Tuesday, May 16, 2006


Speedy Writing
Donald Pittenger writes Dear Blowhards -- A favorite sport in this ol' blog is pounding on the Ivy League. One... posted by Donald at May 16, 2006 | perma-link | (11) comments

Wednesday, May 3, 2006


Ivy League Cheaters
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Enough with the usual debates: How did the novel by Harvard undergrad/plagiarist Kaavya Viswanathan... posted by Michael at May 3, 2006 | perma-link | (48) comments

Monday, May 1, 2006


Furries
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Back in college, FvB and I giggled a lot over The Furry Freak Brothers... posted by Michael at May 1, 2006 | perma-link | (4) comments

Saturday, April 8, 2006


Upscale Book Jackets
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Back when upscale fiction took the form of minimalist stories and novellas, the factor... posted by Michael at April 8, 2006 | perma-link | (19) comments

Wednesday, March 29, 2006


Charlton Griffin
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Let me alert visitors and Blowhards to the fact that one of our visitors,... posted by Michael at March 29, 2006 | perma-link | (0) comments

Friday, March 24, 2006


Becoming Creative 1: I'm So Boring
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- A few months ago, I wrote about how The Wife and I co-ghostwrote a... posted by Michael at March 24, 2006 | perma-link | (7) comments

Thursday, March 16, 2006


Mary on Classic Writing
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Prairie Mary is delighted to discover Francis-Noel Thomas and Mark Turner's wonderful writing guide,... posted by Michael at March 16, 2006 | perma-link | (9) comments

Tuesday, March 7, 2006


Swanky!
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- The Wife and I are once again visiting California. We flew out from New... posted by Michael at March 7, 2006 | perma-link | (26) comments

Sunday, March 5, 2006


Products in Fiction
Donald Pittenger writes: Dear Blowhards -- I'm not much into fiction, but osmosis or delusion tells me that some writers... posted by Donald at March 5, 2006 | perma-link | (13) comments

Friday, March 3, 2006


Bookstores and Sex
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- I was nosing around a Borders bookstore, surrounded by other busy shoppers, when one... posted by Michael at March 3, 2006 | perma-link | (18) comments

Friday, February 10, 2006


How to Read
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- The London Times' Carol Sarler writes that any interest she might have had in... posted by Michael at February 10, 2006 | perma-link | (22) comments

Wednesday, February 8, 2006


J.T. Redux
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Susie Bright and Dennis Cooper blog about what it was like to be taken... posted by Michael at February 8, 2006 | perma-link | (2) comments

Monday, January 30, 2006


Fake Memoirs
Fenster Moop writes: Dear Blowhards, Fake memoirs are getting to be a big deal. In fact I am figuring to... posted by Fenster at January 30, 2006 | perma-link | (8) comments

Thursday, January 26, 2006


Low-Tech Sci-Fi
Donald Pittenger writes: Dear Blowhards -- Let's say you're a well-known Science Fiction writer and you decide to knock out... posted by Donald at January 26, 2006 | perma-link | (11) comments

Wednesday, January 11, 2006


Short-Fiction Audio Bliss
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- As I walked to work listening to this collection of short stories, I was... posted by Michael at January 11, 2006 | perma-link | (19) comments

Thursday, January 5, 2006


Online Lit
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- * Thanks to Tatyana, who wrote me the following note: The best, uncensored, least... posted by Michael at January 5, 2006 | perma-link | (4) comments

New E-Book Readers
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- David Sucher brings news of a promising new Dutch e-book reader. And Sony introduces... posted by Michael at January 5, 2006 | perma-link | (2) comments

Tuesday, January 3, 2006


The Blooker Prize
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Have you heard yet of that new form, the "blook"? A blook is a... posted by Michael at January 3, 2006 | perma-link | (1) comments

Sunday, January 1, 2006


It's a Book
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- A few weeks before Christmas, a package arrived with a return address neither The... posted by Michael at January 1, 2006 | perma-link | (18) comments

Thursday, December 22, 2005


Lit or Not-Lit?
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- There aren't many statements about "literature" I can sign on to. But, in an... posted by Michael at December 22, 2005 | perma-link | (10) comments

Thursday, December 15, 2005


Another Holiday Gift Suggestion
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- In her memoir "I'm With the Band," Pamela Des Barres recalls the adventures she... posted by Michael at December 15, 2005 | perma-link | (3) comments

Wednesday, December 7, 2005


Used-Book Phobia
Donald Pittenger writes: Dear Blowhards -- I don't like to buy used books unless I have no alternative. There. I... posted by Donald at December 7, 2005 | perma-link | (33) comments

Sunday, December 4, 2005


Tiresome Turtledove
Donald Pittenger writes: Dear Blowhards -- I haven't read much fiction in the last ten or 15 years because a... posted by Donald at December 4, 2005 | perma-link | (14) comments

Saturday, November 26, 2005


Holiday Gifts 1
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- As traditional books stagger through yet another year of sales sluggishness, audiobook consumption continues... posted by Michael at November 26, 2005 | perma-link | (14) comments

