Michael Taeckens, director of publicity at Algonquin, wrote in to say that the 2007 edition of New Stories from the South will be edited by…Edward P. Jones. Yay! The 2006 edition of the seminal series just came out a couple of weeks ago, and the stories in it were selected by guest editor Allan Gurganus.
Alaa Al-Aswany’s best-selling novel, The Yacoubian Building, finally came out in the United States this month, in a translation by Humphrey Davies. Reviews have begun to appear: Here’s Lorraine Adams’ take in the New York Times and John Freeman’s assessment in the San Francisco Chronicle. For those who care, here’s what I thought of it when I read it last year.
I am a huge fan of Edward P. Jones, so I’ve been eagerly anticipating the publication of his new collection of short stories, All Aunt Hagar’s Children. Several of the stories in the book have already appeared in print (in the New Yorker, for example) and I knew I would have at least the delight of re-reading those, if nothing else. But the rest of the book enchants both Dave Eggers, as you can see from his glowing review in this Sunday’s New York Times Book Review, and Jonathan Yardley, whose write-up in the Washington Post begins with the words: “Now there can be no doubt about it: Edward P. Jones belongs in the first rank of American letters.” Damn right.
Los Angeles-based writer and blogger Mark Sarvas offers his thoughts on the Günter Grass controversy:
We’re not suggesting – as some commentors seem to think – that he should be punished for youthful mistakes or for having been a Nazi (although it’s scarcely a fait accompli that he shouldn’t). We are saying that the sheer, naked, breathtaking hypocrisy here is inarguable. This cuts to the heart of what one requires of one’s moral exemplars, self-appointed or otherwise. A certain amount of consistency seems a minimum; at the other extreme, being outrightly two-faced for a period of 60 years seems ample grounds to merit reassessment of Grass’ place. Talk of “punishment” and the like is silly, but as Bill Clinton knew, it’s all about the legacy – and Grass’ should be reevaluated and appropriately and permanently diminished over this.
There is also a great discussion going on in the comment section of his blog.
Günter Grass’s revelation late last week that he had been a member of the SS when he was seventeen years old has sparked quite a furor in Germany:
The weekend revelations have left many questioning his motives. “It is a disappointment, in a way he has betrayed the whole generation,” said his biographer, Michael Jürgs, who said Grass had never spoken of it during their many conversations.
“We adored him not only as a moral icon, but as a figure who was telling the truth even when the truth hurts.”
The Guardian wraps up some of the reactions, which range from demands by the Christian Democratic Party that Grass return his Nobel, to statements by Salman Rushdie that Grass’s service was “a youthful mistake” and that his literary work over 70 years should be taken into account. What do you think?
Kevin Sampsell examines the popularity of book blurbs:
Say you’re a book on a bookstore shelf. A first novel perhaps, or something by a lesser-known author. According to marketing expert Dan Poynter, book buyers look at a book for an average of 23 seconds (eight for the front, fifteen for the back) before making a positive or negative decision on it.
Does it help if you have Bret Easton Ellis or Sue Grafton trumpeting your skills? What if the prospective reader hates Bret Easton Ellis?
And he brings his unique perspective to the piece: He’s both an author and a bookseller.