A series dedicated to literature in translation whether classic or contemporary. Originally published in 1945 as Na Drini Ĉuprija Translated from the Serbo-Croat by Lovett F. Edwards A Signet Classic from 1967 Yugoslavian literature, much like the nation forged in … Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: The Bridge on the Drina, by Ivo Adrić
Jack Burton: I don’t get this at all. I thought Lo Pan— David Lo Pan: Shut up, Mr. Burton! You were not brought upon this world to “get it!” Big Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter, 1986) Earlier in my life, I read Dubliners, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Ulysses, all by James Joyce. This year I decided to read Finnegans Wake, a novel notorious for its inaccessibility. Like The Cantos by Ezra Pound, it is a text many know, few read, and less understand. While the Wake is difficult, this shouldn’t be seen as a … Continue reading Critic’s Notebook: The Wake without training wheels
Alan Moore’s “Jerusalem” is a turgid, overwritten slab of pretentiousness. Continue reading Science Fiction Week: Jerusalem by Alan Moore @ nyjb
“For Two Thousand Years” by Mihail Sebastian is a hidden gem in European literature, shining a light on what happened in Romania between the wars. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: For Two Thousand Years @ NYJB
An excerpt from “Tarantula,” Bob Dylan’s only novel. Continue reading Commonplace Book: An excerpt from “Tarantula,” Bob Dylan’s only novel
“All the Happiness You Deserve” by Michael Piafsky is a modern bildungsroman built around Tarot cards. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: All the Happiness You Deserve, by Michael Piafsky
This week I review “Above All Men,” by Eric Shonkwiler, a novel about a cattle farmer dealing with life in a post-collapse America, Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Above All Men, by Eric Shonkwiler
This week Karl Wolff reviews There Is No End To This Slope, by Richard Fulco, a story about John Lenza, a disillusioned textbook salesman in pre-gentrification New York. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: There Is No End to This Slope, by Richard Fulco
At NYJB, I review The Sound of Things Falling, by Juan Gabriel Vasquez, a beautiful and strange entry into the literature of the Drug War. Continue reading The Sound of Things Falling, by Juan Gabriel Vasquez @ NYJB
Recently I reviewed Seth Kaufman’s “reality TV novel” The King of Pain over on CCLaP. We discuss literature, TV, reading, and The Jersey Shore’s responsibility for the cultural apocalypse. Continue reading An Interview with Seth Kaufman
The Driftless Area Review 