Chekhov's Mistress
Saturday Notes
I’m among the Americans who have never heard of Le Clézio. In trying to find something beyond the rah rah press reports I found this note by Pierre Joris, which might be enlightening given the latest (silly) dustup on American versus European authors.
“Not a bad choice, though not a very inspired one either…I read a fair amount of Le Clézio in my late teens when his first books came out, but soon tired of the rather flat, affectless prose, not really Nouveau Roman or boundary breaking in terms of the conventions of fiction, but also not of the philosophical depth and breathtaking virtuosity of Maurice Blanchot’s novels and récits which began obsessing me at the same time. Went back to Le Clézio much later, when he came out with Le Désert (not translated into English, as far as I know) to which I was attracted by its Maghrebian setting, and have enjoyed his subsequent writings more for their geographical adventures and their ecological concerns than for their purely literary qualities.”
I read and loved Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma. This week the New York Times is running in the food-themed issue of their magazine a letter from Pollan to the man who would be our next President. Here’s a brief excerpt from Farmer in Chief:
“But with a suddenness that has taken us all by surprise, the era of cheap and abundant food appears to be drawing to a close. What this means is that you, like so many other leaders through history, will find yourself confronting the fact – so easy to overlook these past few years – that the health of a nation’s food system is a critical issue of national security. Food is about to demand your attention.”
Speaking of food and politics, it’s my friend Dave’s bachelor party tonight, so I’m off to a de rigueur hearty cow meal (the politics part is the inevitable conversation) after a day with the twins, then packing.
This may seem odd, but due to my inability to read, I’ve been reading (these things are relative, you know) Steven Hall’s The Raw Shark Texts. While my initial impression is that it was overhyped and very much pastiche, I am enjoying it and it’s surprisingly not taxing. I’d rather take Terezia Mora’s Day in Day Out to a shoot out though (and now that I’ve mentioned the two together, there are some interesting parallels worth exploring to draw out what these authors are trying to do).
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About this Post
- Posted by: Bud Parr
- Date: October 11, 2008
- Filed Under:
Wise Men Fish Here: Literature
- Comments:0
- Links to this Post: Technorati
