America's Uptight Obsession with Truth and Nonfiction
For me, Kate Foster’s review in the San Francisco Chronicle of Lieve Joris’s The Rebels’ Hour perfectly illustrates some of the ridiculous hangups Americans have when it comes to nonfiction and the representation of “truth.” The Rebels’ Hour is in an interesting postion—it’s ...
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Digitial Textbooks
A few weeks back I spoke at a media class here on campus and was shocked when the majority of students said they would rather buy a physical text book for $XXX than a cheaper, e-based one. I think the whole etextbook sounds like a sure thing . . . thankfully I’m not the only one: Continuing their campaign to draw ...
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More Kertesz
In contrast to Joshua Cohen’s cranky review in Forward, the review of Kertesz’s Pathseeker in the New York Sun (which, at risk of beating a dead horse, has become the premiere daily newspaper for thoughtful reviews of international lit) is much more positive. Slender though it is, The Pathseeker is a ...
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Insert Your Own Joke/Complaint About Government Spending Here
According to PW: President Bush’s proposed 2009 budget eliminates all the funding for Reading Is Fundamental’s book distribution program that has, since 1966, provided more than 325 million books to more than 30 million underprivileged children. “With 13 million children living in poverty in this country, ...
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This Could Be Really Amazing
Literary Saloon wrote about the English PEN Online World Atlas this morning, and I completely agree with Michael—this is a work in progress, but it could be absolutely amazing. The site’s mission is pretty huge, but if this comes to fruition, this would be one of the most valuable sites on the internet for ...
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Kertesz in Forward
Joshua Cohen has a long review of both Kertesz books that have come out so far this year: Detective Story and The Pathseeker. (Before going any further, I think it’s worth pointing out that Cohen rivals Three Percent fave Ben Lytal in the sheer number of literary translations he reviews.) Cohen has mixed feelings ...
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Mishima on Translations
Language Hat points out this interview from 1965 between Yukio Mishima and Robert Trumbull, which has a great bit about translation: Mr. Mishima always writes in Japanese and never changes a translation. “The translator asks me thousands of questions,” he said, “but I don’t mind small ...
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