December 23rd, 2009 / 7:07 pm
 Snippets
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I would rather teach one T.C. Boyle story 50 times (i.e. this one)  than read another two.

36 Comments

  1. December 23rd, 2009 / 11:52 pm Yr Pal Judy—

      I had dinner w/ TC Boyle and his wife four years ago in Santa Barbara. We have a mutual friend. I was a fan of his books. He was the first “serious” contempo-lit writer I discovered on my own. I plowed through all of his books my first two years of college. He was my Kurt Vonnegut. I still consider World’s End his masterpiece. Since that dinner I have not read one piece of writing by him, and I don’t think I will ever again. He is not very nice. His wife is worse. Best not to meet the people you admire. Wilt Chamberlain was a real cocksucker too.

  2. December 23rd, 2009 / 7:52 pm Yr Pal Judy—

      I had dinner w/ TC Boyle and his wife four years ago in Santa Barbara. We have a mutual friend. I was a fan of his books. He was the first “serious” contempo-lit writer I discovered on my own. I plowed through all of his books my first two years of college. He was my Kurt Vonnegut. I still consider World’s End his masterpiece. Since that dinner I have not read one piece of writing by him, and I don’t think I will ever again. He is not very nice. His wife is worse. Best not to meet the people you admire. Wilt Chamberlain was a real cocksucker too.

  3. December 24th, 2009 / 12:08 am Blake Butler—

      i love the story where the house is filling up with water, and the one where the kid is listening to sound of bees, becoming bees. those are incredible. boyle earned his spot.

  4. December 23rd, 2009 / 8:08 pm Blake Butler—

      i love the story where the house is filling up with water, and the one where the kid is listening to sound of bees, becoming bees. those are incredible. boyle earned his spot.

  5. December 24th, 2009 / 12:11 am Sean—

      Bloodfall

  6. December 23rd, 2009 / 8:11 pm Sean—

      Bloodfall

  7. December 24th, 2009 / 12:18 am Matthew Simmons—

      love bloodfall

  8. December 23rd, 2009 / 8:18 pm Matthew Simmons—

      love bloodfall

  9. December 24th, 2009 / 1:46 am Bat of Moon—

      Partial to “Sorry Fugu.”

  10. December 23rd, 2009 / 9:46 pm Bat of Moon—

      Partial to “Sorry Fugu.”

  11. December 24th, 2009 / 2:02 am Tim Horvath—

      “Sinking House” is great, except that it deludes you into thinking, “I can write a short story with two points of view. It’s not that tough!”

      I dig his early stuff, when he played around with form more, but do think the more “mature” stories in Tooth and Claw and After the Plague are about his best. I haven’t kept up with the novels, but Water Music is a language banquet.

  12. December 23rd, 2009 / 10:02 pm Tim Horvath—

      “Sinking House” is great, except that it deludes you into thinking, “I can write a short story with two points of view. It’s not that tough!”

      I dig his early stuff, when he played around with form more, but do think the more “mature” stories in Tooth and Claw and After the Plague are about his best. I haven’t kept up with the novels, but Water Music is a language banquet.

  13. December 24th, 2009 / 4:18 am MG—

      I really enjoy most of what T.C. Boyle writes, even if I can never spell the ‘C’ part of his name without researching it first.

  14. December 24th, 2009 / 12:18 am MG—

      I really enjoy most of what T.C. Boyle writes, even if I can never spell the ‘C’ part of his name without researching it first.

  15. December 24th, 2009 / 4:19 am MG—

      Turns out it’s ‘Coraghessan.’ That doesn’t seem so difficult, upon retrospect.

  16. December 24th, 2009 / 12:19 am MG—

      Turns out it’s ‘Coraghessan.’ That doesn’t seem so difficult, upon retrospect.

  17. December 24th, 2009 / 4:20 am MG—

      Come to think of it, I don’t even know what the ‘T’ stands for.

