discworld series. Set on a flat world that whirled through the ether on the back of a massive turtle …
April 25, 2021
Writer’s Desk: The Best Things Are the True Things
When George Huang was writing the screenplay for Swimming the Sharks, he based much of it on his experience as an assistant working for hot-tempered producers like Joel Silver. He noticed, though, that whenever he and other assistants traded war stories, there was a catch: Consistently, my friends who worked for Scott Rudin would always win. Some …
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April 23, 2021
Literary Birthday: William Shakespeare
Centuries after the passing of William Shakespeare (born today in 1564), there are almost as many superlatives appended to his writing as there have been productions of his work. Whole swaths of libraries are devoted to studies of his plays, which regularly top lists of the greatest works ever produced in the English language. But …
April 22, 2021
Screening Room: ‘Stowaway’
In Stowaway, launching tomorrow on Netflix, the crew of a spaceship heading to Mars discovers an unexpected fourth crewmember on board, which is a problem since they only have enough oxygen for three. My review is at Slant: This would seem to have potential for white-knuckle tension and even heady discussions about whose life has …
April 18, 2021
Writer’s Desk: Know When to Move On
Every writer has had those sections that give them problems. They will be moving right along and then there is this part that just refuses to fit. They know it needs to be there. Otherwise the plot will not make sense or readers will not appreciate the argument being made or that one line of …
April 17, 2021
Literary Birthday: Isak Dinesen
Danish writer Isak Dinesen (born today in 1885) went by several names throughout her eventful life. Born Karen Christentze Dinesen, she became Baroness von Blixen-Finecke (aka Karen Blixen) after marrying royalty. Her family nickname was Tanne. According to biographer Judith Thurman, her “literary disciples” called her Pellegrina, Amiane, and Scheherazade. Dinsen started publishing short stories …
April 15, 2021
Reader’s Corner: ‘Rock Me on the Water’ Celebrates and Elegizes Los Angeles in 1974
In Ronald Brownstein’s new book, Rock Me on the Water: 1974 – The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television and Politics, he brings together a knot of cultural revolutions (Chinatown, All in the Family, groundbreaking sitcoms) that cross-pollinated a once parochial town on the verge of becoming a global city. My review is at …
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April 11, 2021
Writer’s Desk: Amuse Yourself
In her 1966 primer, Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction, Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley) had some choice advice for what writers should do. Above all, she said: The first person you should think of pleasing, in writing a book, is yourself. If you can amuse yourself for the length of time it takes to …
April 10, 2021
Literary Birthday: Paul Theroux
After graduating from college in 1963, Paul Theroux (born today in 1941) spent several years teaching in countries ranging from Singapore to Malawi before writing fiction, which often featured clueless Westerners getting in over their heads in foreign lands. Although some of his novels, like The Mosquito Coast (1981), met with success, it was not …
April 4, 2021
Writer’s Desk: Avoid Writers
In most professions, it makes sense to apprentice with a master. What better way to excel in, say, metalwork or coding? But according to George Bernard Shaw, the same does not apply to the writing arts: Keep away from books and men who get their ideas from books, and your own books will always be …