Friday, November 25, 2005


How to Write Plays
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- The web is the resource that just keeps giving. Here's a very well-done how-to-write-plays... posted by Michael at November 25, 2005 | perma-link | (7) comments

Sunday, November 20, 2005


Book-Length Fiction?
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Where on-the-page-fiction is concerned, why are we so addicted to the novel-writing/novel-reading experience? O,... posted by Michael at November 20, 2005 | perma-link | (30) comments

Wednesday, October 26, 2005


Confessions of a Book Review Junkie
Donald Pittenger writes: Dear Blowhards -- I love reading book reviews. I read them every day in The New York... posted by Donald at October 26, 2005 | perma-link | (24) comments

Sunday, October 23, 2005


"44 Sonnets"
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Of the new books I've spent quality time with this year, my favorite has... posted by Michael at October 23, 2005 | perma-link | (20) comments

Wednesday, October 12, 2005


Large-Picture Books
Donald Pittenger writes: Dear Blowhards -- I like to browse remainder tables at bookstores. And if I'm at an outlet... posted by Donald at October 12, 2005 | perma-link | (7) comments

Teaching Company Update 1
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Does Christianity make intuitive sense to you? Does it make your soul and your... posted by Michael at October 12, 2005 | perma-link | (51) comments

Friday, September 16, 2005


Blair Tindall on Classical Music
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Thanks to Dave Lull for pointing out this lively interview with Blair Tindall, oboist... posted by Michael at September 16, 2005 | perma-link | (8) comments

Tuesday, September 6, 2005


The Way of All Reading?
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- I've wondered out loud about the future of long, all-prose narratives. As the world... posted by Michael at September 6, 2005 | perma-link | (26) comments

Wednesday, August 24, 2005


Me on Books, Redux
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- The attitudes I sometimes express about the experience of interacting-with-books might strike some visitors... posted by Michael at August 24, 2005 | perma-link | (6) comments

Saturday, August 20, 2005


Taking Jackie Collins Seriously
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- I just finished reading a novel by the mistress-of-trash novelist Jackie Collins. I enjoyed... posted by Michael at August 20, 2005 | perma-link | (44) comments

Thursday, August 18, 2005


"100 Bullets"
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Have you ever run across "100 Bullets"? It's an ongoing graphic novel written by... posted by Michael at August 18, 2005 | perma-link | (1) comments

Tuesday, August 2, 2005


Writing a Book
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Thanks to The Communicatrix, who pointed out this good and helpful Seth Godin posting... posted by Michael at August 2, 2005 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, July 13, 2005


Great Titles
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Among the many great things about "3:10 to Yuma" is its title. Yet what... posted by Michael at July 13, 2005 | perma-link | (41) comments

Thursday, July 7, 2005


Evan Hunter
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- I was very sorry to see that the crime novelist Evan Hunter -- who... posted by Michael at July 7, 2005 | perma-link | (10) comments

Friday, June 24, 2005


Short Story Contest
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- It seems to me that the cheeriest and most enterpreneurial of the book-blogs is... posted by Michael at June 24, 2005 | perma-link | (0) comments

Friday, June 17, 2005


Stephen Bodio Blogs
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Stephen Bodio is a beyond-excellent nature writer who manages the distinctive -- and too-rare... posted by Michael at June 17, 2005 | perma-link | (7) comments

Monday, May 16, 2005


Story
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Thanks to Dave Lull, who emailed me a link to this Charles Isherwood essay... posted by Michael at May 16, 2005 | perma-link | (31) comments

Wednesday, April 13, 2005


Kelly Jane on Short Stories
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- If attention spans are growing shorter yet the appetite for fiction is remaining constant,... posted by Michael at April 13, 2005 | perma-link | (16) comments

Debra Winger Reads "Karamazov"
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- One of my biggest cultural blindspots has been the fiction of Fyodor Dostoevsky. Over... posted by Michael at April 13, 2005 | perma-link | (9) comments

Thursday, February 10, 2005


Erma Bombeck
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- I love humor writing, and consider it an artform on a level with poetry... posted by Michael at February 10, 2005 | perma-link | (10) comments

Wednesday, February 2, 2005


"The Maltese Falcon" Turns 75
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- When I first read Faulkner and Hammett, I read them side by side and... posted by Michael at February 2, 2005 | perma-link | (4) comments

Thursday, January 27, 2005


Big Art/Short Fiction
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Do you crave long art experiences? I've noticed in recent years that any appetite... posted by Michael at January 27, 2005 | perma-link | (25) comments

Wednesday, January 12, 2005


Richard Curtis at Backspace
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Back when I was following books and the publishing biz, I found it surprisingly... posted by Michael at January 12, 2005 | perma-link | (4) comments

Saturday, January 8, 2005


Davenport and Sontag
Francis Morrone writes Dear Blowhards, Susan Sontag's death occasioned an extraordinary outpouring of commentary. The death of Guy Davenport, on... posted by Francis at January 8, 2005 | perma-link | (8) comments

Friday, December 3, 2004


Francis Davis on the Blues
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- A couple of months ago I took The Wife to a blues festival in... posted by Michael at December 3, 2004 | perma-link | (6) comments

