Comments on ABC OF READING: A NOTE FROM ESTONIA

How refreshing to come across someone unafraid to ...

2009-10-28T21:50:04.093-04:00

How refreshing to come across someone unafraid to trumpet what an absolute fraud Paul Auster is. I actually find his pretensions hilarious: the pseudo-European posturing, the Kafka-esque "Notebook" title, the "soulful" but oh-so-mannered retro photographic portraits...

I was unfortunately included in an embarrassing "oral biography" of a bookstore frequented by Auster (it was widely claimed that he used to score coke from the bookbuyer there in the '80s). In the first draft of the ms Auster talked about his uncle, the well-known translator Allen Mandelbaum, who lived in an apartment above the store.

In the revised draft, however, after Auster had a chance to check his quotations, no mention of his famous and well-connected uncle remained. After all, Auster's forthcoming book was an autobiographical bit of self-indulgence (histrionically) entitled HAND TO MOUTH about his hardscrabble early years in the literary wilderness of anonymity and Uncle Allen just wouldn't have been consistent with the hackneyed self-portrait he wanted to create.

I can honestly say that I've never met an intelligent well-read person who could bear to read Auster.

WHY SHOULD I DO THAT? SEAVER WAS A LONG WAY AWAY ...

2009-07-05T19:38:39.424-04:00

WHY SHOULD I DO THAT? SEAVER WAS A LONG WAY AWAY FROM WHAT HE HAD DONE AT GROVE AND IN PARIS: HE HELD ON TO CIORAN BUT DIDN'T INSIST ON RICHARD HOWARD FINISHING THE TRANSLATION OF CIORAN'S NOTEBOOKS OR BETTER FINDING SOMEONE ELSE. CIORAN WAS SEAVER'S BEST CONTRIBUTION IN THIS INCARNATION OF HIS CAREER ALONG WITH THE FIRST BOOK OF MAKINE--- AFTER THAT I CANT THINK OF MUCH ELSE-- WELL, TWO OR THREE BOOKS OF PAZ, BUT WHEN HE WASN'T INTERESTED IN JUST LIKE THAT I REALIZED THERE WAS NO HOPE FOR HIM--- MOST OF THE BOOKS HE PUBLISHED WERE FORGOTTEN BEFORE THEY EVEN APPEARED--- I HAD HOPED THAT HE STILL HAD THAT ESSENTIAL SPACE IN THE LIST FOR JUST LIKE THAT SO WITHOUT EVEN HAVING THAT REDEEMING ASPECT TO HIS HOUSE... IT WILL GO THE WAY OF MARION BOYARS...

Dick Seaver's widow had to take Arcade into bankru...

2009-07-04T15:32:21.381-04:00

Dick Seaver's widow had to take Arcade into bankruptcy a couple weeks ago.

If you feel like breaking out the champagne for that.

Or whatever passes for champagne in Estonia.