Nathan "N.R."’s Comments (group member since Oct 28, 2012)

Nathan "N.R."’s comments from the William T Vollmann Central group.

Alexander wrote: "Has anyone here read this book and the book The Orenda by Canadian / Metis writer Joseph Boyden? "

Welcome to Central, Alexander.

The connection between The Orenda and F&C is quit direct. Boyden says, "Another book is called Fathers and Crows by William Vollmann. Do you know his work? He’s been writing the history of the world [sic!] through fiction and these giant tomes. He’s a fascinating writer. Fathers and Crows had a big influence on me. It’s very different." http://www.randomhouse.ca/hazlitt/blo...

Jonathan wrote: "Lovely long interview from Dec 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FihP5..."

Sweet!

Review in the NYT ::

"Show Me the Moneyless" By Walter Kirn, March 18, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/boo...

Or, how not to use the word "postmodern", ie "How does traveling the world asking poor people why they think they’re poor differ from traveling the world asking people in pain why they’re in pain or thirsty people why they thirst? Is this a serious, legitimate inquiry, or does it betray a certain faux-autism that might be better suited to performance art? These are two of my questions for William T. Vollmann, the prolific, award-winning novelist and journalist whose new book, “Poor People,” centers on just such a Pyrrhic, postmodern project: asking the unfathomable of the unfortunate and using their numbed, predictable responses as proof of their plight’s intractable mystery." The thing is, that it's Kirn striking the postmodern=pose -- the bad kind of postmodern. But there are a few things Kirn says that don't make him sound entirely like a condescending liberal.

Article in LATimes ::

"THE WRITER'S LIFE -- William T. Vollmann: The dispassionate chronicler ;; This time, that mix of empathy and distance, that need to look at everything with an outsider's eye, is trained on Imperial County."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/...

Pico Iyer says some stupid things and some not-stupid things about Kissing the Mask ::

"‘I Rush Through the Japanese Night’"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/boo...

Bill reviews three photography-type books ::

"Seeing Eye to Eye", Bookforum, Feb/Mar 2009 :

"How should we parse a documentary image that directly or indirectly portrays evil, injustice, anguish? What rights and duties, if any, does our understanding engender?"

http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/015_...

A 'Vollmann' search @ 3quarksdaily turns up a number of new-to-me items. If you find something--review, whatever--please highlight in its relevant thread ; items of a general nature you can highlight in this thread. I'll link an item or two in the near future.

http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksda... [I can't link to the search results, so you'll have to type in "Vollmann into the search box yourself (!)]

Brain Pain's Vollmann Project continues with Argall. Six weeks scheduled, beginning April 7.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

Lisa wrote: "You Bright and Risen Angels came yesterday, first british edition but it smells really bad (mildew) so I don't know if I should send it back :(! "

Ack! Not nice. hd's are still available and usually run at about US$30 and up. I don't know if I'd wanna be mildew'd for that many pages!

Jim wrote: "I really enjoyed The Ice-Shirt, which was the first Vollmann I read. "

Double endorsement!

Russell wrote: " The V section on my bookshelves have since seen a great expansion."

Indeed. That V shelf of yours looks very healthy.

I have the Copernicus book in the stacks, prep'd for a light=reading.

Mark your calendars. Vollmann in Washington=state in April :: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014...

Tom wrote: "to procure photographs of the era or event and stare at them for about half an hour;"

There are a couple of fantastic examples of him doing this in RURD. Usually, photos in books get a mere quick glance from me. But reading his writing about what I was looking at caused me to see a hell of a lot more in those photos.

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "Think and Drink with Vollmann in Portland OR, February 5, RE: the FBI file and gov surveillance."

Anyone get to this? The audio is now available ::

http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index...

[yes, it is creepy that there's also a thing about goodreads on that page]

Sosen wrote: "I started following his career in 2008-ish, so I've never had the chance to read brand new fiction by Vollmann. So excited!"

I started summer of '11. I've never had a new book from him until Dolores! (it took several months for Mask to show up on my radar)

Tom wrote: "The last time I chatted with Bill, he was working on that tranny book, which is out, a book of ghost stories and a book of short stories about Bosnia."

Thanks Tom. I'll add that he also has a novel based on Dolores called How You Are, excerpts from which are included in the photo-book. The ghost stories book, Last Stories and Other Stories, is scheduled for a July release. But I hadn't heard anything about the Bosnia short stories ; do you think they might be included in Last Stories? or do you know anything more about them? The Dying Grass I'm optimistic for a 2015 release (finally!)

Brain Pain Vollmann Project 2014 :: the schedule :

Argall – April 7 – May 18, 2014 (6 weeks)

Europe Central – September 15 – November 2, 2014 (7 weeks)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

DO NOT miss Friend Jeff Bursey's review of the Dolores book.

Link for Like'ing :: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Direct link for reading :: http://www.winnipegreview.com/wp/2014...

Jonathan wrote: "It's about a collection of essays on WV, and the table of contents is there. Franzen..."

JAMES FRANCO????????? "

Apparently he's a phd candidate ::
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Fr...

Now I don't remember which, but I saw him on a video on some author page just yesterday. He's got a piece in The Speed Chronicles which maybe now I should/might read.

Hemmingson bibliography correction ::

B86, entry for "no matter how beautiful it stings" [lowercase] has the incorrect pagination ; the story is on page 216-226 (not pages 213-298). It should be noted that it appears to be an excerpt from his How You Are novel-in-progress.