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The Unoriginal of Laurel
Nabo’s dying wish was for the index cards of his last unfinished novel to be burned. (Reminds me of Monet, who would often impulsively burn his canvases in a bonfire of doubt n’ derision.) His wife said yes; his son said no — heh, sounds like Invitation to a Castration. The book is enormous (+25lb. paper stock, grand margins, etc.) and doesn’t do much except make a publishing event out of nothing. I also think of the “original scroll” version of On the Road, that sans line break pre-edited thing of thang — or the annual new releases of our elder laurelled authors whose books get thinner and thinner with margins wider and wider. I mean, if it looks like a book it probably is one, right? This is the seductive quality of that shiny hardcover, that new book smell. Meanwhile, nobody else gets published. I got an idea: release Saramago’s Blindness in braille, yah, now somebody give me some publishing job on some floor in some building in New York City, where angry people go to live and sad people stay to die. Good times.
Tags: The Original of Laura
everything with a price tag is ugly.
everything with a price tag is ugly.
ugh. sorry. i keep forgetting that when i pee and shit a young girl runs over and uses the laptop.
that was me up above.
ugh. sorry. i keep forgetting that when i pee and shit a young girl runs over and uses the laptop.
that was me up above.
this is cute. agreed that “This is Water” is not a book. but if it makes $$, then publishers can publish more books, right? maybe some by unestablished writers. but it really does seem silly as a book, and there’s something a bit rich about publishing an inspirational book by someone who couldn’t hang on, much as i honor what he gave me as a teacher and writer
this is cute. agreed that “This is Water” is not a book. but if it makes $$, then publishers can publish more books, right? maybe some by unestablished writers. but it really does seem silly as a book, and there’s something a bit rich about publishing an inspirational book by someone who couldn’t hang on, much as i honor what he gave me as a teacher and writer
that speech has had a large impact on my life, but i can’t buy the book. feels like *he* would be embarrassed by it. plus it’s online.
http://www.marginalia.org/dfw_kenyon_commencement.html
or it was, haha (not funny)
that speech has had a large impact on my life, but i can’t buy the book. feels like *he* would be embarrassed by it. plus it’s online.
http://www.marginalia.org/dfw_kenyon_commencement.html
or it was, haha (not funny)
yeah, i mean it was a very wise speech–certainly it’s possible for someone to give brilliant advice that they can’t themselves manage to follow. but the way it’s quoted and promoted as a book is still kind of off to me. i think he would have gotten a lot of shit for it from his colleagues, for sure
yeah, i mean it was a very wise speech–certainly it’s possible for someone to give brilliant advice that they can’t themselves manage to follow. but the way it’s quoted and promoted as a book is still kind of off to me. i think he would have gotten a lot of shit for it from his colleagues, for sure
also the speech just still makes me so very sad, that he knew that but couldn’t live it. damning evidence that depression is truly a deadly disease
also the speech just still makes me so very sad, that he knew that but couldn’t live it. damning evidence that depression is truly a deadly disease
it’s still around, just google and you’ll find it
it’s still around, just google and you’ll find it
naboo?
naboo?
[…] At HTML Giant, Jimmy Chen says of Nabokov’s The Original of Laura, “doesn’t do much except make a publishing event out of nothing”. […]
Agreed – would he want that? And would he want lines about suicide itself “gently elided,” as the NYT put it? Fuck. No.
Agreed – would he want that? And would he want lines about suicide itself “gently elided,” as the NYT put it? Fuck. No.