4 all-night chemists
4. Big-ass Paris Review Jonathan Lethem interview.
I was one of those creepy dropouts who moves into his girlfriend’s dorm room. She stole meals from the dining hall in a Tupperware container hidden in a hollowed-out textbook, and I sat in her room and wrote an unpublishably bad first novel.
14. Angelina Jolie’s favorite book is Vlad the Impaler: In Search of the Real Dracula. If you were wondering.
77.
2. The Australian on Light Boxes by Shane Jones.
Adam Robinson—
At BOMBLOG, a conversation between Shane Jones and me, with an intro by Tom Roberge, Penguin’s editor for Light Boxes.
4
Light Boxes Redux
I reviewed Light Boxes back in February, 2009. In honor of the official US release day of the Penguin presentation, here are those words, slightly altered and here again:
I feel it’s hard today to find a work of art that is earnest, that is compassionate. (Michael Kimball’s Dear Everybody comes to mind). I was startled by Shane Jones’s novel because it is so painfully both; it bleeds itself, and bleeds for others.
Light Boxes is a story about a community, about a man’s quest to rid his community of February, a bitter and long spell of cold that haunts the the town and its people. I don’t want to speak explicitly of the ‘narrative’ here, only because I think there is magic in discovery; it’s a sensual work. Many of the images affected me viscerally, and will stay with me for a long time. Dead bees pour from the sky, a broken father sits in the middle of a snow-covered street, a body surfaces in a river covered in text… I could list all the beautiful and often tragic images contained within for awhile.
To go deeper: The people in Light Boxes breathe true. I felt them living and felt them dying. They seem warm, hot & cold all at once, much like the seasons that surround them. The story also functions on a level outside its own prison, outside the printed page, but, again: I’d like to keep quiet. I’d like you to discover the layers and try to keep warm yourself.
Shane has crafted a fine myth, one I hope lasts for a very long time.
Uncategorized / 5 Comments
May 25th, 2010 / 10:06 pm
May 25th, 2010 / 10:06 pm
Adam Robinson—
Don’t forget to win the original Light Boxes b/w the new Penguin one. Buy an indie book and send the receipt to lightboxescontest@gmail.com. Longer post saying the same thing here.
Light Boxes Giveaway
To enter to win the original PG version of Light Boxes, together with the new Penguin version, buy a book from an independent press and forward the receipt to lightboxescontest at gmail dot com. If you buy a book from an indie press at a brick and mortar store, scan the receipt or take a good photo of it and email that. Your name will be entered once for every book you buy. Then I will conduct a fair drawing. ENTRIES ARE DUE BY MIDNIGHT MAY 24th. Penguin will officially release their version on May 25, and I’ll do the drawing then.
The Failure Six by Shane Jones
This second novel by Shane Jones is out now from Fugue State Press and getting excellent and interesting reviews. I like Darby Larson’s thoughts on the book here.
Shane is doing a contest on his blog with a giveaway for the book.
In The Failure Six, a group of messengers, who work for a vast bureaucracy, all struggle with the same task – to retell the life story of a woman named Foe who seems to have lost her memory. The irrepressible emotions of the messengers – and Foe’s clear need to be left alone in her amnesia – make for a strange, unaccountable, untellable story.
In this town, speech is accomplished through stacks of paper so tall they touch the sky…the floors of a teahouse are built in seconds…and a mysterious character named DH threatens the town with bombs and his “Deliverer” who wields the world’s most expensive revolvers. The Failure Six is a mystery grounded in Kafka, Gogol, and human dreams.
I read this book in draft and am excited to read it in full and final form. Shane’s got the magic.
Justin Taylor—
Top of the NYT website right now: a feature story on the troubled production of Where the Wild Things are, the new Spike Jonze movie based on the classic and beloved book of the same name, by Maurice Sendak. Reads the subhead: Spike Jonze is known for making videos and movies his way — fast, cheap and dirty. Sounds like Shanes Jones to me! Anyway, here’s to the future. If WB tries any funny stuff with Light Boxes, Team Giant will be here to lead the ALLCAPS consumer revolt. We’re here for you, boys.
Haut or Not: “Worst of” (w/ digression)
What I could see happening has happened: satirical Haut or Not entrees — and from whom other than ‘TTB’ aka ‘Two Tears Boye,’ from Jaguar Uprising Press. (Circa 07-08 TTB and his partner Golden Bear were lamented/admired for their satirical takes on Bear Parade titles.) TTB writes this:
Hi, My name is jimmy chen. I wuz wundering if u could review my current reads bookcase on yur super duper website thingy! THANKS A BUNDLE!! hehe lol.
Empathetic satire or pure derision? I’ll opt for the former. TTB’s jest was followed by no doubt a found picture of some girl’s stack o’ chick books. TTB’s derivative impulses are arguably haut, but this stack of books may be the worst stack of books I’ve ever seen in my life.
Ken Baumann on Shane Jones’s LIGHT BOXES
A review submitted by national heartthrob Ken Baumann, for Shane Jones’s just released novel LIGHT BOXES from Publishing Genius Press.
I feel it’s hard today to find a work of art that is earnest, that is compassionate. (Michael Kimball’s Dear Everybody comes to mind). I was startled by Shane Jones’s novel because it is so painfully both; it bleeds itself, and bleeds for others.
Light Boxes is a story about a community, about a man’s quest to rid his community of February, a bitter and long spell of cold that haunts the the town and its people. I don’t want to speak explicitly of the ‘narrative’ here, only because I think there is magic in discovery; it’s a sensual work. Many of the images affected me viscerally, and will stay with me for a long time. Dead bees pour from the sky, a broken father sits in the middle of a snow-covered street, a body surfaces in a river covered in text… I could list all the beautiful, and often tragic, images contained within for awhile.
Uncategorized / 12 Comments
February 25th, 2009 / 1:00 am
February 25th, 2009 / 1:00 am
New at Publishing Genius
The wonderful cover of Shane Jones’ novel Light Boxes is now posted over at Publishing Genius. Also, Adam Robinson has redesigned the site and it looks very nice. Scoot on over to have a look. Or go to the blog to see what Adam has to say about the cover. Pre-ordering information here.
Shane Jones blogged more about the book here. Most importantly, he blogged that the book has been sent off to the printer.
Shane Jones looks like a nice man.