[Note: Movable Snipe is a week-long feature wherein two writers read and evaluate five blogs, sending each other one letter a day. This week's Snipers are Michael Helke and Fiona Maazel. Michael's first letter can be accessed here; Fiona's response to it, here. Day Two: Michael; Fiona. Day Three: Fiona; Michael. Day Four: Michael; Fiona. Day Five: Fiona.]
Maaz:
I agree with you: one can’t talk about books in polite company anymore without it metamorphosing into talk of movies.
And as if to prove the point, just wanted to say, first off, if you haven’t seen “Pitch ’n’ Putt with Joyce ’n’ Beckett” at YouTube, you should. Feckin’ brilliant, it is.
Back to books: Jane Smiley’s new novel about Hollywood is due to – MERDE! I’m doing it again…
You want to get meta-meta? I just read about us reading about Crooked Timber and reading what Crooked Timber thinks we’re doing. Suddenly I’m very dizzy…
Dunno about you, but I don’t think I’ve ever had what I’m doing mentioned within the same paragraph as the fabled New York Intellectuals. But I suppose there’s a first time for everything, isn’t there? And other clichés. Ever wondered what it means to be “post-ironic”? I think I do: it’s when you think you’re being sarcastic but don’t realize you’re actually telling the truth. That is, talking “in quotes” about things that can be safely said without them.
As of this moment, no news yet from The Elegant Variation about Martin Amis’s teaching stint at Manchester Uni, so check it out at the Guardian. (The Mancs are going to have his balls for breakfast with his scalp as a side salad…) There is mention of Simone de Beauvoir being honored at the 16th International Book Fair in Argentina. Didn’t the Times run a story a couple years ago that the English translation of Beauvoir’s Second Sex is actually rather shitty, and a generation of novice scholars might therefore have derived erroneous notions from it? Too bad this is the end of the line for discussion – would love to solicit your thoughts on that…
Oh, dammit, woman – you scooped me on Richard Feynman! Another late, lamented scientific mind. He and Carl Sagan. If you haven’t read Tuva or Bust: Richard Feynman’s Last Journey, you should. Would have been fun and interesting man to have hung around with: that stoner dewd who actually had a 180 IQ and excellent taste in music, lit, etc.
I read it first at Nerve’s Scanner: Al Franken is running for Senate, and Rudy Giuliani’s declared for president. Would have thought Giuliani’s cancer scare of a few years ago might have put him off the rigors of campaigning; and think Franken hasn’t a chance of winning, as he’s much too much fun to listen to. Think he’d get bored after awhile anyway. Drezner also weighed in with some drive-by thoughts on Giuliani worth pondering.
Maaz, my mighty heart is breaking. As we are being separated, perhaps never to see or hear one another again, I thought I’d bequeath to you a link of Joy Division performing “Love Will Tear Us Apart” as a sort of musical summing up.
Speaking of which: I knew a bit about Nerve and Elegant Variation beforehand but never really gave it a sustained look – so many wasted nights! Well, not anymore, buster. Crooked Timber, Drezner, and 3 Quarks Daily I hadn’t a clue, and am glad that I was clued in before I died. It’s been a pleasure sniping.
(Of course, Fiona, there is always e-mail, you know…)
Helke
You made some decent points there. I looked on the web for the problem and located most people is going coupled with with the web site.
Me and my good friend were arguing about an issue similar to that! These days I know that I was best. lol! Thanks for the information you post.