Comments on: Another Rather Boring and Hastily Posted Entry about What I’ve Been Reading

By: Bookman Old Style

Bookman Old Style — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:18:00 +0000

Jim – Isn’t Shteyngart Gogol’s grandson or great grandson? I swear, I wasn’t misinterpreting a clever blurb about Shteyngart being the bastard love child of Gogol…

I think.

By: bigdumbjim

bigdumbjim — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:57:00 +0000

I’m afraid if I had used opera correctly the world would merely imagine a very winded orchestra…

By: David Rochester

David Rochester — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 23:31:00 +0000

BTW — the plural of “opus” is “opera.” Use that one correctly, and the world will fall dead at your feet with impressed astonishment.

You could watch the schlocky film of “Wonder Boys” if you want to make yourself sick.

By: bigdumbjim

bigdumbjim — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 16:35:00 +0000

Bookman — What’s the connection between Gogol and Shteyngart? (Other than the Russian (or is it Ukrainian?) connection.)

David — As much as I try, I seem incapable of being able to translate any work of art into a visual schema. I feel this is a skill I need to acquire, as I want to be able to outline my new novel in such a way that I’m not constantly writing material that ends up in the scrap heap, but I can’t seem to do it.

I envy your ability to play out different ways a scene could go, and to negate the bad choices before writing them. I seem to need to write them, and only figure out they’re wrong months down the line…

By: Bookman Old Style

Bookman Old Style — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 23:39:00 +0000

I have Only Revolutions on my to-read pile too, right beside House of Leaves.

And if you and your wife plan on permanently giving up on Absurdistan, feel free to mail it to me. I’m a huge fan of Gogol so I’d be interested in seeing how Shteyngart writes.

By: David Rochester

David Rochester — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 19:19:00 +0000

I’m always happy to be of no help . Seriously, though — “Dinner with Friends” is beautifully structured, with the “beats” strategically placed, esp. if you compare it to a more “classic” drama such as, for example, “A Doll’s House,” where the structure is very obvious. I thought “Power/Glory” was an awesome book, but Greene does suck the life out of some readers. Did I also recommend “All the King’s Men” as a study of a “movement” gone wrong? If I didn’t, I am now.