Too Much Too Often

Sometimes here at DSM our brains get so tired from being lit savvy that we have to work to avoid an intellectual hangover, if you will.  You know — take a minute, drink some water, regulate that literature drug. But, don’t you know, some writers aren’t like that! In fact, there are about fifteen noteworthy, excessive glass-raising writers who can endure intelligence and alcohol. For example, John Cheever: “a neurotic man, narcissistic, egocentric, friendless, and so deeply involved in [his] own defensive illusions that [he has] invented a manic-depressive wife and battled extreme alcoholism.”

Fun stuff!

This all makes sense to Erica Jong, who says, “Authors are rogues and ruffians and easy lays. They are gluttons for sweets and savories. They devour life and always want more.”

(more…)

I was playing with Larry in the sandbox when he died. It just happened. One moment we were having a great time, and the next…

My friend Toby came over from the monkey bars. He asked what was up.

“Larry’s dead,” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes.

Toby sat on his heels and pushed Larry around in the sand.

“How do you know he’s dead?”

“I can just tell.”

“He seems fine to me,” said Toby.

I brought my face close to Larry. His luster was gone. He was just…there. All brown and…there. No life to him. I stood up and brushed the sand from my knees.

“No,” I said. “He’s gone.”

Toby patted me on the shoulder. Toby was a good friend.

(more…)

Plenty Of Titles To Explore

Call in sick and peruse the literary world.  That’s what we did yesterday, even though calling in sick is a surefire way to wreck ourselves with guilt.  Maybe it has something to do with our protestant work ethic. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our day of reading. Now it’s time for you to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Remember those bookstores in which you could spend hours upon hours? The Millions does.  You could explore Jad Adams’s biography of a “sex-mad” Gandhi.  Or see what happens when an artist is pitted against art. Does it matter if a good writer is a bad man?  Flannery O’Connor was a good writer and a good woman.  Boring, you say? The sales numbers of her biography disagree.  Speaking of sales, The Atlantic ventures into the world of independent music and wonders how new musicians make money. One thing’s for sure, musicians or otherwise, nobody makes money by skipping out on work. Which is why it’s back to the office for us. For you, read these and call us in the morning. — Andrew Geer