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Hey, Philip Roth is doing Nano Ono. Well, not really. But gosh, that sure does sound like every book he's ever written.

Some midweek mood music:

Date: 2009-11-04 11:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mantaraggio.livejournal.com
"You're a smooth talking lesbo-converter, Philip . . ."

Hahaha, too funny. That was definitely one of the more interesting book reviews I've ever read.

Date: 2009-11-05 04:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] theholyinnocent.livejournal.com
Yes, I like what he is doing in his reviews!

Date: 2009-11-05 02:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] psimilarity.livejournal.com
Thanks for your clips -- I always like them.

The Roth "digested read," yep, got it. I feel quite mixed about PR: I admit I find his books very readable, but repugnant. I know I "silently judge" (TJ Mackey) people who are keen on him -- colleagues, I guess I mean. There's a certain kind of man ... I taught a course with one of 'em who lectured on Roth and I snarked it (with subtlety I hope) through all my lectures (on other things). Actually, I also snarked The Road, my colleagues' other choice. The Road caused student heads to explode, something like teaching 1984 to 15 year olds in 1979 was (as I seem to recall). SO PROFOUND: the world ends, and we are left with a man and a boy and some ashes laying about. I fucking hated it. Sorry if I am offending anyone and I am generally a Cormac McC fan (Outer Dark, wow), only really that book was so portentous, so conservative, so "finely observed" ...

Date: 2009-11-05 02:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mantaraggio.livejournal.com
I've actually been wanting to read some Cormac McCarthy but found myself overwhelmed by the choices and didn't want to just pick ones that were turned into movies. So Outer Dark, huh? Anything else you would recommend?

Date: 2009-11-05 02:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] psimilarity.livejournal.com
Outer Dark is great, I think. Blood Meridian is probably my personal favourite, but it's pretty hair-raising. The earlier novels are Appalachian and it's the first set in the West. I haven't read them all, mind you, but I'd go for the earlier work.

Date: 2009-11-05 04:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] theholyinnocent.livejournal.com
Glad you liked the music!

I used to believe that I was somehow subpar as a reader because I never liked Roth--he is so highly touted by the establishment as being so much more than the sum of his misogyny and sexual obsessions that I was "missing the point." Or something like that. Thankfully I've gotten over that.

I fucking hated it.

Well, just hearing about the premise of it alone...ugh.
You do know that it's been made into a film? It's coming out soon. Might be the kind of story that best lends itself to the cinema.

Date: 2009-11-06 01:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mantaraggio.livejournal.com
I used to believe that I was somehow subpar as a reader because I never liked Roth--he is so highly touted by the establishment as being so much more than the sum of his misogyny and sexual obsessions that I was "missing the point."

I've never read Philip Roth, but this is how I feel about Norman Mailer. Ugh, I was at this NYPL event where he was giving a talk, and he was going on and on about how he doesn't hate women, he loves women, and someone stood up and was like "Yes, but you stabbed your wife" and he just blew them off, like they were being ridiculous for bringing it up.

Date: 2009-11-06 01:37 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] psimilarity.livejournal.com
Ugh, I was at this NYPL event where he was giving a talk, and he was going on and on about how he doesn't hate women, he loves women, and someone stood up and was like "Yes, but you stabbed your wife" and he just blew them off, like they were being ridiculous for bringing it up.

Just shows how much he loves them. Seriously, I think that's the logic.

Date: 2009-11-06 01:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] psimilarity.livejournal.com
I always like your music -- I even joined blip.fm to keep track of you!

I know what you mean about Roth. I don't hate him, but I have no problem with people hating him because I notice my people generally hate him. This makes me wonder why I don't hate him, of course. I'm talking about later stuff -- not very interested in his earlier writing (which manages to be, if you like, actually less than the sum of his misogyny and obsession), but the Human Stain/I Married A Communist/American Pastoral/Plot Against America period has been interesting while at the same time I disdain it! Not sure what that's about, actually.

The Road: I LOATHE THAT BOOK. Can you tell I've had to supervise theses on it? Nothing settles the question of taste better than that. I might be wrong but everything I see about your taste suggests you'd not love it.

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