December 8th, 2009 / 7:42 pm
Random

Overheard in NYC: Why Do the Heathen Rage? Edition

This Saturday I gave a one-day seminar on Gordon Lish and the Lish school(s) of writing at The New School. A lot of what I spoke about I’ve written about on this site, and some of it may be posted in the future, when its written form is a bit more polished than lecture/discussion notes, but for right now I just wanted to share one tidbit from the class. Actually, it happened before the class. And actually, it didn’t even happen to me. I was sitting in the classroom, and the first student walked in. He was holding a copy of “Guilt,” a story from GL’s collection What I Know So Far that I had assigned as pre-reading. He told me that he’d been looking it over in the elevator, and the man next to him had noticed what he was reading. He said the man was a good bit older, and presumably affiliated with the program, because if you weren’t taking a class or teaching one, you wouldn’t be there on a Saturday. He said the man leaned over and remarked irritably to him: “Everything Gordon Lish says is lies.” Then the ride was over and they parted ways. He came into class and told me this story. It made me feel like it was bound to be a great class, and moreover, despite the gray sky and freezing rain, a wonderful day. I thought, that, right there. That’s why I love Lish- he brings it out in people.

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44 Comments

  1. Gian

      Great story, man.

  2. Gian

      Great story, man.

  3. Gian

      And I think Gordon would agree with what the man in the elevator said.

  4. Gian

      And I think Gordon would agree with what the man in the elevator said.

  5. Luke

      Lies! But the whole lie! The entire grand fucking thing. Six to twelve hours worth; enough to make you see the good of it.

  6. Luke

      Lies! But the whole lie! The entire grand fucking thing. Six to twelve hours worth; enough to make you see the good of it.

  7. Robb

      Luke nailed it. How you been, Luke?

  8. Robb

      Luke nailed it. How you been, Luke?

  9. Robb

      Ah, and Gian. Another comrade. Waddup.

  10. Robb

      Ah, and Gian. Another comrade. Waddup.

  11. Gian

      Hey look! It’s a Lish clique! Let’s all praise him to the high Heavens until the Tessers and the Anti-Lishes get angry and come screaming at us about how many women he seduced and how that makes him a terrible man.

  12. Gian

      Hey look! It’s a Lish clique! Let’s all praise him to the high Heavens until the Tessers and the Anti-Lishes get angry and come screaming at us about how many women he seduced and how that makes him a terrible man.

  13. Robb

      Hahaha

      Got “Baby Leg” today. Beautiful. Please tell me it’s real blood. (Be like Lish and lie.)

  14. Robb

      Hahaha

      Got “Baby Leg” today. Beautiful. Please tell me it’s real blood. (Be like Lish and lie.)

  15. Man

      Look at my jonquils.

  16. Man

      Look at my jonquils.

  17. Gian

      It’s real blood. Dalmation puppies.

  18. Gian

      It’s real blood. Dalmation puppies.

  19. Peter Markus

      This story would be even better if that man in the elevator turned out to be Gordon himself.

  20. Peter Markus

      This story would be even better if that man in the elevator turned out to be Gordon himself.

  21. Man

      Actually, the man in the elevator said a lot more than that, but Gordon edited it down to that one sentence, much to the man, and the man’s wife’s, dismay.

  22. Man

      Actually, the man in the elevator said a lot more than that, but Gordon edited it down to that one sentence, much to the man, and the man’s wife’s, dismay.

  23. Gian

      Who else could it have been? Let’s take guesses.

      Gay Talese.

  24. Gian

      Who else could it have been? Let’s take guesses.

      Gay Talese.

  25. Gian

      DeLillo

  26. Gian

      The ghost of a million husbands.

  27. Gian

      DeLillo

  28. Gian

      The ghost of a million husbands.

  29. Robb

      Akiva Goldsman

  30. Robb

      Akiva Goldsman

  31. james yeh

      sweet story

  32. james yeh

      sweet story

  33. barry

      david hasselhoff

  34. barry

      david hasselhoff

  35. Jonathan

      Glaser in disguise.

  36. Jonathan

      Glaser in disguise.

  37. Kim

      It’s alpaca, cocksucker. Miss you all.

  38. Kim

      It’s alpaca, cocksucker. Miss you all.

  39. mark

      male or female?

  40. mark

      male or female?

  41. Justin Taylor

      Ya’ll are making me all jealous.

  42. Justin Taylor

      Ya’ll are making me all jealous.

  43. Aaron

      love this

  44. Aaron

      love this