Friday, November 5, 2004


"Isherwood" and Book Publishing
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- Coming soon to a bookstore near you: a major new biography of the English... posted by Michael at November 5, 2004 | perma-link | (13) comments

Saturday, October 2, 2004


Salingaros/Bentley
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- A couple of hotstuff new books are upon us. I'm looking forward to longer... posted by Michael at October 2, 2004 | perma-link | (4) comments

Thursday, September 16, 2004


YA Fiction
Michael Blowhard writes: Dear Blowhards -- A couple of months ago, in a posting about the creation of the American... posted by Michael at September 16, 2004 | perma-link | (15) comments

Friday, August 27, 2004


The Renaissance
Dear Vanessa -- I just finished reading two compact histories of the Renaissance, William Henry Hudson's The Story of the... posted by Michael at August 27, 2004 | perma-link | (16) comments

Friday, August 20, 2004


"Mildred Pierce"
Dear Vanessa -- James M. Cain What with spending my summer vacation weeks far from computers, I've been doing more... posted by Michael at August 20, 2004 | perma-link | (16) comments

Wednesday, July 14, 2004


Writer's Block
Dear Vanessa -- Some of the reasons this blog enjoys throwing rotten tomatoes at Modernism: Modernism claims to be radical... posted by Michael at July 14, 2004 | perma-link | (26) comments

Wednesday, June 23, 2004


"Neuromancer" on Audiobook
Dear Vanessa -- Currently on the commute-to-work tape-player: an abridged audio version of William Gibson's Neuromancer. (It's buyable here.) I'd... posted by Michael at June 23, 2004 | perma-link | (21) comments

Wednesday, June 16, 2004


A New Sarah Susanka Book
Dear Vanessa -- Sarah Susanka, the architect and author who's best-known for "The Not-So-Big House," has just published another lovely... posted by Michael at June 16, 2004 | perma-link | (1) comments

Book Elsewhere
Dear Vanessa -- * Is it unjust to bitch about how ingrown current American lit-writing can be? Those who think... posted by Michael at June 16, 2004 | perma-link | (5) comments

Tuesday, June 15, 2004


The Culture of Books
Dear Vanessa -- I notice that this year's Book Expo took place in Chicago a few weekends ago. Did you... posted by Michael at June 15, 2004 | perma-link | (9) comments

Friday, June 11, 2004


B&N's Portable Professors
Good news for lifetime-learning buffs: the Teaching Company now has serious competition. Barnes and Noble has launched what they're calling... posted by Michael at June 11, 2004 | perma-link | (4) comments

Wednesday, May 26, 2004


"Ulysses" on Audio
I notice that 100th anniversary of Bloomsday approaches. Bloomsday, for those who dodged classes on James Joyce, is the name... posted by Michael at May 26, 2004 | perma-link | (38) comments

Saturday, May 15, 2004


1000 Words -- "Carmilla"
Dear Friedrich -- It's been called to my attention more than a few times that I often write postings that... posted by Michael at May 15, 2004 | perma-link | (42) comments

Thursday, May 13, 2004


"The Dreamers," the novel
Dear Friedrich -- Remember my conversation with TurboKitty about the recent Bertolucci movie The Dreamers? (The posting is here.) The... posted by Michael at May 13, 2004 | perma-link | (9) comments

Friday, May 7, 2004


Meeting Toni Bentley
Dear Friedrich -- I posted here and here about my enthusiasm for the writing of the ballerina-turned-author Toni Bentley. Lucky... posted by Michael at May 7, 2004 | perma-link | (6) comments

Monday, May 3, 2004


Ira Levin Adds Value
Dear Friedrich -- Have you read any of the novels of Ira Levin? He's best-known as the author of the... posted by Michael at May 3, 2004 | perma-link | (47) comments

Thursday, April 22, 2004


Rewind -- Lit Writers vs. Genre Writers
Back in early blogging days, we Blowhards had next to no visitors -- this place was one very lonely Internet... posted by Michael at April 22, 2004 | perma-link | (11) comments

Thursday, April 8, 2004


Book Publishing
Dear Friedrich -- When it comes to the views about books and book publishing that I've presented at the blog,... posted by Michael at April 8, 2004 | perma-link | (11) comments

Book Sales/Audiobook Sales
Dear Friedrich -- Audiobooks, whose virtues and pleasures I've been touting on this blog for a while, continue to gain.... posted by Michael at April 8, 2004 | perma-link | (14) comments

Elizabeth George
Dear Friedrich -- Have you ever run across the crime novelist Elizabeth George? To my shame, I've only read one... posted by Michael at April 8, 2004 | perma-link | (11) comments

Friday, February 6, 2004


More on Book Review Editing
Dear Friedrich -- Because I'm the kind of bore who can't let go of a topic without giving it one... posted by Michael at February 6, 2004 | perma-link | (6) comments

Thursday, February 5, 2004


Whither The NYTimes Book Review Section?
Dear Friedrich -- The chitchat in the bookworld these days is about The New York Times Book Review Section. Have... posted by Michael at February 5, 2004 | perma-link | (20) comments

Friday, January 30, 2004


Classic Prose
Dear Friedrich -- Denis Dutton has posted a lot of fresh material on his site, here, only a little of... posted by Michael at January 30, 2004 | perma-link | (5) comments