      I know ‘Boyle’ stands for ‘rough Irish punk motherfucker.’

  18. December 24th, 2009 / 12:20 am MG—

      Come to think of it, I don’t even know what the ‘T’ stands for.

      I know ‘Boyle’ stands for ‘rough Irish punk motherfucker.’

  19. December 24th, 2009 / 4:26 am Bat of Moon—

      I think T stands for Thomas. I’ve heard him called Tom.

  20. December 24th, 2009 / 4:26 am aaron—

      I believe it’s Tom. Which I think I know from listening to Deborah Treisman call him that on the NYer fiction podcasts.

  21. December 24th, 2009 / 12:26 am Bat of Moon—

      I think T stands for Thomas. I’ve heard him called Tom.

  22. December 24th, 2009 / 12:26 am aaron—

      I believe it’s Tom. Which I think I know from listening to Deborah Treisman call him that on the NYer fiction podcasts.

  23. December 24th, 2009 / 4:41 am CB—

      T stands for Turd.

  24. December 24th, 2009 / 12:41 am CB—

      T stands for Turd.

  25. December 24th, 2009 / 5:02 am mike young—

      hey that’s a pretty good story..

  26. December 24th, 2009 / 1:02 am mike young—

      hey that’s a pretty good story..

  27. December 24th, 2009 / 6:19 am MG—

      I love how informally she treats everybody during the podcasts. I would call her Debbie.

  28. December 24th, 2009 / 2:19 am MG—

      I love how informally she treats everybody during the podcasts. I would call her Debbie.

  29. December 24th, 2009 / 6:47 am shaun—

      i remember the time you taught that story

  30. December 24th, 2009 / 2:47 am shaun—

      i remember the time you taught that story

  31. December 25th, 2009 / 7:05 pm Rexe—

      What’s up with titling a piece with the punch-ending? For instance, titling “Caviar” completely took away from the suprise of the story.

  32. December 25th, 2009 / 3:05 pm Rexe—

      What’s up with titling a piece with the punch-ending? For instance, titling “Caviar” completely took away from the suprise of the story.

  33. December 25th, 2009 / 7:17 pm Lincoln—

      Really? My favorite Agatha Christie story is still “The Butler Did It”

  34. December 25th, 2009 / 3:17 pm Lincoln—

      Really? My favorite Agatha Christie story is still “The Butler Did It”

  35. December 26th, 2009 / 5:00 pm T—

      While I never had dinner with the man, I was one of his students for a time and I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t offer a contrasting picture — if only because I know Tom to be both warm and extremely helpful as well as ocassionally aloof in a way that might account for your story. I myself ha reservations about him at USC; he was too famous and the kind of people who are impressed by that sort of thing or feel they can carve something of their own from someone else’s fame were constantly forming this noxious cloud that preceeded the man. And make no mistake; he is terribly proud of himself for being as successful as he is. But he was very giving of his time, supportive, willing to chat about non-writing topics, and superhumanly immune to all the hideous backbiting that went on around him. I’ve seen other teachers become cruel or lazy in the same situations, so I think it’s noteworthy and speaks to the character of the man as well.

  36. December 26th, 2009 / 1:00 pm T—

      While I never had dinner with the man, I was one of his students for a time and I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t offer a contrasting picture — if only because I know Tom to be both warm and extremely helpful as well as ocassionally aloof in a way that might account for your story. I myself ha reservations about him at USC; he was too famous and the kind of people who are impressed by that sort of thing or feel they can carve something of their own from someone else’s fame were constantly forming this noxious cloud that preceeded the man. And make no mistake; he is terribly proud of himself for being as successful as he is. But he was very giving of his time, supportive, willing to chat about non-writing topics, and superhumanly immune to all the hideous backbiting that went on around him. I’ve seen other teachers become cruel or lazy in the same situations, so I think it’s noteworthy and speaks to the character of the man as well.