Photography by Dennis Haritou
Continue reading Fresh off the boat, a young Kafka parties in Manhattan
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     |  His social trajectory seems to go relentlessly downhill until we come to the Theater of Oklahoma, or Oklahama, as Kafka tellingly mis-spells it. Opinions about the degree of pessimism versus optimism in this enigmatic theater chapter have long been divided. Before working on the translation, I was inclined to side with those who believe that the Theater is a bogus and possibly sinister outfit. However, as I honed my version of this chapter, which I regard as one of the literary high-points of the book, and as I read it out loud to a group of writers and artists at the MacDowell colony in New Hampshire, I thought I could sense through the mixture of promising and skeptical nuances that until he laid down his pen Kafka kept on toying with the possibility of a farcical happy end. Continue reading Blogging Amerika: Mark Harman Interview Part 2  Amerika consists of an early set of finished chapters, only the first of which Kafka revised, followed by a grouping of glittering fragments that conclude the work. At least they glitter thanks to Professor Harman’s pen which provides a restoring clarity to the work’s overall structure…revealing it with great distinctness for what it is and not trying to parse over the holes and gashes that remained when Kafka left off the text. Continue reading Blogging Amerika: Mark Harman Interview Part 1 DH: I read it four times! Even though it’s short, it’s meaty. It’s about the struggles of a writer. You can see it here: www.fictionville.net/ It’s called Robert and Kelly. It’s number 50…right at the top. Continue reading JR’s new story is published online.  Without getting too grand – but I will – the novel’s really about greed and ambition, particularly about the awful cost when a culture allows the primacy of ambition over talent. That conceit kind of goes back to Euripides and it seemed to me like it might have a little more mileage left in it beyond whatever format people choose to consume music in. As for the future of the music industry – I wouldn’t be giving the last rights just yet. The old business model is finished and everyone’s scrambling around to try and find a new one. But they will. Or maybe not. Maybe the music industry will be one of the features of late period capitalism that the world finds it can get along without… Continue reading John Niven Interview  Book industry folks will find a lot of amusement in the discussions on how to tell if a new artist will be a success. I suspect that quite a few editors out there may have a similar philosophy in developing new talent. There is also a fair amount of talk about art vs business in the industry. Stephen could be selling cans of baked beans, for all he cares, as long as it gave him a huge expense account, easy access to drugs, and frequent lays. Continue reading Kill Your Friends by John Niven But regional literature sort-of folds into itself anyway. Speaking as a bookseller, I don’t think most Southern fiction sells well outside of the South. A novel taking place in the Midwest is going to sell best in that part of the country. The prominent exceptions to this rule are just that…exceptions. But my guess is that novels taking place in London or NY sell everywhere and the Londoners and New Yorkers are reading each other…hell, the two cities might as well be joined together at the hip…New London York City. Continue reading On Regional Literature | |||
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