Saturday, January 24, 2004


More on Making Books
Dear Friedrich -- Interesting tales about what it's really like to make a book: Andy Kessler writes for the WSJ... posted by Michael at January 24, 2004 | perma-link | (9) comments

Wednesday, January 14, 2004


Bookpeople Moviepeople Redux
Dear Friedrich -- It's been fun to see the comments pile up on my posting about the differences between the... posted by Michael at January 14, 2004 | perma-link | (25) comments

History of Math
Michael: I have a question. This is supposed to be a culture blog; why don't we ever talk about what... posted by Friedrich at January 14, 2004 | perma-link | (40) comments

Friday, January 9, 2004


The Book-Person's Vision
Dear Friedrich -- The Wife and I just spent a happy evening watching the DVD of a 1980 Roger Corman... posted by Michael at January 9, 2004 | perma-link | (129) comments

Wednesday, January 7, 2004


How to Adapt a Dick?
Dear Friedrich -- I know you're a fan of the sci-fi writer Phillip K. Dick, so you may enjoy this... posted by Michael at January 7, 2004 | perma-link | (14) comments

"Killing Freud"
Dear Friedrich -- Though Freud died in 1939, his reputation lived on and on -- despite the fact that good... posted by Michael at January 7, 2004 | perma-link | (27) comments

Monday, January 5, 2004


High School Yearbook
Dear Friedrich -- I mentioned in a recent posting how Aaron (here), George (here) and I did a little blogger-guy... posted by Michael at January 5, 2004 | perma-link | (4) comments

Thursday, December 18, 2003


Heinlein
Dear Friedrich -- A few of the things I've learned from hanging out online: How many people identify themselves as... posted by Michael at December 18, 2003 | perma-link | (48) comments

Wednesday, December 17, 2003


Coming To Grips With Nietzsche, Part III
Michael: In my (no doubt) long-awaited third posting on Nietzsche, I want to discuss where I think his ideas have... posted by Friedrich at December 17, 2003 | perma-link | (16) comments

Monday, December 1, 2003


Coming to Grips With Nietzsche, Part II
Michael: This is the second part of my series of postings on Nietzsche. (You can read the first part here.)... posted by Friedrich at December 1, 2003 | perma-link | (17) comments

Sunday, November 30, 2003


Inexcusable Self-Congratulations
Dear Friedrich -- Here's a well-done piece for Reuters by Mark Egan about the lit-fiction author John Robert Lennon, with... posted by Michael at November 30, 2003 | perma-link | (10) comments

Tuesday, November 25, 2003


Westlake Makes Me Happy
Dear Friedrich -- During my recent week off I treated myself to one of Donald Westlake's "Parker" novels (which he... posted by Michael at November 25, 2003 | perma-link | (44) comments

Friday, November 21, 2003


King vs. Hazzard
Dear Friedrich -- A couple of people have written in asking what I think about the Hazzard vs. King dustup... posted by Michael at November 21, 2003 | perma-link | (29) comments

Coming to Grips with Nietzsche, Part I
Michael: As you probably remember from our student days at our Lousy Ivy University, I was a fan of Nietzsche—I... posted by Friedrich at November 21, 2003 | perma-link | (19) comments

Monday, November 17, 2003


The LA Times Book Review and Me
Dear Friedrich -- Do you follow the LATimes Book Review Section? It's edited by Steve Wasserman, who's quite the serious... posted by Michael at November 17, 2003 | perma-link | (8) comments

Friday, November 7, 2003


Toni Bentley Redux
Dear Friedrich -- A few months ago I raved a bit (here) about Sisters of Salome, a book by the... posted by Michael at November 7, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments

Book Sales vs. TV Viewship Redux
Dear Friedrich -- Wow, I really was tired when I put up that posting last night comparing sales for "The... posted by Michael at November 7, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments

Thursday, November 6, 2003


Book Sales vs. TV Viewership
Dear Friedrich -- A comparison between sales of a best-selling novel and viewer numbers for a failed TV show. Total... posted by Michael at November 6, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments

Friday, October 31, 2003


"City Comforts," the Book
Dear Friedrich -- Has your copy of David Sucher's revised edition of his book City Comforts arrived yet? Mine showed... posted by Michael at October 31, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments

Tuesday, October 28, 2003


The Future of Book Publishing
Dear Friedrich -- If 15 years of following the publishing biz don't entitle me to pontificate grandly and extrapolate baselessly... posted by Michael at October 28, 2003 | perma-link | (35) comments

Wednesday, October 15, 2003


Authorship Redux
Friedrich -- I'm looking through a wonderful little art book that's a recent fave of mine, Ronald Pisano's The Tile... posted by Michael at October 15, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

Tuesday, October 14, 2003


If Big is Bad, Is Small Good?
Friedrich -- Those horrendous, octopus-like multinationals, that funny big money, those soulless corporations with the hearts of accountants -- the... posted by Michael at October 14, 2003 | perma-link | (9) comments

