Marly Youmans's Blog, page 103

December 20, 2012

Myers and more--

A THANKS

I am grateful to noted critic D. G. Myers, who first listed Catherwood with best historical novels, then put A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage on a list of best books of 2012, and afterward reviewed the novel.

I'm  also glad of John Wilson, editor of Books and Culture, who introduced the novel to Myers (a fact I learned via Twitter), and who has consistently supported my books.
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 20, 2012 08:40

December 19, 2012

Culture transformation and inwardness

HIGH CULTURE, MASS CULTURE

"Proust is important for everyone"
In conversation with the sociologist Gilles Lipovetsky, novelist and Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa discusses the relative merits of "high" and "mass" culture in the contemporary world and defends the ideas explored in his recent book La civilización del espectáculo.

Mario Vargas Llosa: La civilización del espectáculo is an
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 19, 2012 07:11

December 18, 2012

Artists and writers and publishers on buying and selling books

Yesterday I received a blizzard of comments (via facebook) on this remark: You would think that I would know this by now, but... Am wondering what it is that makes most people actually go so far as to purchase a book (and hence support the writer's vocation and increase his/her ability to publish a next book with a publisher, if he/she so chooses.) It's slippery to me, that reason. But would no
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 18, 2012 07:35

December 17, 2012

On another book round-up...

I am pleased to have two books on John Wilson's annual book list: Favorite Books of 2012. He is the editor of Books and Culture and a formidably well-read man. Please hop over to the online annex to the magazine and see what they are and what he has to say...

The previous list for year's end was from critic D. G. Myers, Best fiction of 2012. His review was here.
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 17, 2012 05:10

December 16, 2012

Advent hymn commission--

Some time ago I had a commission to write words for a hymn celebrating the Bicentennial at Christ Church Cooperstown. It was first sung to the hymn tune St. Anne, though later to another that suited it better--I've forgotten which one it was and shall have to look it up.

And now I've had another request, this time to write words for an Advent hymn, this time to a particular tune, Merla Watson's
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 16, 2012 21:05

Myrrh for innocence

Borrowed from Wesley Hill's Writing in the Dust tumblr log:

In the same way, the only thing that my religious tradition has to offer to the bereaved of Newtown today--besides an appropriately respectful witness to their awful sorrow--is a version of that story, and the realism about suffering that it contains.

That realism may be hard to see at Christmastime, when the sentimental side of faith
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 16, 2012 05:54

December 15, 2012

Stowaways! Or, mice twice, thrice--

Sent my daughter for birthday cake from our corner bakery, and she reports two little mice flashed by her feet when she got in the car. Drat! Southern forest mice invaded my Corolla again in Cullowhee. They build nests in my air filter, and I am forced to release the little Southerners into the cold Yankee wild or else snap their tiny backbones in mousetraps. Then I go get yet another clean air
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 15, 2012 13:23

December 14, 2012

2:27 a.m.
Back from shenanigans in Atlanta and Cullowhee...

2:27 a.m.
Back from shenanigans in Atlanta and Cullowhee... More anon.
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 14, 2012 23:27

December 12, 2012

D. G. Myers and A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage

Literary critic D. G. Myers has posted a long, insightful review of A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage on A Commonplace Blog. The essay is beautiful; I hope you will read it.

If you have a comment, please post it there. Comments off.
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 12, 2012 10:25

December 11, 2012

The Next Big Thing - author meme

Lovely poet friend Luisa Igloria invited me to join the self-interview experiment called The Next Big Thing. Writers
participating get to answer 8-10 questions, and then tag five other writer friends to post their own “next
big thing” the following Wednesday. I'll add a list of the writers later.



1. What is the working title of your book?




In
2012, my ninth, tenth, and eleventh books
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on December 11, 2012 09:30