Mark Sarvas's Blog, page 32

BRISTLING WITH DILIGENCE

James Wood on A.S. Byatt in the London Review of Books.

It is hard enough, though not for the Booker judges, to like the historical novel nowadays, but harder still when that novel's conception of characterisation seems itself antiquarian, as if Woolf and Proust and Chekhov, not to mention Muriel Spark and Penelope Fitzgerald, had never existed. Byatt's formidable research commands respect, but it is hard fully to respect a novel in which Rodin, Oscar Wilde, Emma Goldman and Marie Stopes have...

EVENT: CHRIS CARMICHAEL IN L.A.

No, it's not literary, but Chris Carmichael will visit three locations in Southern California this week. Carmichael's appearance is part of a 20-city author tour and ride-along series in support of his new book The Time-Crunched Cyclist.

September 30, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Helen's Cycles
2501 Broadway Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90404

October 1, 6:30 - 8:00 a.m. (ride & coffee stop)
Helen's Cycles
2501 Broadway Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90404

October 3-4, all day MS150 Ride
San Buenaventura Park
Ventura...

BLURBS FROM BLOGS?

Brian Sholis is a freelance writer on the visual arts, and a former editor at Artforum.  We've corresponded a number of times, and I enjoy his writing a great deal - he is thoughtful and insightful.  So I was particularly interested to read this open question he recently posted on his website:  (You can click on the image below to enlarge it.)

I've just begun (and am enjoying) Rob Riemen's Nobility of Spirit: A Forgotten Ideal. The book has just been released in an attractive paperback...

SILVERBLATT'S BIG O

Michael Silverblatt, hosts of KCRW's Bookworm and one of the most serious readers in America, is the subject of a lengthy profile in ... yep ... Oprah Magazine.

From his book-lined apartment (no kidding, even in the kitchen cupboards—and all alphabetized), Michael tells me: "I believe in the elaborate taking care of others. And we live in a culture where 'I'm not my brother's keeper,' 'That's your responsibility,' 'Get a life' have become bywords, code phrases, anthems for elaborate...

DANIEL MENDELSOHN IN PRINCETON

To our readers in the Princeton, NJ area, an event that you should clear your calendar for:

Labyrinth Books presents Daniel Mendelsohn, translator, in a discussion of C.P. Cavafy's Collected Poems and the first-ever English translation of the poet's 30 Unfinished Poems, both featuring the fullest literary commentaries available in English. 5:30 p.m. Free. Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau St., Princeton.

REASONS TO LOVE FRANCE # 374

Le Figaro reports that nearly a third of the French population dreams of becoming writers.  Apparently, there are already more than million manuscripts out there. (Merci, EG)

We've learned, by the way, that Harry, Revised will be released in France on January as HARRY, REVU ET CORRIGE.  More details as we have them ...

ST FRANCIS PRIZE

We meant to draw your attention to Aleksander Hemon's recent win of the St. Francis College Literary Prize which, refreshingly, is awarded for a fourth novel.

"I was going to quit after this book, but now it turns out I'm mid-career," said Hemon in his short, modest and humorous acceptance speech. "Thank you all for coming tonight and exposing me to this embarrassing pleasure. I will keep writing, I guess I have no other choice."

GIVEAWAY POSTPONED

We're delaying our promised reader-insipred giveaway one week as it's Birthday Weekend around Chez TEV, and we'd prefer not to spend the waning moments of our youth worrying about adminstering giveaways.  We will get it all on its feet next week.  Until then, bonne weekend!

GALLEY OF THE WEEK: THE ASK

We recently announced a new series, Galley of the Week, in which we'd touch on the galley that most excited us in the week's mail.  This installment looks at The Ask, the new novel from Sam Lipsyte, whose novel Homeland we admire immoderately.

We can't even seem to find cover art to taunt you with - the book isn't out until March - but we did locate this clip of the author reading a section from the novel:

We're especially interested in editor Lorin Stein's eloquent letter to Booksellers and ...

DEPT. OF WHEN FRIENDS EXCEL

We are very pleased, indeed, for FOTEV Amitava Kumar, whose Three Minute Fiction entry at NPR, "Postmortem," is a James Wood-selected finalist.  You can read it here.