Friday, October 10, 2003


No Wonder It's So Confusing
Michael: I don’t know if you’ve come across the “Documentary Hypothesis” that the Jewish Torah (for non-Jews, the first five... posted by Friedrich at October 10, 2003 | perma-link | (17) comments

Wednesday, October 8, 2003


Macbeth Through The Years
Michael: Do you have certain works of art that you return to repeatedly as you go through life? One of... posted by Friedrich at October 8, 2003 | perma-link | (15) comments

Tuesday, September 23, 2003


Story Structure
Michael: On a few occasions you've given me the impression that you’ve sought out training in how to structure stories.... posted by Friedrich at September 23, 2003 | perma-link | (15) comments

Monday, September 22, 2003


"Mobtown"
Friedrich -- I remember you as a grumpy undergrad at our Lousy Ivy University, hating the profs and their stuffy... posted by Michael at September 22, 2003 | perma-link | (5) comments

Wednesday, September 17, 2003


Lesy on Rich Kids, Publishing
Friedrich -- Remember being amazed by how "entitled" yet how touchy so many kids at our Lousy Ivy University seemed... posted by Michael at September 17, 2003 | perma-link | (8) comments

Saturday, September 6, 2003


Read Mike Snider!
Friedrich -- Do you suppose there are visitors to 2Blowhards who haven't yet read our q&a with the poet and... posted by Michael at September 6, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Friday, September 5, 2003


Interview With Mike Snider, Part 2
Friedrich -- Continuing our interview with the poet and blogger Mike Snider. Part One can be seen here. Mike's own... posted by Michael at September 5, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

Thursday, September 4, 2003


Interview With Mike Snider, Part One
Friedrich -- I don't know about you, but I'm left in the dust by the work of most contempo poets... posted by Michael at September 4, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments

Tuesday, August 26, 2003


Postmodernism for Dummies
Michael: I've actually been reading that book, "Postmodernism for Dummies"—er, no, “Postmodernism for Beginners” by James M. Powell—that you sent... posted by Friedrich at August 26, 2003 | perma-link | (23) comments

Saturday, August 23, 2003


Bad for Your Mental Health
Michael: Is there no end to the hypocrisy of American journalism aimed at young women? These glossy magazines seem to... posted by Friedrich at August 23, 2003 | perma-link | (34) comments

Saturday, August 16, 2003


Them That Knows Don't Talk, And Them That Talk...
Michael: Why is it that journalists really expect to learn remarkable truths by just walking around, flashing their credentials, and... posted by Friedrich at August 16, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Wednesday, August 13, 2003


Austrian LitCrit
Friedrich -- Hey, it isn't just Marxists (and Marxoids) who do economics-based arts criticism. Here's a fun q&a with --... posted by Friedrich at August 13, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments

Monday, August 4, 2003


Hugo's Novel
Friedrich -- I just last night finished reading The Execution, the first novel by Hugo Wilcken, an occasional commenter here... posted by Michael at August 4, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Saturday, August 2, 2003


Elsewhere
Friedrich -- * Henry Farrell at Crooked Timber takes a break from politics and philosophy to post about some of... posted by Michael at August 2, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments

Thursday, July 24, 2003


Free Reads -- Harold Bloom
Friedrich -- Harold Bloom: the Last Good Critic, or a tiresome old gasbag? Jennie Rothenberg interviews him for The Atlantic... posted by Michael at July 24, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Wednesday, July 23, 2003


Free Reads -- Alexander Zaitchik on Romance Writers
Friedrich -- One of the many cuckoo notions college lit studies left me with was that the people who write... posted by Michael at July 23, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments

Sunday, July 20, 2003


Why Entrepreneurs Make For More Inspiring Reading
Michael: Thanks for the link in your posting, The Contempo Trade Book-Publishing Biz, an Intro to The NY Times Magazine's... posted by Friedrich at July 20, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

Saturday, July 19, 2003


The Contempo Trade Book-Publishing Biz, an Intro
Friedrich -- I don't know of a better snapshot of the contempo NYC-centric trade book publishing world than Lynn Hirshberg's... posted by Michael at July 19, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Bestseller Lists
Friedrich -- Have you ever given bestseller lists much thought? I certainly never would have, had I not followed the... posted by Michael at July 19, 2003 | perma-link | (19) comments

Tuesday, July 15, 2003


Booze and the Writing Life
Michael: I was leafing through the August issue of Vanity Fair, when I stumbled across “The Road to Samarra.” This... posted by Friedrich at July 15, 2003 | perma-link | (13) comments

Wednesday, July 9, 2003


Free Reads -- Bohemian Porn
Friedrich -- Remember Maurice Girodias? Legendary French publisher of porn novels? (As well as the guy who finally brought out... posted by Michael at July 9, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments

Free Reads -- Female and Male Writing Styles
Friedrich -- I seem to be the last person on the web to run across this piece, but just in... posted by Michael at July 9, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Saturday, July 5, 2003


The Nature of Order, Now
Friedrich -- FYI, Volume One of Christopher Alexander's much-anticipated, much-delayed magnum opus The Nature of Order is finally available. This... posted by Michael at July 5, 2003 | perma-link | (4) comments

