Chris Barsanti's Blog, page 65
March 16, 2020
TV Room: 'The Plot Against America'
In Philip Roths 2004 novel The Plot Against America, its 1940 and Hitler is rampaging across Europe. Only in America, Franklin Roosevelt is facing serious political competition: fascist sympathizer and popular hero Charles Lindbergh. A Jewish family in Newark, drawn in part from Roths childhood, starts realizing they may have to chose between fleeing to
March 15, 2020
Writer’s Desk: Be Ruthless
One of the greater speculative fiction writers of our time, China Mieville imagine H.P. Lovecraft filtered through Kafka and Neal Stephenson with a generous dose of Marxism talked to Clarkesworld magazine about his writing practice. For Mieville, his productivity comes in spurts. But that doesnt mean he is undisciplined: Im ruthless with early
Writer's Desk: Be Ruthless
One of the greater speculative fiction writers of our time, China Mieville imagine H.P. Lovecraft filtered through Kafka and Neal Stephenson with a generous dose of Marxism talked to Clarkesworld magazine about his writing practice. For Mieville, his productivity comes in spurts. But that doesnt mean he is undisciplined: Im ruthless with early
March 8, 2020
Writer’s Corner: Go Fast
They always say to keep a notebook around. This is not only good advice, it is essential. Inspiration does not strike that often. When it comes, you need to have something to catch it with. Take Joseph Heller. He told Rolling Stone that he got the idea for Catch-22 in the middle of the night:
Writer's Corner: Go Fast
They always say to keep a notebook around. This is not only good advice, it is essential. Inspiration does not strike that often. When it comes, you need to have something to catch it with. Take Joseph Heller. He told Rolling Stone that he got the idea for Catch-22 in the middle of the night: …
March 4, 2020
Reader’s Corner: ‘The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski’
My interview with graphic novelist Noah Van Sciver, author of The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski, ran in Publishers Weekly: Youve written three books about Fante Bukowski, a delusional, arrogant, and slovenly character. Do you find something admirable in his belief in his own greatness? Im always interested in people who are obsessed with one
Continue reading Readers Corner: The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski
Reader's Corner: 'The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski'
My interview with graphic novelist Noah Van Sciver, author of The Complete Works of Fante Bukowski, ran in Publishers Weekly: You’ve written three books about Fante Bukowski, a delusional, arrogant, and slovenly character. Do you find something admirable in his belief in his own greatness? I’m always interested in people who are obsessed with one …
Continue reading Reader's Corner: 'The Complete Works of FanteBukowski'
March 2, 2020
Screening Room: ‘The Wild Goose Lake’
The latest movie from Yinan Diao (Black Coal, Thin Ice), The Wild Goose Lake is a spectacularly cinematic story that sets a massive manhunt for a gangster in a lawless part of China. It opens this week. My review is at PopMatters: Sometimes you just know within a few minutes. At the start of Yinan
Screening Room: 'The Wild Goose Lake'
The latest movie from Yi’nan Diao (Black Coal, Thin Ice), The Wild Goose Lake is a spectacularly cinematic story that sets a massive manhunt for a gangster in a “lawless” part of China. It opens this week. My review is at PopMatters: Sometimes you just know within a few minutes. At the start of Yi’nan …
March 1, 2020
Writer’s Desk: Lean into It
From Hilton Als’ remembrance of the late great Toni Morrison: Loneliness and hurt are often an artist’s first tools… Don’t ignore your hurt and how you feel in those dark times. Lean into it. Tell that story and make people feel.