Wednesday, July 2, 2003


Where Are They Now, and How Do They Sell?
Friedrich -- Book Magazine (which is evidently sponsored by Barnes & Noble) had the good idea of tracking down well-known... posted by Michael at July 2, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments

Haspel on Cult Critics
Friedrich -- I love the way some bloggers sometimes get possessed -- and who knows why? Aaron Haspel is one... posted by Michael at July 2, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Tuesday, July 1, 2003


Guest Posting -- Publishing in Britain
Friedrich -- This note just in from a visitor from England who wants to remain anonymous, and who has a... posted by Michael at July 1, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, June 25, 2003


The Book-Besotted
Friedrich -- Have you had a chance to eyeball the comments on the "Writing a Book" posting? A fascinating collection.... posted by Michael at June 25, 2003 | perma-link | (34) comments

Sunday, June 22, 2003


Writing a Book Redux
Friedrich -- Our posting from a few weeks back entitled "Tacit Knowledge -- Writing a Book" was linked to by... posted by Michael at June 22, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Friday, June 20, 2003


Free Reads -- Diana Cambridge on Writing
Friedrich -- Chris Bertram (of Junius, here) was kind enough to email along a link to a good piece by... posted by Michael at June 20, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

Wednesday, June 18, 2003


Kem Nunn 2: Writin'
Friedrich -- More musings prompted by my reading of Kem Nunn's surf-noir novel Tapping the Source. Yesterday I scratched my... posted by Michael at June 18, 2003 | perma-link | (23) comments

Tuesday, June 17, 2003


Kem Nunn 1: Neo-Noir
Friedrich -- I’m out in California for some vacation weeks, and in recognition of this happy fact I’ve lined up... posted by Michael at June 17, 2003 | perma-link | (15) comments

Thursday, June 12, 2003


Guest Posting --Stephen Bodio on Writing
Friedrich -- Tons of good thinking, reacting and writing in the comments to the posting below about writing a book... posted by Michael at June 12, 2003 | perma-link | (6) comments

Saturday, June 7, 2003


Tacit Knowledge -- Writing a Book
Friedrich -- Another posting in my very occasional series concerning the rules of thumb that people in the arts work... posted by Michael at June 7, 2003 | perma-link | (186) comments

Wednesday, June 4, 2003


Psychological Suspense
Friedrich -- I caught a good French movie the other night -- Claude Miller's Alias Betty. From one point of... posted by Michael at June 4, 2003 | perma-link | (18) comments

Wednesday, May 14, 2003


The Contempo Lit Galaxy According to Me
Friedrich -- I'm a literary enough guy, but I don't have much time for most of the contempo lit-fic writers... posted by Michael at May 14, 2003 | perma-link | (20) comments

Thursday, April 17, 2003


Comedy for the Ages
Michael: Thanks for the link to Dave Barry’s column on taxes (which you can see here.) After reading Mr. Barry’s... posted by Friedrich at April 17, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Monday, April 7, 2003


Whence the Publishing Consensus?
Friedrich -- One of the odder phenomena that leaped out at me back in the days when I followed publishing... posted by Michael at April 7, 2003 | perma-link | (28) comments

Thursday, April 3, 2003


Another Posting I'll Never Get Around to Writing
Friedrich -- A posting I've been planning to write for so long that I've finally become certain I never will... posted by Michael at April 3, 2003 | perma-link | (16) comments

Wednesday, March 26, 2003


Book Review -- "The Year 1000"
Friedrich -- In my better-late-than-never campaign to learn a bit about British history, I just finished an excellent and entertaining... posted by Michael at March 26, 2003 | perma-link | (5) comments

Thursday, March 20, 2003


Guest Posting -- Tim Hulsey on Western Novels
Friedrich -- Once again we're (or at least I'm) being humbled, upstaged and enlightened by one of our visitors, and,... posted by Michael at March 20, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, March 19, 2003


Reading the West
Friedrich -- As you know, I'm just back East after a couple of weeks in Arizona and California. Visiting the... posted by Michael at March 19, 2003 | perma-link | (14) comments

Monday, March 10, 2003


Fiction Books -- Taste Triangulating redux
Michael: In reading your posting, Fiction Books -- Taste Triangulating, I realized in scanning your list of authors that I... posted by Friedrich at March 10, 2003 | perma-link | (3) comments

Sunday, March 9, 2003


Fiction Books -- Taste Triangulating
Friedrich – I haven’t blogged much about books, lit and writing, which along with movies is the current artform I... posted by Michael at March 9, 2003 | perma-link | (14) comments

Friday, March 7, 2003


Postmodern Fairy Tales
Michael: My almost-two-year-old son is fixated on “The Three Little Pigs.” He walks around growling and making blowing sounds, and... posted by Friedrich at March 7, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments

Wednesday, February 26, 2003


Tell, Don't Show
Friedrich -- I recently finished Paul Johson's magnificent History of the English People (out of print, but Amazon will do... posted by Michael at February 26, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments

Saturday, February 22, 2003


A Confession
Friedrich -- I own hundreds of books I will almost certainly never get around to reading. Before I die, I... posted by Michael at February 22, 2003 | perma-link | (11) comments

Saturday, January 25, 2003


Free Reads -- Reality TV
Friedrich -- A fascinating piece by Bill Carter in the New York Times today about how the success of reality... posted by Michael at January 25, 2003 | perma-link | (8) comments

Thursday, January 23, 2003


Tacit Knowledge -- Lit vs. Genre fiction
Friedrich -- As you know, I enjoy collecting bits of tacit knowledge -- those things people know, but that they... posted by Michael at January 23, 2003 | perma-link | (5) comments

More Author Interviews
Friedrich -- Another good web resource for fans of long interviews with authors: January magazine's archive, here. Good stuff! Plus,... posted by Michael at January 23, 2003 | perma-link | (0) comments

Thursday, January 16, 2003


Tacit Knowledge -- Authors and money
Friedrich -- A woman I was lunching with who works at a large literary agency told me an amazing fact.... posted by Michael at January 16, 2003 | perma-link | (1) comments

Wednesday, January 15, 2003


Philip K. Dick and Sci Fi Gnosis
Michael— As you may remember at our Lousy Ivy University, when I should have been writing term papers or thinking... posted by Friedrich at January 15, 2003 | perma-link | (2) comments

Tuesday, January 14, 2003


Femme (Lit) Erotica
Friedrich -- As you know, in the last twenty or thirty years a lot of women artists and writers have... posted by Michael at January 14, 2003 | perma-link | (7) comments

Sunday, December 15, 2002


Guest Posting -- Yvonne Harrison
Friedrich -- Yvonne Harrison, who lives in New Zealand and makes a living as a technical writer, got in touch... posted by Michael at December 15, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Thursday, December 12, 2002


Writing for a Living
Friedrich -- I'm always pleased to see people taking writing classes, music instruction, art classes. It's a great way to... posted by Michael at December 12, 2002 | perma-link | (7) comments

Friday, December 6, 2002


Writing Software
Friedrich -- Do you dislike Word as much as I do? I suppose it's an OK piece of software, and... posted by Michael at December 6, 2002 | perma-link | (11) comments

Thursday, December 5, 2002


Art Critics -- What Are They Like?
Friedrich -- The National Arts Journalism Program at Columbia University just released the results of a study they did of... posted by Michael at December 5, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Wednesday, November 27, 2002


Free Reads -- Anne Perry
Friedrich -- Do you remember the movie "Heavenly Creatures"? Peter Jackson directing a tale about two teenaged girls who have... posted by Michael at November 27, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Monday, November 25, 2002


Free Reads -- Q&A archive
Friedrich -- Are you as fond of the q&a form as I am? I sometimes feel sorry for the interviewee,... posted by Michael at November 25, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Monday, November 11, 2002


Tacit Knowledge -- New Books
Friedrich Covering the arts professionally (for way too many years) burned a lot of earnest-and-dreamy liberal-arts foolishness out of me.... posted by Michael at November 11, 2002 | perma-link | (9) comments

Saturday, November 9, 2002


Libertarians and sci-fi
Friedrich -- One thing I notice over and over that I've never managed to make much sense of is the... posted by Michael at November 9, 2002 | perma-link | (25) comments

Friday, November 8, 2002


Dvorak in Love
Friedrich -- You've got me thinking about 19th century American art, and as I was doing so during this morning's... posted by Michael at November 8, 2002 | perma-link | (3) comments

Wednesday, October 30, 2002


Tacit Knowledge -- Genre Writers vs. Literary Writers
Friedrich -- Another entry in our ongoing attempt to put into words the things people know but that don't make... posted by Michael at October 30, 2002 | perma-link | (2) comments

Thursday, October 24, 2002


Free Reads -- Andrew Sullivan on the economics of blogging
Friedrich -- I just caught up with Andrew Sullivan's essay for London's Sunday Times about writing, blogging, and trying to... posted by Michael at October 24, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, October 23, 2002


Keats Redux
Friedrich -- Some helpful notes from readers about the poetry of John Keats. Tim Hulsey (from Virginia) writes: As for... posted by Michael at October 23, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Free Reads -- Dana Gioia
Friedrich -- Good news, as reported by Robin Pogrebin in the NYTimes: the poet Dana Gioia is a candidate to... posted by Michael at October 23, 2002 | perma-link | (4) comments

Friday, October 18, 2002


Keats and British Acting
Friedrich -- I just finished listening to an audiobook of selected poems by John Keats, read by a variety of... posted by Michael at October 18, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Report From Texas redux
Friedrich -- Thanks for passing along the story about Joni Rogers, who sounds like quite a wit, and quite an... posted by Michael at October 18, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Report from Texas
Michael One of our correspondents writes that she attended an interesting luncheon recently featuring Joni Rogers, a cancer survivor who... posted by Friedrich at October 18, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Saturday, October 12, 2002


Knowledge Loss
Friedrich -- I was talking about books with an arty guy in his early 20s who's very bright and talented.... posted by Michael at October 12, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Friday, October 11, 2002


Jenna
Friedrich -- Are you a fan of the porn star Jenna Jameson? She's an interesting figure, very entrepreneurial and in-charge.... posted by Michael at October 11, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Free Reads -- Amiri Baraka rereredux
Friedrich -- John Derbyshire is dryly amusing on Amiri Baraka in today's National Review Online, achieving his effects by pretending... posted by Michael at October 11, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Saturday, October 5, 2002


Free Reads -- Philip Roth
Friedrich -- Working in and around the arts, you find yourself having to get past many sweet illusions. (It's either... posted by Michael at October 5, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Literary Pleasures of Military History
Michael I don’t know if I ever mentioned to you that I spent several years reading a lot of military... posted by Friedrich at October 5, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Friday, October 4, 2002


Amiri Baraka re-redux
Friedrich -- Thanks for pointing out the latest development in the Amiri Baraka anti-Semitic-poetry saga. It highlights, or at least... posted by Michael at October 4, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Amiri Baraka redux
Michael The NY Times today addresses the controversy that has erupted over a poem read at a festival by the... posted by Friedrich at October 4, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Thursday, October 3, 2002


Begs the Question
Friedrich -- It’s the rare language-usage error that makes me emerge from my usual apathetic shell, but this one does:... posted by Michael at October 3, 2002 | perma-link | (8) comments

Not a Critic
Friedrich -- After a few recent visits with bright, talented friends who are critics, it occurs to me why I’m... posted by Michael at October 3, 2002 | perma-link | (2) comments

Free Reads -- P.D. James
Friedrich -- Have you read the British mystery-and-detective novelist P.D. James? She has tons of fans. I've read a few... posted by Michael at October 3, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, October 2, 2002


War Poetry redux
Friedrich -- Sweet of you to think of me as 2blowhards' resident "poetry expert," but if I am indeed that... posted by Michael at October 2, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Tuesday, October 1, 2002


War Poetry
Michael As we are perhaps on the brink of military activity, I found myself wanting to know more about war... posted by Friedrich at October 1, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, September 25, 2002


Economic History of Shakespeare
Michael Given my previous discussion of cities and their artistic “golden ages,” I thought it might be entertaining to look... posted by Friedrich at September 25, 2002 | perma-link | (3) comments

Sunday, September 22, 2002


If I Were an Editor 6
Friedrich -- If I were an editor, I'd commission a piece on the theme of: "The E-book Revolution Is Over,... posted by Michael at September 22, 2002 | perma-link | (2) comments

Thursday, September 19, 2002


No Respect for L.A.
Michael As a Southern Californian, I am indignant that so little attention was ever paid to Translating L.A.: A Tour... posted by Friedrich at September 19, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, September 18, 2002


Modern Poetry Redux
Michael There you go again, making me read poetry. I thought I was over that, but your posting on “Modern... posted by Friedrich at September 18, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Monday, September 16, 2002


Modern Poetry
Friedrich -- I spent my walking-around-the-city time over the last few days listening to poetry audiotapes: Robert Lowell, Randall Jarrell,... posted by Michael at September 16, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Friday, September 13, 2002


Free Reads -- Alan Ayckbourn
Friedrich -- The Telegraph runs a brief but amusing excerpt from playwright Alan Ayckbourn's new book "The Crafty Art of... posted by Michael at September 13, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Thursday, September 12, 2002


Free Reads -- Steven Pinker
Friedrich -- The ever-resourceful Arts and Letters Daily (here) points out a long q&a with Steven Pinker, here. Have you... posted by Michael at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Kapuscinski
Friedrich -- I just finished making my way through Ryszard Kapuscinski's "The Shadow of the Sun." Have you read him?... posted by Michael at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (1) comments

Spy Novels
Friedrich -- Do you have any patience with the spy-novel genre? I keep giving it a try, as though one... posted by Michael at September 12, 2002 | perma-link | (3) comments

Wednesday, September 11, 2002


Media Bitch
Friedrich -- Good lord. Here's the publicity copy for a book Morrow will be bringing out later this month. Girl... posted by Michael at September 11, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Friday, September 6, 2002


Free Reads -- Toby Young
Friedrich -- Toby Young, who has written a book about his years trying and failing to make it in the... posted by Michael at September 6, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, September 4, 2002


Videobooks
Friedrich -- More evidence (I learn slow) that TV is the center of the culture: on the cover of Book... posted by Michael at September 4, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Monday, September 2, 2002


Readers and Writers
Friedrich -- A novelist friend who teaches creative writing at a local college tells me that she recently mentioned William... posted by Michael at September 2, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Thursday, August 29, 2002


Paul Johnson Reredux
Michael You're quite right about the institutional similarities between the medieval monastic movement and Ivy League colleges. Irish Monks Modestly... posted by Friedrich at August 29, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Paul Johnson Redux
Friedrich -- Paul Johnson's discussion of the roles monasteries and monks played in the medieval world has got me thinking... posted by Friedrich at August 29, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Wednesday, August 28, 2002


Paul Johnson
Friedrich -- What are you reading these days? I'm going through Paul Johnson's "History of Christianity." We're up to the... posted by Michael at August 28, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments

Saturday, August 17, 2002


Theory of Amazon 1
Friedrich -- Do you use Amazon.com much? I do as a shopper, and also as surfer -- I can get... posted by Michael at August 17, 2002 | perma-link | (0) comments